.. springs settling ? ..

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mopar66

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about two weeks ago i installed a new set of ESPO springs / 6 leaf package / +1" arch under my '66 cuda .. the ride height came out exactly the way i wanted it to ! ..
as i was working on my car this weekend i happen to notice the rear end had dropped about 1"!.. the bottom of the shackle is pushed more towards rear > indicating spring is flatening some ??
what's up ? ! ? do new springs settle in at first and flatten somewhat as they adjust to a load > causing a slight height drop ??
i got the ESPO springs because i had seen them referenced several times on this site > has anybody else seen this when they put their new leaf springs in ???
i wish they would have stayed like the first day ! .. thanks for your input
 
Of course springs break in and flatten a bit. Look what your old springs did. :)
 
obviously you would expect that over a longer timeframe ! > but > i wasn't expecting that much in two weeks ! .. if i would have known that i could expect that much intial break-in drop i would have ordered a +2" arch ..
anybody with actual intial-drop numbers from experience ?
 
you can expect it in as little as 500 miles. mines settled down to. ive already had to adjust the pinion snubber lol
 
mopar66 said:
about two weeks ago i installed a new set of ESPO springs / 6 leaf package / +1" arch under my '66 cuda .. the ride height came out exactly the way i wanted it to ! ..
as i was working on my car this weekend i happen to notice the rear end had dropped about 1"!.. the bottom of the shackle is pushed more towards rear > indicating spring is flatening some ??
what's up ? ! ? do new springs settle in at first and flatten somewhat as they adjust to a load > causing a slight height drop ??
i got the ESPO springs because i had seen them referenced several times on this site > has anybody else seen this when they put their new leaf springs in ???
i wish they would have stayed like the first day ! .. thanks for your input
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mopar66, I have a 67 Barracuda that I put new Espo HD springs on about 5 months ago and they were 1" over stock height and they haven't settled at all. In fact I raised the front about an inch, to level it out some, they are not settling at all . Maybe you need to call Espo. Springs will settle over time, 2 weeks is not time.
 
From the time you noticed the height was just right to the time you noticed it dropped 1" , did you fill up an empty gas tank and reinstall your spare tire?
 
All springs settle. Not uncommon at all for them to settle in the first 2 weeks, although I would say that a full inch in only the first two weeks is quite a bit. The XHD's on my Challenger probably settled a good inch and a half in the first month or two.

You might want to talk to ESPO though. If they've settled that much in two weeks, they probably aren't done settling yet. See if they'll let you exchange them for a set of +2's.
 
Shackles are supposed to lean back some.

Did you tighten everything with the weight on or off the suspension ?
 
i did initial tightening with weight off springs, but then loosened all nuts and re-tightened to help components to align themselves .. i might have done that in the wrong position .. now that i think of things i can't remember > probably should do all final tightening and torquing with all weight off of the springs ?? thanks ahead of time for your reply ...
 
No. You want the weight of the car on the suspension before you tighten anything. Sounds like ya did it right.
 
do you know the torque specs for the u-bolts and shackle bolts ??
thanks for your input and help
 
I realize that you were completely satisfied before they settled, but are the springs, now that they settled, set 1" over stock height?
 
unfortunately i can't answer that question accurately because i bought this car as a rolling chassis project with a broken leaf spring and no absolute reference points; my ride-height target and the means to get there was established by reference info gained through places like this site, magazines, etc... and after the 'settling' i fell short of the "look"/ride height target i was trying to achieve by about an inch .. bummer !
 
Can you post a pic of the way it is now? Partially just because I'm curious what you think 1" lower than what you were shooting for looks like, and also because I have the exact same springs as you have (not yet installed).
 
unfortunately not .. don't have any pics and will not be around the car for another couple weeks now .. sorry
 
Back in the dark ages when you actually had to schlep your springs to the local spring shop instead of having Brown drop them at your door, one of the questions you answered at the counter was how much you wanted to raise the car. The spring shop would arch the springs accordingly and allow for settling. The general rule of thumb was an inch over the desired rise because the springs would settle about an inch and it doesn't take them very long to do it. This is still going on, the vendors just don't tell you about it, and sometimes they miss their mark. When this happened the local shops would rearch your springs and the problem was solved. Look for a local spring shop in your area. You will be amazed what they can do for very little money.
 
thank you very much for your input . appreciated !
i will keep that in the back of my head as i finalize my set-up ..
 
grumpuscreature said:
Back in the dark ages when you actually had to schlep your springs to the local spring shop instead of having Brown drop them at your door, one of the questions you answered at the counter was how much you wanted to raise the car. The spring shop would arch the springs accordingly and allow for settling. The general rule of thumb was an inch over the desired rise because the springs would settle about an inch and it doesn't take them very long to do it. This is still going on, the vendors just don't tell you about it, and sometimes they miss their mark. When this happened the local shops would rearch your springs and the problem was solved. Look for a local spring shop in your area. You will be amazed what they can do for very little money.
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x2^ it seems like they only mention spring settling in lift kits for trucks

:happy1:
 
I also purchased the Espo +1 springs. Here is how it sat immediately after installation.

100_0862.jpg


Within the first six months, it dropped at least an inch. Here is how it sits now.

IMG_6702.jpg
 
2005 when we put the +1" espo springs in

5-26-05018.jpg







late 2011 when we sold the car... sits damn close to the same height. :)

DSC_0023.jpg
 
brianT : that stance is Awesome ! .. looks perfect !! ..
the way your car finally settled in is exactly the stance i am shooting for !
what size tires/wheels do you have front and back ?
please advise .. thanks !
 
mopar66 said:
brianT : that stance is Awesome ! .. looks perfect !! ..
the way your car finally settled in is exactly the stance i am shooting for !
what size tires/wheels do you have front and back ?
please advise .. thanks !
Click to expand...

Thanks. I am happy with it also. The fronts are 195/65R15 and the rear are 325/50R15. The rear has been mini-tubbed and the rear end is narrowed eight inches.
 
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