The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 59 front springs

Well finally decided to pull the trigger and order a new set of front springs,shackles,and u-bolts for our Baby! We are going to order/replace the rear set as well after another payday passes. Ordered from General Spring Co. I will have pictures as soon as the work starts!

Replacing the springs should raise the curb height back to original, and eliminate the shocks bottoming out. Some have said the ride will improve as well. We shall see. This is my first older style vehicle to own and I don't have anything to compare it to so far.

Replacing the springs should improve the overall look and ride..., but nothing you do will ever make your '59 pickup ride like your modern car short of moving your truck sheet metal onto a modern chassis.


Mike B

Well, don't get me wrong I love driving the 'Ol girl just fine! Before the shock mount broke we just had to take it extra easy over anything rough because it seemed like it rattled her a little much. Besides I have it for fun not work so I can afford to take her easy over the hard stuff. I have no idea how hard her previous life was. So now its like her retirement life. Should be easier right??

The springs have arrived late yesterday afternoon (May29). I should be able to get to them this coming weekend !!!

Be sure to give the U bolt threads and nuts a liberal dose of anti-seize compound before torquing the nuts. Getting the springs firmly attached to the axle is important.
Jerry

Update
Started spring removal process. got left side off. Went well. Used steel wire brush to remove as much dirt off threads of the U-bolts as possible. Sprayed with lots of Kroil penetrating oil and let sit most of the day. Used a large breaker bar and the nuts broke free easier that I thought they would. Still had to use 1/2 in impact to get them off the rest of the way and they fought it. Had to run them tight and loose and add more oil. But they finally gave up. I'm goingto clean up everything and paint the brackets and new U bolts before installing. Pictures coming.
Was wondering what to do with the old springs. Think anyone would want them? I've heard some places can recurve old springs? None of the shops near me ever heard of that.

Yes those old springs have value. Matter of fact just about all OEM parts off these Stovebolts have value. The main problem most have with them is stowage.....

List them in the parts for sale forum and see if you get a hit. Local forums like craigslist may be worth a try but the odds aren't nearly as good as advertising in a specialized forum pertaining to these old trucks....

Long story short, due to a previous builder's need to ride so low to the ground that passing gas would likely help cushion the road shocks, I needed to add springs just to get the truck back to roadable, the cheapest (inexpensive) route I took was securing a full set of old OEM springs, I've enjoyed cruising that formally too low to cruise truck weekly now.

Dave

P.S., and yes old springs can be re-arched. You'll likely find a spring/ chasis shop or info pertaining to them where ever OTR trucks are serviced.

Old springs are also good for blacksmithing, they can make a lot of really good knifes out of them.

Okay :-) I'll clean them up and list them here (under parts for sale). They dont look bad, all the bands are in tact and the bushings are still in the ends.

Thank you guys!

On hold again :-( rear spring bolts need replaced. Ordered them yesterday. At least once I get to the passenger side I should be good to go with all needed parts!

While you’re at it are you checking tie rod and any play in the king pins? Tightening your front end steering and an alignment will help too.

okay update!
Got driver side spring all back in and snug. wheel back on. No shocks yet. Removed the passenger side spring. Went to remove dirt and rust before installing new spring and found trouble. The rear spring bracket for the through bolt is loose. 4 rivets all loose. Can wiggle bracket eighth of an inch. Driver side was tight. I ground off one tail to remove and replace with grade 8 bolts. Discussed with a few guys at work and it was suggested to heat up those big rivets and re-shoot them to tighten up the bracket. I dont know if heating the frame in that area would be a concern. I do have experience shooting rivets in aircraft just nothing that big.

has anyone replaced those rivets before or possibly re-shot/bucked them after heating? Any thoughts would be appriciated,

Thanks
RK

If it were me I'd heat just the rivet to cherry red and re-buck it, this shouldn't effect the frame.

Big Flats Rivets in NY sells the set tool that works on a air chisel...back it up with a big sledge hammer and see if you can tighten them up one at a time.

http://bigflatsrivet.com/tools.html

Mike B

Thanks Mike B!

Yes I meant heating those big rivets cherry red, not the frame itself. I should have been more specific, I apologize. I looked at bigflats rivet website. I'm not sure what size the rivet shank is. The heads are as big as a nickel.

Ok quick update!

Finally got the passenger side rear spring mount rivets replaced. Decided to go with the grade 8 bolts. Used a reamer to final size the holes to 7/16. The shank actually measured .432. I used an adjustable reamer for the final sizing. Made sure the shanks extended slightly more than the holes, installed washers to take up the space. Used self locking nuts with a dab of loctite for insurance. Spring mounting completed. Put all 4 tires on the ground bounced the truck a few times, then went around final tightening the shackles and U bolts. Used liberal amounts of nickel anti seize. Purchased the correct shocks using extended and compressed measurements. Turns out the ones that fit the truck are about 4 inches shorter than the ones that were on it when we bought it.

Wow! went for a ride, what a difference! I would have never thought springs/shocks would have made that much of a change. Baby now holds the road better and the wheel has less play, and far better response. We discovered a brake fluid leak at the rear passenger wheel. After that gets repaired, the rear shocks will be looked at for correct length. It felt like the rear axle would kick hard over any bumps in the road. I have no qualms about replacing the rear springs if that is what it takes to smooth out the ride even more.

It felt good to take her out and to see the smile on my wife's face as she drove her truck again!

Thanks for all the help and advice fellas!

RK

Did your new spring set come with Teflon inserts? Who did you order them through? I added the Teflon inserts to my spring packs to aid in movement and help soften up the ride. I got the inserts from Speedway, it comes in a roll and you cut it to length.

I ordered the springs from General Spring. They came with threaded inserts for the through bolts for the springs and shackles. Haven't heard of teflon inserts. Do you take the springs apart and install those like layers between the leafs?

Anyway it turns out the leak I saw was actually gear oil coming out past the rear axle seals. Ruined the new shoes the PO installed. They must have known about the leaks because we only drove the truck maybe 50 miles before the trouble with the shock mount breaking happened and we parked her in the garage. Both sides were caked in sludge. Found bent shoe holding pins, broken return springs, and the adjuster rusted at the narrowest setting. Its no wonder the brakes barely worked. I'm betting the front brakes are all that was working. Oddly new wheel cylinders are installed. I have no idea why anyone would put new wheel cylinders in and not clean up the mess. They are shiny new looking amongst the layers of crud I used a scraper on to remove so I could see the springs and remove them.

I've ordered 2 sets of new springs because the front brakes will be next BEFORE it rolls out for another drive. Bought new shoes from O'rielys but had to order seals from LMC. I've just discovered LMC's website if you havent, check them out! Question I have also is the owners manual call for straight SAE 90 w gear oil. Thats hard to find in anything other than a 5 gallon bucket for over 200 bucks. Any gearheads here tell me if I use 85w90 will I be okay? I operate in mid Georgia ( summer temps in low 90's), and live down a dirt road about 1.5 miles to get to my Cabin.

I havent figured out where the brake fluid went to just yet either. That will be investigated as well before rollout occurs again too.

Van,
I had to disassemble the spring packs to add the inserts. I cut them to the length of of the spring below it, once cut I reassembled the springs and banded the ends. I borrowed a banding machine from work, made the a lot easier. I had to find a grade 8 bolt the correct length as I removed 3 leafs per side.... Around here we have Tractor Supply stores, you can buy 90w in quarts there.

Wow TUTS 59 that sounds like a lot of work. Is it worth it?

We have Tractor Supply as well but my local store didn't have it on the shelf. There is another one a bit farther away, its a bigger store. I'll go there this weekend(8/17/19). Hopefully they have it.

I have Teflon buttons on aftermarket springs not so sure they work. I did take my original ones off and sanded the surface and put them back together.

I found some 80-90 w Lucas brand at the bigger tractor supply. Takes a bit more than 3 QTs. Got the brakes reassembled. The parking brake lever now grabs way better! 2-3 clicks on the lever now like its supposed to! Still need to pull front brake drums off for inspection. After finding the rear brakes in shambles I dont trust the fronts are correct. The fel pro rear cover gasket was waaay to thin. I used blue rtv on the cover side only and Its seeping. I will need to find a cork gasket thats thicker than onion paper. The one that peeled off was old cork 1/16 thick.

I guess it's worth it if your looking to soften up the ride a little. The build on My truck is anything but stock so I guess you would need to keep that in mind. I wanted to lower the truck and add power steering and disc brakes along with a sway bar and gas shocks. I have a 4" drop axle and removed 2 leafs from the spring packs. My rear axle has been moved above the springs so the frame sets a little higher in the rear (1-2 inches). I was going after the look my Father had on his 57 LWB in the early 70's.