The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop multi vs. mono leafs

guys,
my 57 currently has a 3 inch dropped front axle with one leaf removed, and in the rear, 4 leafs removed of the original 7, along with longer lowering shackles.
i want my truck lower, and have been looking at lowered leaf springs.
which would be a better ride, lowered mono leafs or lowered multi leafs, front and rear ?
the mono's are right at $200.00 more expensive for front and rear set compared to the multi leafs.

thanks much.

leonard

I don't know about spring differences much, but...have you looked into dropped spindles for the front ? That would be a lot better than some other ways of lowering. (It doesn't change steering geometry, spring rates...etc.)

Monoleaf was a cost-cutting measure (more expensive for the main leaf, but cheaper than the rest of the spring pack, clamps, etc.).
Why is it more expensive now? Because it sound cool.
Mono relies on the length and degree of tapered ends for ride quality, and is very difficult to "tune" (anti-torque, ride height, rate) - a multi can be taken apart, entire leaves removed or longer ones inserted.

Hey Leonard; I'm not a big fan of the mono's, I've got a pair but not running them at this time. I can get it down almost as low with 3 leafs out of the original spring-pack. The ride is much softer (also have teflon lining between the leafs). The mono's get it down a little more but they ride like a lumber wagon!!

Posies makes a twin leaf lowering spring for trucks, I think Speedway has them. I hear they're pretty good but I'd experiment a little with your stock springs first.

Good luck with that beautiful '57.

thanks much guys.
ctworker, i dont now of anyone who makes dropped spindles, do you ?
panic and waldo53, thanks for the info on the differences.
waldo, i think i will try your trick first, removing another 2 leafs from the front and see how she sets. thats the cheapest way for sure. in the rear i will get a flip kit and put the rear on top of the leaves, but may have to put a leaf or two back in the pack to stiffen it up, because i think it will be much lower than the front. i already got a C- notch kits, and just need to find the time to mess with it again. been having too much fun driving it this winter, which has been really nice this year down here in south florida. maybe this summer i will finally get to lowering my 57, and stop talking about it.
thanks again guys,

leonard

Leonard; I was browsing through Brother's catalog the other day and they have longer shackles for the rear of your truck that would be a quick bolt-on 2" drop. (Don't know how much more you want to go back there) I think you could make a set of those yourself and save the $70.

For the front - a guy on the HAMB took a section out of the rear spring mount bracket, the one rivited to the frame that the big bolt goes through) so that the bolt was very close to the frame itself, he claims a 2" drop by doing that.

So, all kinds of possibilities there, but again, I'd play with your front spring pack first and see what you can get out of it. With 3 leafs out of the front of mine, the truck actually rides much better than stock.

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yea waldo, i already have those shackle extension and the 4 leafs removed. so i now want to flip the rear on top of the leafs, but will have to c notch my frame, which i already purchased, and might need to put some leafs back in, because it might be too low when i flip the rear.
wow, i will have to look into the front rear leaf eye mod. sounds easy enough. you dont have the link do you ?
i do know when i took the 4 leafs out of the back and one out of the front, it really smoothed the ride, so im sure taking a couple more out of the front will soften it up more. thanks.
also, did you just take the rubber snubbers out of your front, do you have enough travel ?
thanks a bunch.

leonard

I'll see if I can find a link but it was quite awhile ago. If I find it I'll pass it along to you.

I cut the rubber bumpers down and also cut the housings down a little to give me a little more spring travel. Looks to be about 2 1/2" of travel now, doesn't sound like much but it rarely bottoms out.

cool waldo, i really need to join that site myself. seem like they have good info there too.
do you have a flipped rear in your truck ? if so, you didnt have to c-notch the frame ? im gonna have to lay up under it this weekend and see exactly how much travel i will have when i flip my rear. if i can get away without having to notch the frame, that would be great.
thanks again for your input and time.

leonard

Remember that removing or adding a leaf isn't the only tune-up.
The longest secondary leaves have the greatest effect on ride quality, because they flex almost immediately. Swapping in a shorter leaf of the same thickness generally improves ride quality, reduces height slightly, but still keeps most of the bottoming protection.
You can also tune your bump stop rubbers.
If the chassis has been lowered a lot and you're worried about ground clearance, remove the existing stops and substitute thicker (not taller) stops with flat tops (not cones or wedges). These are more harsh when you strike them, but stop more quickly.
There are also many generic shapes available in polyurethane from Just Suspension, etc. but they're pretty stiff.
You can stiffen the existing stops by driving wire brads through them parallel to the ground; drill a pilot hole first, and use soap etc. to press them in.

The reverse is also true: if the stop is too violent, you can soften the initial action (not the total distance) by shaving some rubber off the diameter (not the height) at the top. Hold the razor blade in Vise-Grips and wear armor gloves, or lose a finger (if you cut the artery at the base of the thumb, you have less than 1 minute to get help before you pass out).
Drill 1/4" holes parallel to the ground through the thickest part to soften the entire travel.

The AD 1/2 tons came from the factory with the springs under the axle, so, no need to do a flip on those.

Yeah, LOTS of hotrod know-how on the HAMB, you can read all the posts without joining (just like here) but it's nice to be able to ask questions, or join in the fun. See you there!!

This isn't the thread I was looking for but there's some good info HERE also, click on the link posted by "BEAR" to see some nice "C" notches.

thanks waldo for the info. i will look at it now.
i laid up under my truck this afternoon and since my axle is 3 inches in diameter, when i flip it its gonna lower it 6 inches. i only want 3-4 inches more drop in the rear, so when i do the flip i will have to add some of the original leafs back in to stiffen it up. and i will definitely have to notch the frame. i already have the notch kit from cpp, and will order my flip kit next week. was looking at the front leafs with only one of the original leafs removed, and they are exactly straight now while setting on the ground. so im assuming when i go and take more out the leafs will be bent backwards. did this happen to yours when you took some leafs out ? is there any chance of the main leaf breaking because of them being bent the opposite way they were made to perform ?
i wont have much travel in the front even if i take the snubber out. looks like i have just under 3 inches of room before the shackle bolts and bupper bracket hit the frame.
i have been throwing around ideas for a while and this is the cheapest option i can do for now, so thats what i will do. i just have to figure when i want to take the truck off the road to mess with all this, and also need to get me a bigger mig welder so i can safely weld the boxing plates and c notch in.

thanks for the info, and when i join the hamb i will let you know me screen name. i hear they dont like rat rods over there, so i cant use my stovebolt name. LOL.
talk to you later.

leonard

Yep, better think of a new handle. My springs do bend backwards slightly, been running them that way for over a year.

No, I don't know. I was just throwing it out there because a lot of other cars/trucks have them available. (Wishful thinking...?)

yea, they make them for the old cars, but not the old trucks... i wish they did.

leonard

Does mono leaf really ride that bad?

Also where is the best place to buy the shackles and pins to mount the leafs front and rear

If you are looking for standard shackles and pins/bolts/bushings, most reproduction parts vendors sell them (Jim Carter, Classic Parts, Chevs of the 40s, American Classic, etc).

Eaton Detroit Springs, ESPO Springs & Things, and maybe local spring shops should sell them, too.

Yes i was looking for the stock style replacements was just wandering if everyone sold the same quality product and if so who usually had the best prices