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| | | | Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 202 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2010 Posts: 202 | I am in the process of helping my brother dismantle his 51 Chevy 3100 for restore. One curiosity is his left rear leaf spring has 2 more short leaves in it than the right side leaf spring.
Is this the way its supposed to be?
My 54 Chevy 3100 was missing the left rear leaf spring when I got it. I found a spring that had 8 leaves just like the right side, put new bushings and mounted it. Only thing is my truck leans to the left. If my brothers truck is supposed to have 2 additional leaves on the left spring, does my truck also need 2 additional short leaves in the left rear spring to bring my truck back level?
(Am I making any sense?)
Any comments will be appreciated.
Walt Williams
La Verkin, UT
Last edited by 54Belair; 08/14/2013 4:11 PM.
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 3,399 Gas Pumper | | Gas Pumper Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 3,399 | There is no difference between the sides. Both sides have the same number of leafs. Maybe the mechanics that were involved in the past just did a bandaid to keep the truck on the road. Here near Wichita, KS, we have a company called Atlas Spring and Axle. They make period correct leaf springs with rivets, etc and the ones I have are the same on both sides. I haven't looked at these leafs in the past few hours, but I THINK there are 5 leafs on each side. Hope I don't go in tomorrow and the number is different, but I will change my mind here.. tomorrow if its different.  | | | | | Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,248 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,248 | As far as I know, they had an equal number of leaves in each rear spring. Maybe the one you found needs re-arched?
John | | | | | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 | What Deve and John said, same on each side. I'm with Deve, sounds like somewhere along the line, someone tried to bandaid the springs to get by.
Now if we were talking B body MoPars, that's a different story (I know, off topic). Smallblock, 383 and 440 cars all have the same springs on both sides. But on cars with the Hemi, the drivers side has one extra leaf. According to what I've been told by my MoPar freinds, this was to counteract the torque output of the Hemi, keeping the body reasonably level on a hard launch.
Bill Burmeister
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 3,399 Gas Pumper | | Gas Pumper Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 3,399 | By the way I counted today and standard AD leaf springs have 8 leafs. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 2,236 Moderator: Interiors, Texas Bolters, Name that Part | | Moderator: Interiors, Texas Bolters, Name that Part Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 2,236 | I concur with Deve, my 1951 3100 has 8 leaves per side on the rear axle | | |
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