How to: Chevy 63" Leaf Spring Swap

Looks awesome!!! Can't wait until I can say mine is done!!

Do the 14s limit your travel? Is that why you need limit straps?

 

I just boxed them in and around them.

 

Not 100% sure on that haven't flexed it all out yet. I will have to see but I want limit straps to protect them. Also they stretch some so kinda act like a bumpstop in droop to slow the rate of drop so that it isn't so harsh.

 

Glad to help

 

Has anyone done this in stages? I forget where, but I read you can do this in stages if you don’t have the time to do it all at once. I’m. It sure what Toyota it was done on, but it looked like you could weld on the new front hangers whenever since they are further forward than stock ones. Can you weld on rear hangers and run the shackles with factory springs and factory front hangers?

 

I'd say it's not advised, just by using someone else's measurements you my end up with an uncentered axle and/or a bad shackle angle. Everything needs to be measured at the time your installing so you end up with everything the way you want it...

 

Will definitely have to do this! Already have foX 12"ers mounted, so springs will be cake. Hopefully the shock travels in the range with the springs. But if I have to g
Cut the mounts and move them up or down it won't be terrible

 

Is anyone running archives hammer hangers with these? Actually, now that I think of it is that even possible?

I was going to purchase the hammer hangers for my Dakar pack but Also decided to slowly build a 63.. now I’m wondering if the hangers would just be wasted money.

All I have so far is a set of 14” 5125s laying around.. baby steps lol.

 

Those hammer hangers are designed to be bolted in the same bolt holes as the stock hangers. With the 63s, both front and rear mounts are being pushed further apart to accommodate the springs. So the hammer hangers could work but you’d be modifying them quite a bit. I’m pretty sure you’d get more flex with standard shackles anyway.

 

So what had everyone settled on for shackle angle? When mocking up the mounts to tack everything in place, should they sit at 45 degrees, then 20 degrees when sitting on all 4 wheels? I just want to make sure I understand all this before jumping in.

 

You'll have to play with it we did like 4 times before it settled where I wanted it. I am at like 25° but when we set it up I went ahead and accounted for added weight later on down the road. Every truck is different so dropped out angle doesn't always correlate to correct resting angle. We tacked it in place dropped the truck checked everything then did that several times till it was right.

 

Generally you want the angle to rest between 20 and 30 degrees at ride height though?

 

Yes to get the best flex and ride quality. At full droop you also want it to be angled towards the rear a bit that way it can't go forward at all

 

And should full droop occur without any articulation? I imagine that with one side stuffed the other would potentially drop further out.

 

Kind of not really though you will still be limited by the length of your shock or limit strap and/or mounting of where the shackle is. They can kind of droop out a little further but nothing to worry with IMO. We set mine up by just jacking up the rear of the frame. I had the bed off and took the gas tank out as well since we plated my frame at the same time. Set the shackle position so at full droop both rear wheels off the ground shackle angle was ~85*. Now since I'm limited by my shock travel they only get to ~70* or so fully drooped out. Hence why I was mentioning needing 16" shocks. My added arch allows more stuff and droop than the typical chevy 63 leafs.

 

I plan on adding limit straps once I get everything setup where I can maximize the travel of my 14 inch shocks. This gives me somewhere to start though. How much time does plating the frame add to the whole process? I’ll need to add a beefed up crossmember to mount my limit strap tabs anyway.

 

It added a good 4 hrs or so. But we templated the frame then cut and fit the pieces and burned them in. @EatSleepTacos just made a little plate to go where his limit straps crossmember is. Maybe he can post some pics of that.

 

I’m blocking out a 3 day weekend to do this so I’ll probably end up doing everything I want during that time since I’ll have the bed off. I don’t mind a few 16 hour days. Don’t tell my employer that though...

 

So Fri it was me and Chris we took the bed off and hacked everything off and tacked the shock relocation brackets on and started making the frame plates. Sat. Chris and I got started around 6:30am then 4 other guys showed up around 8-9. It took the 6 of us until about 8 pm to get pretty much everything done. Sun morning Chris and I got up early again swapped his springs out then did a cab mount relocation on my truck and finished a few other little odds and ends. I headed home around 2pm sun.

You need to have weight to put on the truck to simulate your static weight if you take the bed and other things off that'll normally be on the truck. This will be pertinent when it comes time to making sure you get the shackle angles set up right.