Would you replace it or rebuild it

So call me crazy (and cheap, $80 is $80), the only difference between the two is A: She's purty and shiny and B: They added that 4th spring in. So if you were to disassemble your old one you could make it stronger simply cutting your second one down to size, and if your really feeling crazy double up on the bottom helper spring. The only thing I could see you needing is a new/longer center pin and the support brackets/clamps should be able to reuse. Anybody have some input if this would work and would it in fact make it stronger while saving 80 bones????

 

Not so fast. The leaves are all thicker, as well as having the 4th leaf. The lower helper spring is ALOT thicker than OEM. They are made of much better material than OEM, too. If you are using your truck like a car, not hauling any weight, OEM will be a smoother ride, but they still break down because of the crappy material they are made of. The OEM replacements that General Spring makes are made of the same material as the HD, just thinner leaves, (they make 2 leaf +helper and 3 leaf + helper versions) so they will ride smoother than the HD for street use and will hold up where OEM don't. I USE my trucks, so I want the extra capacity the HD springs provide.

 

Your oem pack is only a 2 leaf. Think ive heard of it before but most have the 3 leaf from factory

 

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't noticed. I have 2 Tacos, a 95.5 and a 96. These springs are off the 95.5. The 96 has 3 leaves + helper. The HD springs are still thicker than the OEM 96 springs.

 

Plus the fact they are new not almost 20 years old!!

 

well just looking at things I suppose you could "think" that, but you cant just look at a spring and judge its spring tension and load capacity.

also a 1/4" thick leaf and a 3/8" thick leaf can be miles apart in strength, just one of those 3/8" leafs might hold the same weight as that entire leaf pack using the 1/4" leafs, or maybe not, the point is, it could very well be, so looks mean nothing and rebuilding worn out leaf packs is way beyond just being cheap its being silly because you can never tell what the suspension will act like after or if it will fail at some point its over stressed causing an accident.

if your off roading and you want to build your own leaf packs, more power to ya, but please don't risk the lives of others on the road driving Frankenstein leafs on the highway to save a few dollars.

 

So you're saying by buying a regular spring pack from General spring and adding a couple of my older ones, I'm going to put all of the drivers near me at risk???

I'm not bright by any stretch of the imagination but that math doesn't add up any possible way I do it.

Anything I need more than the 1000lbs or so that we can carry in the Taco, I'd use a truck that's actually built for for hauling... Call me crazy but this is more of a DD and/or offroad truck for me.

But all the info is definitely good food for thought.

 

Ok guys update got new springs in today got a vibration at 25-30mph check drive no play in u-joints pinion angle looks good..changed center bearing bout a year ago...any ideas where to check

 

There was a post some time ago where a guy solved his vibration problems by shimming the center bearing down about 1/4 inch. Worth a try.

 

Worth a shot

 

No Rebuild it, cut where it's is bent and weld in your new piece

 

U talking bout the center bearing???

 

Waaah?

 

Shouldn't have to if truck isnt lifted more than factory.

 

No one gets my sarcasm

 

Truck is lifted over factory