Installing leaf springs

So ive searched for 30min and cant really find what Im looking for, so i thought I would ask. I just installed new shackles on friday, well now Ive got to get new leaf springs b/c the shackle is bend down my leafs. Im buying a pair of 3.5" rusty or RE springs, need to go look at both. (Both are used, so Im buying them used) I havent installed leaf springs. Im looking for how to install them? How hard they will be to do? and what new hardwear will I have to buy? Both sets of springs just come with the springs.

Im probley going to reuse the u-bolts I have right now b/c they are not rusted and look in pretty good shape right now. Right now I have 2" blocks and 2" leafs with add a leaf.

They are pretty easy to install. If you did the shackle then you can do the leaf springs bolts. Use lots of PB blaster and if you have air tools it should only take about an hour or two. If you need to cut out the bolts your local hardware store should have a bolt to replace it.
Don't reuse your u-bolts; just because they look good doesn't mean much. They stretch over time and that is where your problems are.
FYI: your leaf blocks are probably the reason why your leafs sagging not your shackles.

Ya i know its the block. the blocks are pushing up on the leafs, and the shackles are pushing down. the blocks arnt letting the shackle do what they are designed for.

Ive heard poeople talk about the center pin? I have no clue what that is? And how am I going to be able to make sure the leafs line up with the axle and the axle gets centered?

And do need and specific u-bolts or what?

jeepfreak1020 said:

Ive heard poeople talk about the center pin? I have no clue what that is? And how am I going to be able to make sure the leafs line up with the axle and the axle gets centered?

And do need and specific u-bolts or what?

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The center pin goes through the hole in the center of the leaves, and holds the pack togather. The bottom head of it sticks out like a little knob, and that's what centers the pack on the springpad. I got a set with my Rusty's AALs, so I would assume a pack would certainly come with them. He sells those, and big nasty ubolts separately as well.

Does the center pin do to the axle or no? And ive read I can just go buy one at like ace and what not. Same with the ubolts

The head fits into a hole in the springpad, keeping it centered. It doesn't actually bolt spring to axle.

Does it bolt through it. b/c the springs looked like they had some sort of a pin that was already doing through the leafs. but it dident look very long. Would that be the center pin?

It goes through the leaf pack, and goes 1/4"ish into the pad, but not "through", it just sits there.

O ok well then I think it was the center pin already in it. Well I think I should be ok. Ive got to run to a couple of places tomorrow and look for ubolts, but thats it.

The spring pack will already have a center pin in them. If you buy the RE ones, the "head" on the center pin is a larger diameter than that of a stock pack. You will need to drill out the hole in the spring pack just a little. (so it will fit in the spring pad) No big deal. I agree with getting new ubolts. It's really an easy procedure...your biggest problem will be the front bolts, but if your upper bolts came out as easy as you say...you shouldn't have any trouble at all.

It is a pretty simple procedure, but a couple of things will make it easier and safer. A flat garage slab is best, and the rig and jackstands will be stable. You can leave your driveshaft and rear brake line connected if you're careful with the job. Break the front eye and shackle bolts/nuts loose about a quarter turn with the Jeep weight on wheels for safety. You don't want to be reefing on things more than necessary once it's on jackstands. I like to do it one side at a time. Block the front wheels and jack the rear end up, support the side you want to do with a tall jackstand on the frame just in front of the fwd spring hanger. Use a shorter jackstand under the axle and remove the wheel. Use your floor jack to lower the axle a bit until the weight is off the spring, make sure the Jeep stays stable on the frame jackstand. Position the short jackstand again so that it's close beneath the axle, break loose the u-bolts, take them off and use the floor jack to settle the axle on the small jackstand. You should have a free-hangning leaf spring at this point, remove the fwd eye bolt and rear shackle bolts. Hit these nuts with PB blaster several times a few days prior to doing the job, they'll come loose much easier. At this point, swap the leaf packs out and re-install the new one the same way you removed the old one. The centering pins can be replaced fairly easily if they're bad. Lay the leaf pack on it's side on concrete, use a couple of C-clamps to squeeze the pack leaves together within 3" or so each side of the center pin. Break the center pin nut loose, remove it, drive the pin out by tapping it with a hammer. You may need a punch or an old bolt to tap it through the pack once it's beneath the surface. Re-install a new center pin, make sure you don't over torque it, you can strip the threads or pop the head off. Just get it good and snug. Re-assemble in reverse order of removal, 10 ft/lbs on spring eye/shackle bolts, 75 ft/lbs on the u-bolts, 90 ft/lbs on lug nuts. Work safely.

Listen to Fubar's post, that is great advice on how to change the leaf springs.

A couple things.

Get new u-bolts. U-bolts are meant to be a 1-time use only type of bolt, as they stretch when they are torqued down. Just because they look good doesn't matter.

I also have yet to find u-bolts in my local hardware stores. Yes you need specific ones, as you need the corresponding u-bolts for your axle tube diameter. I know RuffStuff sells very beefy u-bolts. As far as the length of the u-bolts, that doesn't matter as much, as you can always cut off the extra threaded part once you have installed the axle.

jeepfreak1020 said:

... I just installed new shackles on friday, well now Ive got to get new leaf springs b/c the shackle is bend down my leafs...

Right now I have 2" blocks and 2" leafs with add a leaf.

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The shackles have nothing to do with you needing new leafs. I'm assuming you put in longer shackles? The reason why it looks like they are "bending down your leafs" is because the leaf spring now mounts farther away from the body, so you can see it more. The leaf has always been bending like that, you just probably couldn't see it before. Shackles don't wear out leaf springs, blocks do. (blocks are alright on heavy duty leaf springs, like the ones on trucks, but not on light duty leafs that the XJ uses). The leaf is mounting in the exact same place, so there is no added weight on the leaf, and nothing is "pushing it down."

jeepfreak1020 said:

Ya i know its the block. the blocks are pushing up on the leafs, and the shackles are pushing down. the blocks arnt letting the shackle do what they are designed for.

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Whether the blocks are there or not, the leaf springs experience the same force vectors at rest. The weight of the vehicle is on the axle, so you will have the axle or block "pushing up" on the leaf in the middle, and you will have the weight also "pushing down" on the leaf where it mounts in the front, and where it mounts to the shackle.

As far as the blocks not letting the shackle do what they are designed to do, that makes no sense. A shackle, lift or not, is designed to compensate for the change in the length of the arc a leaf spring when it compresses or extends. This is why you can not have two solid mounting points with a leaf, as they would wear out incredibly fast, and fail. A block does not interfere with this, or anything the shackle does.

When you put your new leafs in, take the blocks out, otherwise the same thing will eventually happen to those leafs. The block puts extra leverage on the leaf, and causes them to wrap and twist. This quickly will wear the leaf out, and sometimes cause it to break. The farther away the axle, (bigger block) the more torque on the leafspring.

fubar XJ said:

10 ft/lbs on spring eye/shackle bolts, 75 ft/lbs on the u-bolts, 90 ft/lbs on lug nuts.

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Whoa, these are nowhere near the numbers I found. Are these correct?

Eh, they've always worked for me. I can't even remember where I got them from, I've torqued those same nuts/bolts to those values for a long time. What did you come up with?

I searched and found 115 ft lbs for the front eye and upper shackle, 80 for the lower shackle, and 45-52 for the U bolts (I actually found a few different numbers for Ubolts- guessing it depends on material, grade, and threads- don't really know). I believe I pulled all those numbers from the forums here.

I just put my new springs in with those numbers- if I'm way off, I figure I need to fix that.

jeepfreak1020 said:

So ive searched for 30min and cant really find what Im looking for, so i thought I would ask. I just installed new shackles on friday, well now Ive got to get new leaf springs b/c the shackle is bend down my leafs. Im buying a pair of 3.5" rusty or RE springs, need to go look at both. (Both are used, so Im buying them used) I havent installed leaf springs. Im looking for how to install them? How hard they will be to do? and what new hardwear will I have to buy? Both sets of springs just come with the springs.

Im probley going to reuse the u-bolts I have right now b/c they are not rusted and look in pretty good shape right now. Right now I have 2" blocks and 2" leafs with add a leaf.

Click to expand...

I'd say go ahead and get the RE's even though I haven't heard many complaints about either set. But i agree with whoever said that the blocks are the culprit for making it sag. You might seriously consider getting new u-bolts though.

Well I got the leafs and there in pretty good condition. I want to know, can i hit them with some rustolium. Which will paint them black again and get rid of the rust to??

Rustoleum is only paint, and can prevent rust. It does not get rid of rust itself. You will have to use a wire wheel or the likes to remove that.

Yes, you can paint them, what gave you the impression you couldn't?

Rustoleum Rust Reformer is, I think, what he's talking about. It's supposed to "instantly convert rust to a paintable surface"- after curing 24 hours. It's also black, but it still needs topcoated with paint.