Broken Springs, Help!

[Jeffrey]

Good tips.

Baja, I'm not trying to save money on this, just want my rig fixed, but being economical is always good.

There are no spring/custom suspension shops in my town. I believe it's best to replace the front pair complete, but I'll never know if my van will remain level after. I'm waiting for SMB's reply and will continue looking around as well.

[witoke]

As a note of caution, the way the springs on that side have taken a reverse arch pivoting right on the fracture line for the lower leaves, I think I would be inclined to replace the whole set or at least have them really carefully checked for fatigue and cracks. Even steel has a limit for stress as you can tell by the broken ones. Of course if you do the right side, you should really replace the other side as well... Still, springs are really not that expensive and you can always do the installation yourself.

[Tapatio]

Originally Posted by Ultrasport12

Does anyone know where Sportsmobile had/has their springs made? Maybe if you could find out you could talk to them directly.

...Jamie

The springs on my 2011 build were made by ARB. They might sell you a set but from my understanding they have an exclusive agreement with Sportsmobile

http://www.arbusa.com

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

Good tips.

Baja, I'm not trying to save money on this, just want my rig fixed, but being economical is always good.

There are no spring/custom suspension shops in my town. I believe it's best to replace the front pair complete, but I'll never know if my van will remain level after. I'm waiting for SMB's reply and will continue looking around as well.

My SMB is an 06, and it had the "old" leaf spring setup.

About 3 years ago I went back to SMB and had them put the "new" shock and leaf spring combo on my van. I'm pretty sure they are using custom made ARB dakar leaf springs and OME shocks My goal was to get a smoother ride on washboard.

They also told me it would lift the van 1-2 inches. I was not keen on that, but went ahead anyways. I have Toyo 295s.

After 3 years, I am happy with the updated shock and leaf spring combo. The washboard ride still rattles the heck out of the van and all contents, but it is noticeably less bad than before. Tolerable is about as good as it gets.

The ride height was also no biggie. There was a difference, but after settling I did not notice any difference nor did my wife or kids. I never measured and it may indeed ride higher now, but if so, I can't really tell.

For me the biggest hassle was getting to and from SMB west in Fresno!

Good luck.
Rob

[Jeffrey]

Today's Update:

After numerous communications with Peter at SMB, I found that SMB now gets their springs from Betts Spring Company right in Fresno. They also have truck service centers around the west including one I contacted in Santa Fe Springs. Peter was kind enough to contact them first and have them expect my call, and they were very friendly so far. I'm now waiting to hear if the Fresno factory has any or can make a set up and get them to LA in time for me to drive down there next week. The good part is (potentially) that the shop has the ability to adjust or tune the new spring install while I'm there to get the results I'm after, such as ride height and levelness. Let's see if all this can be actually done soon....

[Ocsmb]

Jeffrey let me know if that works out for you. Looking to cure sagging butt and save some cheddar. I'm in the LA/OC area too.

[Jeffrey]

UPDATE 10-10-12:

Today I drove to Santa Fe Springs, CA to get the new springs installed. SMB sent the specs of the ones on my build to Betts Spring Co in Fresno and they built a front pair and sent them to their truck center in SFS. They match my originals so well that the ride height was identical and they feel the same. 2.5 hour install, included new shackles (from SMB), u-bolts and all hardware. For the past 12 days I was having a hard time with Betts Fresno getting the units made and shipped in time for my long weekend trip tomorrow, but with help from Olivia at the Betts Truck Center in SFS (a great gal!), I was able to get them installed just in time (I leave for Mono Lake tomorrow). Game over, man, Road Trip Time!!

[Ultrasport12]

Hey they look great...

I hope you have a great trip...take more of your amazing photos...

...Jamie

[Ocsmb]

Do u mind sharing cost for the fix?

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by Ocsmb

Do u mind sharing cost for the fix?

Are you offering to help him pay for the springs?

BTW, I'm willing to share the cost of several of my upgrades.

Mike