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Old 05-10-2019, 08:56 PM   #61
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Ok, so I inspected my rear leaf springs and found this, not sure what's normal....

First my bottom big leaf is not aligned straight anymore with the rest of the pack that is bound on the passengers side:



Also it seems like the front leaf spring mount is wider that the leaf spring width so it appears the bushing may be sliding L to R on the bolt possibly? Here is my passengers side:


And my driver's side that seems a bit more centered:


Not sure if this is normal or expected or am I getting lateral movement in the rear from this?? If so how do I fix it, and what's causing it, should the pack be wider and it's defective, do I need washers or something to fill the gap?

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Old 05-10-2019, 09:47 PM   #62
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The slightly clocked lower overload is nothing to worry about. You can use a BFH to move it into place if it bothers you, but functionally it won't hurt anything as-is.

The missing washers can affect driving. It looks like your springs are not moving now (since none of the paint is worn), so it's probably not the root cause of what you're experiencing now. But as those bushings wear and age, the springs can start moving laterally if there aren't washers to take up the slack
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Old 05-11-2019, 12:32 AM   #63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nemesisnight View Post
Also it seems like the front leaf spring mount is wider that the leaf spring width so it appears the bushing may be sliding L to R on the bolt possibly? Here is my passengers side:


And my driver's side that seems a bit more centered:


Not sure if this is normal or expected or am I getting lateral movement in the rear from this?? If so how do I fix it, and what's causing it, should the pack be wider and it's defective, do I need washers or something to fill the gap?
To state the obvious: If you drive it some, and it's not in the same position after, then they are moving.

The one that's all the way on one side does look awfully suspicious.

I'd take a look at those after every drive for a couple of days.
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Old 05-11-2019, 01:53 AM   #64
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Had my Fox steering stabilizer rebuild by Agile also ... They said it going out was a side effect of death wobble & other problems... Waa glad when all that ended w/ the proper sway bar 1” lowering bracket
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Old 05-11-2019, 01:57 AM   #65
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Old 05-16-2019, 01:22 PM   #66
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So to update everyone, I had another good discussion with John over at Agile and we are thinking I am getting some rear steering going on here and that the extra Caster will also help. My leafpack they sent has the overload spring arched downward and he said most of the ones they are doing are straight (not sure why mine came this way). So we are thinking my rear springs are a little too soft early in the stroke with how much arc the pack has, making it seem tippy. So he made me some straight overload springs and if that isn't enough I will flip my lower ones I have now and get it fine tuned as needed. I also sent back my rear shocks and he will be putting their V5 tune vs the V4 I currently have, its the stiffest one they do, and that should help some too.

As for the front I am going all in, I am cutting all 4 of my arms and having those Johnny Joints I mentioned welded in. Then I am pushing my axle forward as much as possible (hoping for 1 1/2" to 1 3/4") Adjusting my Caster to +6 or 6.5, going to a high steer setup with heims to eliminate any movement and bump steer, having a new track bar and mount fabbed up that will be higher and wider on the axle. And finally a beefy new Hellwig sway bar model #7640 that is 1 1/2" diameter with some quick disconnects to be able to disengage it offroad.

Whew, here we go....... probably going way overboard but I am future-proofing it all, and will be setup to go to 35-37" tires whenever I can afford a gear change without having to trim my fenders like crazy.
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Old 05-16-2019, 04:39 PM   #67
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Its been interesting following your Thread - I think I'd take the same approach, replace it all since you're already in there. Hopeful your aggressive commitments resolve your issue, will be looking forward to reading the end result.
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Old 05-30-2019, 08:39 PM   #68
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The time has come and I finally got my van back!!! I am so excited and Ryan from Agility Customs here in SLC did an amazing job! He was very reasonable too, feel free to PM me if you want his info or pricing. As I've stated earlier I put Johnny Joints on my arms, pushed axle forward 1 3/4" and adjusted caster to 4.5 degrees positive, new track bar and mount, new drag link with high steer and new tie rod, everything has heims and will be cheap and easy to replace whenever it's needed. The pictures speak for themselves and let me tell you it's night and day different, van handles great now and I haven't even upgraded my sway bar yet and I'm not even running a steering stabilizer and it already felt great going 80 down the freeway. Next week I'll add the stabilizer and get the super beefy sway bar added with quick disconnects.

Johnny Joints:


Tie rod and drag link with high steer:





New higher and wider track bar mount:


Side view of axle more forward now:


New stance:
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Old 05-30-2019, 10:03 PM   #69
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That's some good looking work! And good looking geometry finally!
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Old 05-31-2019, 09:34 AM   #70
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That's some good looking work! And good looking geometry finally!

Thanks! I'm so happy it all worked out and that it drives so good now, you always worry doing something so custom like this that it might not work. I forgot to mention I also swapped out to the flat overload spring I got from Agile Off-road and upgraded to their V5 rear shock valving (that's the stiffest one they make).
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