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is this normal for a leaf spring?

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Old 05-20-2016, 02:15 PM
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Default is this normal for a leaf spring?

I stumbled across another thread where someone was showing how they had a bent leaf in their pack, and i couldn't figure out for the life of me where it was bent. so it got me thinking and since I noticed a while ago my rear driver side leaf spring has a gap between the leaf pack, i want to make sure I don't drive on problematic springs.

passenger side looks more "normal" to me, but I was wondering if there's something looking wrong to you. i know I should probably get new clamps, or whatever they're called, because a couple of them are bent.

driver side in question :

front:





rear:







passenger side :

front:



rear:



Last edited by Cane; 05-20-2016 at 02:27 PM.
Old 05-20-2016, 07:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Cane
I stumbled across another thread where someone was showing how they had a bent leaf in their pack, and i couldn't figure out for the life of me where it was bent. so it got me thinking and since I noticed a while ago my rear driver side leaf spring has a gap between the leaf pack, i want to make sure I don't drive on problematic springs.

passenger side looks more "normal" to me, but I was wondering if there's something looking wrong to you. i know I should probably get new clamps, or whatever they're called, because a couple of them are bent.

driver side in question :

front:

rear:

passenger side :

front:



rear:
No, that's not normal. Looks like a horrible add a leaf job.
Old 05-21-2016, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Silentj
No, that's not normal. Looks like a horrible add a leaf job.
thanks for the input. both of them or mainly the driver side as I suspected?

For the record, I have not done this myself.
Old 05-21-2016, 08:07 AM
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Probably add a leaf and too cheap to buy new leaf spring clamps.
Old 05-21-2016, 08:33 AM
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would new clamps fix the problem? like use a c-clamp to get the leaf springs tight against eachother, put on a new leaf clamp and be done with it, or it's not positioned properly?

it is add a leaf, but on top of a ~ year and a half old 3" leaf pack.
Old 05-21-2016, 08:39 AM
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Using clams like these will draw the spring together but making a spring arch where it dont want to can cause other issues....
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Last edited by freegdr; 05-21-2016 at 08:49 AM.
Old 05-21-2016, 10:34 AM
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You fix that by replacing the springs
Old 05-21-2016, 04:52 PM
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i would replace the springs if it's in the budget.

but for now i would just hammer those clamps back in place. maybe have to use a large c clamp to bend them. it's only temporary but better than driving around like that.
Old 05-22-2016, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by peligro113
You fix that by replacing the springs
x2
Old 05-23-2016, 03:27 PM
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alright thanks guys. i won't replace the springs soon, no money for that, but I'll try to get the shop that did the job to take a look at it and see what they say.
Old 05-23-2016, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Cane
alright thanks guys. i won't replace the springs soon, no money for that, but I'll try to get the shop that did the job to take a look at it and see what they say.
If they don't fix it for free, kick them in the ball sack. That's dangerous. If that let's loose and a leaf ends up in a wheel, you're screwed.
Old 05-23-2016, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Silentj
If they don't fix it for free, kick them in the ball sack. That's dangerous. If that let's loose and a leaf ends up in a wheel, you're screwed.
i'll sound like a puss* but I'm not the kind of guy that likes confrontation, so just going up to them without actually knowing if it's dangerous or not would make me uncomfortable. but now that I know it's a poorly done job, I'll be much more confident. i'm afraid they'll offer the replace the part but I will still need to pay for the labor and I won't be able to do anything about it.

like I asked earlier, are both springs bad or only the driver side that has a gap?
Old 05-23-2016, 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Cane

i'll sound like a puss* but I'm not the kind of guy that likes confrontation, so just going up to them without actually knowing if it's dangerous or not would make me uncomfortable. but now that I know it's a poorly done job, I'll be much more confident. i'm afraid they'll offer the replace the part but I will still need to pay for the labor and I won't be able to do anything about it.

like I asked earlier, are both springs bad or only the driver side that has a gap?
I would say the driver is a must, but they should fix both. See what they say.
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