leaf spring help.. on '59 Overlander

[stain]

Hello all I have just removed my belly pan and was wondering what I should look for on my leaf springs ... they seem to be in good shape so I was just going to clean them up a bit .. If anyone can tell what to look for in regards to repair or clean up and condition testing I would a happy camper..
thanks in advance stain... .. back to work

[silverleeper]

Hi stain, When you check your leaf springs for damage, make sure you check for: broken leafs, broken or rusty center bolts, and worn eye bushings.

[putback]

stain, I've never done A S springs, but dozens on other applications. It would be rare at its age if the eye bushings are good and you will never be closer to change them out. I also would replace the ctr bolt [holds the stack of leaves togather]. They often look good on the ends but are coroded near through inside the spring stack where you can't see. Beware, some spring sets are under tension, when you cut the ctr bolt they can gitcha! You may want to do a forum search, I've read a number of post regarding 1950s & early 1960s airstreams having weak axle spindles that break on the road. There's some pics of the damage. Good news is spring axles are cheap compared to the newer torsion ones. '59, nice find!!!!!!

[markdoane]

I took the springs off of my 24' Tradewind and had the spring shop disassemble, check for cracks, add a leaf, and reassemble. Not a big expense, and worth it to have new center bolts, straps, bushings and all. You should seriously think about uprating with an additional leaf if you are thinking about adding any significant weight like an air conditioner, larger tanks, or more batteries.

Figure an extra leaf is good for about 800# more GVWR. However, if you have a single axle this may put you over the limit for what your tires can handle.

[flyfshr]

When I had my axle replaced, I asked the shop to check out my leaf springs. The took them off the trailer and checked them for resiliency and tension. They checked out fine and I went from a 3500# axle to a 5000# and have been really happy with it.

Brad
FF

[stain]

Thanks everyone for all the help.. I think I will take them into a shop .. all the bolts are well covered in grease so that leads me to believe that the P.O took care of them.. My Overlander is a duel axle so I hope I dont have to add to the leafs can anyone tell me what the axles are rated at ???? ..I have yet to look past the grease in the hubs but all will happen in time ... thanks again for all the help this is a great forum .. stain ...

[toastie]

Originally Posted by stain

Thanks everyone for all the help.. I think I will take them into a shop .. all the bolts are well covered in grease so that leads me to believe that the P.O took care of them.. My Overlander is a duel axle so I hope I dont have to add to the leafs can anyone tell me what the axles are rated at ???? ..I have yet to look past the grease in the hubs but all will happen in time ... thanks again for all the help this is a great forum .. stain ...

stain

I reused my leaf springs with a new dexter axle, the odds are that you will probably have to replace the shackle link and bolts and the bushings, if so, make sure the bushings are the rubber one's and have them do the install.........

toastie