Leaf Spring Survey

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clifftt

clifftt

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I will soon be ready to order new leaf springs for my '64 Barracuda, just a two-barrel street cruiser. I see the Espo name come up often, with more positive comments than bad, not just on the FABO forum, but other makes as well. I also notice guys like Toolmanmike and Rumblefish have probably had Espo Springs installed for a year or so.

Quotes Toolmanmike early last year: I'll vote for" Espo Springs and Things" I replaced the saggers on my 66 a few years ago. Good fit, reasonable prices and great service. I miss counted the leaves when I ordered. I had 6 leaves and replaced them with 5 leaves. I'm happy with the lighter pair and they still lifted the rear like I wanted. toolmanmike

I'm wondering if over time how the springs are holding up, if sag is setting in. I'm seriously considering the Espos and Monroematic shocks for a comfy ride from the rear. Any thoughts from the forum is appreciated.

barracuda 042 (2).jpg
 
im sure you have a local spring shop,,hopefully with an old timer that can help you,,,

you can buy A BODY specific rear leafs at J.C.WHITNEY,,, they have springs for stock ride height and for a 2 inches of lift,,
a friend of mine has them on a scamp,,car rides great,,but if you have the orignal 13 inch tires on that b cuda, i wouldnt go with a set that will lift your car,, with those tires it would look like a 1970s car with air shocks,,

lots of guys on this board have the J.C.WHITNEY springs,, and reasonably priced,, at least they were,, check your local spring shop,he may have them one the shelf,,, ready,,any maybe cheaper,,old stock,no shipping

just my thoughts good luck
 
i bought the springs for my 73 duster from jc whitney,,,the springs come from JR Springs from flint, mi....
 
i got espo springs. i like them but feel they are a little soft. i got 5 leafs as was on the car originally but wish i had gotten the 6. i also got 1 inch over stock and it settled down rather quickly. i wish i had also gotten 2 inches over stock. i am still happy though no the less.....
 
Thanks for the replies, it helps a lot. Made a few phone calls and got a couple e-mail replies, and am leaning toward the Espos.
 
I just installed a set of Mopar Performance XHD leafs in my 340 Duster....the original 36 year old springs had sagged a good bit....they make the car sit a lil higher than stock but they tell you that in the catalog....they were 150.00 each my cost...I'll post sum pics real soon:) Dave
 
Another vote for Espos i had them in a e-body,and a set in my old duster the ones in the duster were 6 leafs car sat real nice...
 
If they are for a street cruiser, I'd recommend going with the JC Whitney springs. I put them on my '64 about 10 years ago, and they still sit the way they did when I put them on. It seems like I ordered the higher (2-4") springs, and ended up taking a leaf out to soften them up a bit. Made a big difference in the handling of the car.
 
Another option is Eaton-Detroit, they will build them to whatever ride height you want. I changed mine out last fall, added a rear sway bar and Edelbrock IAS shocks at the same time-totally different ride and handling as in far better.
 
clifftt said:
I will soon be ready to order new leaf springs for my '64 Barracuda, just a two-barrel street cruiser. I see the Espo name come up often, with more positive comments than bad, not just on the FABO forum, but other makes as well. I also notice guys like Toolmanmike and Rumblefish have probably had Espo Springs installed for a year or so.

Quotes Toolmanmike early last year: I'll vote for" Espo Springs and Things" I replaced the saggers on my 66 a few years ago. Good fit, reasonable prices and great service. I miss counted the leaves when I ordered. I had 6 leaves and replaced them with 5 leaves. I'm happy with the lighter pair and they still lifted the rear like I wanted. toolmanmike

I'm wondering if over time how the springs are holding up, if sag is setting in. I'm seriously considering the Espos and Monroematic shocks for a comfy ride from the rear. Any thoughts from the forum is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Your car looks like it sitting just right, they don't look like they are sagging. If you are wanting to upgrade for better handling and traction stay away from the high arch springs like super stocks or those JC Whitney high lift springs. Go with a stock HD set(JC Whitney HD should be fine), check what vehicle weight they are rated for or at least find out what the spring rate is. Car looks very sharp the way she sits now.
 
I have the XHD springs from Mancini, if I recall correctly they had Eaton marked on them. Anyway, they are 5 leaf but the spring stack is slightly thicker than the 6 leaf I removed. They are firm but the ride is not objectionable (also have KYB shocks which have a reputation for being stiff).

The car sits slightly higher than level right where I want them. They have been on the car now for almost 20k miles. After the initial break in the ride height has not changed.

Here is a picture;

IMG_0810.jpg
 
dgc333 said:
I have the XHD springs from Mancini, if I recall correctly they had Eaton marked on them. Anyway, they are 5 leaf but the spring stack is slightly thicker than the 6 leaf I removed. They are firm but the ride is not objectionable (also have KYB shocks which have a reputation for being stiff).

The car sits slightly higher than level right where I want them. They have been on the car now for almost 20k miles. After the initial break in the ride height has not changed.

Here is a picture;

IMG_0810.jpg
Click to expand...
Well, you convinced me - your car looks bad-a$$. Sits perfect, IMO.
 
kep in mind the restoration springs that mancini sells come from the same place JC WHITNEYS springs come from,,so see who is cheaper,,there was a topic on this board a few years ago,,showing the makers name on springs from both vendors,,
 
fstfish66 said:
kep in mind the restoration springs that mancini sells come from the same place JC WHITNEYS springs come from,,so see who is cheaper,,there was a topic on this board a few years ago,,showing the makers name on springs from both vendors,,
Click to expand...

I wouldn't know about that but I can tell you everytime I decide to try JC Whitney again I keep getting reminded about why I hate doing business with them. They are slow delivering, send the wrong material and its almost impossible to return something. You would think that for all the years they have been in the mail order business they would be the leaders but outfits like Summit, Jegs and Mancini just blow them out of the water from a service standpoint.

Mancini is a great outfit to deal with. I believe when i ordered mine they were about $150 after the discount.

The JC Whitney says they lift the car 2-4" and Mancini states 1" and mine did lift the back about 1". Also some one here mentioned JC Whitney's come from JR spring. I am almost 100% sure mine came from Eaton.

You can save a few bucks with JC Whitney but its going to be a crap shoot if you get what you want and are satisfied.
 
My 72 dart had the stock 6cyl. springs sagged out so bad that even with new shocks the tires hit the fender wells when you pushed on the trunk, im kind of on a budget so i made my own springs took the top segment from the stock springs and the bottom 4 leaves from a set of furry spring i had layin around, just had todrill anew locating hole, so far they seem to work ok it hooks alot harder, alot stiffer than what i had and it also raised the car about 3 inches just aboutwhere it should be. probably not the best for your application but it worked great for my car
 
the springs in the middle are the ones i got from jc whitney...

jrsprings...

top spring is original on 73 duster

bottom spring is a superstock 002
 
wel maybe things have changed at j c whitney,,i know they have been sold and relocated,,so its not the orignal family running the place,, a friend has the 2 inch lift springs on a scamp,,car sits nice rides great
 
I ordered some from ESPO a couple year ago. I got 6 leaves with 1 inch extra arch. It sat a little to high at first but has settled down just right and the ride is firm. My stockers were 4 leaves on a 67 Dart. I will buy from them again! When the woman took my order she was very thorough and very helpful.
 
lemondana said:
I ordered some from ESPO a couple year ago. I got 6 leaves with 1 inch extra arch. It sat a little to high at first but has settled down just right and the ride is firm. My stockers were 4 leaves on a 67 Dart. I will buy from them again! When the woman took my order she was very thorough and very helpful.
Click to expand...

Yes,espo does have GREAT customer service...
 
is this ESPO just a spring company ? leafs ?? coils ?? web site ? il be needing coils for my 1940 dodge soon
 
I bought a set of XHD's from Summit for my Challenger. While they are definitely stiffer, the small amount added height went away FAST. It now sits exactly the same in the back as it did with the 37 year old stockers for a 318...Handling is better, but I wouldn't buy them if you're looking for a change in ride height, unless the A-body versions are produced somewhere else.
 
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