Leaf spring shackles
#1
Hi All...    Hope everyone is having a safe holiday season!   My '69 Mach was mostly restored about 10yrs ago ..  way before I bought it. I'd like to lift the rear a little and was looking around under the car with it sitting on the ground.  The leaf springs had been replaced. In fact there are still some remnants of the paper stickers on them. My concern is that the shackles are pointing significantly toward the rear.   Probably on a 45deg angle. Is this normal?  Does that indicate the leafs are already flat??   Any thoughts will be much appreciated.  Bill
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#2
I'm thinking 45 degrees seems like to much. That being said, getting the ride height correct this many years later could be a challenge. I've found a fairly easy way to raise leaf springs. Is to raise the rear of the car, and let the rear end droop as far as possible. This should allow you to drive a screwdriver blade in between the leaves, spreading them, and then remove the hard plastic sliders, that are between each leave of the spring. They usually have a lump on them that fits into a hole in the spring to keep them in place. Finding a thicker piece of similar nylon, or hard plastic thicker then the original will cause the springs to raise the rear end. Usually original ones are about 1/16 thick. Try going to 1/8 thick, and do this equally on both sides. at 1 or more of the openings. My experience has been the separations between the leaves in front of the axle raise the car more quickly then the ones behind it. But they are harder to separate, and get a new piece in between the leaves. Add a little, and set the car back down to check your progress. A little experimentation will achieve the results you're looking for. I usually put a small screw through the piece of plastic and cut the end off leaving just the head of the screw protruding to fit into the hole in the spring to keep it in place. A little ingenuity will  get your Mach1 up off it's azz so to speak. Hope it helps. Cool

JTS
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#3
(12-27-2020, 02:26 PM)JTS71 Mach1 Wrote: I'm thinking 45 degrees seems like to much. That being said, getting the ride height correct this many years later could be a challenge. I've found a fairly easy way to raise leaf springs. Is to raise the rear of the car, and let the rear end droop as far as possible. This should allow you to drive a screwdriver blade in between the leaves, spreading them, and then remove the hard plastic sliders, that are between each leave of the spring. They usually have a lump on them that fits into a hole in the spring to keep them in place. Finding a thicker piece of similar nylon, or hard plastic thicker then the original will cause the springs to raise the rear end. Usually original ones are about 1/16 thick. Try going to 1/8 thick, and do this equally on both sides. at 1 or more of the openings. My experience has been the separations between the leaves in front of the axle raise the car more quickly then the ones behind it. But they are harder to separate, and get a new piece in between the leaves. Add a little, and set the car back down to check your progress. A little experimentation will achieve the results you're looking for. I usually put a small screw through the piece of plastic and cut the end off leaving just the head of the screw protruding to fit into the hole in the spring to keep it in place. A little ingenuity will  get your Mach1 up off it's azz so to speak. Hope it helps. Cool

JTS
Thanks for the input , JTS.  Curious where you obtained the material that you used for this mod.  I don't have ready access to random plastics to try.....   I'm retired in the suburbs.  The angle of the shackles has me concerned since the springs aren't  old..  maybe 10 yrs!..   like are they incorrect for the car!  I considered trying 1"longer shackles as a test but I'm afraid with that angle that they might actually hit the lower valance.  I expected them to be more vertical with the car just sitting.   Bill
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#4
Part of the problem is even though the springs are only 10 years old. Were they the correct lbs rate springs to begin? With so much of the aftermarket / replacement parts not being anywhere near the quality / specs of the OEM. I've seen many a spring that was incorrect. Whether it was due to being the wrong length, size, strength, or a myriad of other possibilities. Just cause they say it's correct doesn't mean they know their azz from a hole in the ground. Once they've got your money, most don't care if you ride height is correct or not, sorry to say but ends up being the truth more often then not.  Confused

JTS

As for finding suitable plastic / nylon. Walk through WalMart, and slowly look, and study things. You'll find something to make them out of.  Thumbup
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