[76dodgeboy]

Just wondering why some of you are running chevy springs and what are the advantages and dis? I plan to build a suitable trail rig in the future and want to get the lowdown on whats a good route to go. Thanks

 

[440_Offroader]

The Dodge springs are 48" long in the front, and 52" in the rear. You can get some chevy springs that are 56" long or even 63" long. Supposably, the longer the springs, you get better the flex, and a better ride. I haven't installed the 56" springs yet, but I'll see if the theory is correct. The 6" dodge springs for the rear have a lot of arch for the height. The 56" chevy springs with a 4" lift has the same height with less arch. The 63" springs would be even better I imagine, but 11" longer than stock seems to be quite a stretch IMO. 

 

[snoopy1964]

i have installed the chevy springs (56" in front 63" in rear) in my 89 rc (see sopwith camel A3 build) and finally got pretty much everything buttoned up. from the little test drive ( just up and down the road) there is ton more flex than the 5.5" superlift springs i had under it before. if you got any ? just ask on my build.

 

[Blasphemous]

I have 56" Chevy springs on all four corners.  Just like Snoopy said, just a quick, short ride down the road and I can tell a huge difference in ride quality and suspension movement.

 

[Mad Max]

The 63" springs would be even better I imagine, but 11" longer than stock seems to be quite a stretch IMO.

It does seem like a lot, but the the thing is tho, the newer 2nd gen Rams have the 63" springs under them from the factorystock - to me it seems Ma mopar felt the longer stuff was good across the board. That is actually the main reason I'm going up on springs all around the rig . Time will tell

 

[76dodgeboy]

Are they ok for a DD that travels 50 plus miles a day Are they cheaper to buy aswell and do you have to move mounting location aswell? I plan to drive my 79 alot and will eventually be running 3/4 or 1 ton axles and 37" tires. Thanks

 

[Mad Max]

without a doubt.  All leaf springs support weight.  A set of rear 52" leafs from a stock '78 1/2-ton Power Wagon support 'X' amount of weight.  Stock 63" leafs on a '99 1/2-ton Ram do the same thing, only their added length lends to a smoother ride and more articulation potential.
So long as the ones you use are matched for your expected payload capacity, and so long as you can move the frame mounts without major headaches, definitely go for the longer ones.

 

[76dodgeboy]

Where do the mounts need moved to? If I dont do it to this truck I will to one of the others for sure.

 

[Mad Max]

have a look at the link below on a truck I'm building now. These are the 56" Chevy springs. I'll be doing the 63" thing later this year on another truck, but for now you can see in general how to do it.

reply #59 - http://ramchargercentral.com/mopar-trucks/'paddy's-wagon'-(-dyno-vids-)/50/

 

[Hybrid]

So not only do the Chevy springs offer more flex, but they also offer a smoother ride due to a proportionally flatter springs?

hmmm.

 

[Mad Max]

that's how I understand it, yup