spring thingies

[Dav]

i have an '88 2wd that i am replacing the bushings in the rear springs. while i am at it, i need to replace the pieces that go between the leaves. they seem to be some kind of nylon so the leaves slide easily as they flex. i have no idea what they are called. they are not in the LMC catalogue but i have seen them somewhere. anyone know what they are called and where to order them?

 

[franklin2]

"leaf spring pads" brings up some hits in google. I can't remember how they are held in place. Some of the pads that came up had pins where they fit into a hole.

 

[Dav]

thanks. knowing what to look for makes a difference. i looked on google which led to ebay. one of the sets says " First Registration 2009". i think Ranger went from spring front to torsion bar suspension but did the rear suspension change somehow? i can see that i will have to take a spring apart to find exactly what i need

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

They are spring pads or anti-squeak pads. Usually there’s a hole in the end of the springs to clip in. There’s round and rectangular and it’s based on hole size and spring width. I’ve bought them online and from local spring shops. I’ve even bought overly wide ones and cut them down with tin snips. Or ones the pin for the hole was too small and just used some grease to stick them in place till I could put the pack back together. I’ve seen both one hole and two hole springs on Rangers. Guess it depends on year and if they’ve been replaced.

 

[Josh B]

oops

 

[Josh B]

I never much messed with springs, but then I never rebuilt many of them either. Some engines I rebuilt, brake shoes and wheel bearings, simply swapped quite a few engines, rebuilt the front end on my 73 one ton Econoline van, new king pins and rubber bushings on the suspension, put new rubber on top and bottom of the front springs.

But never once changed out springs and such, why, was I not not doing the general jackson jumps properly?

 

[Dav]

the reason i'm messing with the springs is the truck rides like a truck. it has a removable hard top kit and is my fun truck. it will never see a full load or off road. i'm removing a leaf from the springs to see what that will do towards smoothing out the ride. several years ago i bought the bushings for the eyes. just opened the box and they are a hard plastic or nylon. what ford used is a rubber bushing. i think the aftermarket bushings will transmit shocks to the frame that the rubber might cushion a bit. so it's off to ford to see if they have the bushings and how many of the kids i have to sell to afford them.

 

[franklin2]

The nylon bushings will give a harsher ride, and also transmit more road noise. I used hard bushings on my body mounts and while it corners like it's on rails, I can hear more road noise and the transmission noise more.

On your rear springs, Ford did a good job making the pickups ride good. You should find really light curved spring leaves on top, and one thick heavier one on the bottom. The curved lighter springs give you a good unloaded ride, and then with a load, the thinner upper springs will flatten out onto the thick lower spring and give you load carrying ability.

That is what the factory rake is about and why pickups are higher in the back than in the front. But of course this fad hit to "level the ride" with front leveling kits, which makes the truck sag terribly when it's loaded. The problem you may run into, people think they are smarter or have different uses for the truck, and they will modify the truck to carry more weight, putting stiffer springs in the back.

Take a look and see how your rear springs are setup Another problem with making them weaker for a better ride is axle wrap. Leaf spring suspensions support the vehicle and locate the axle at the same time. That is why the factory uses them, they are cheaper than other designs.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

the reason i'm messing with the springs is the truck rides like a truck. it has a removable hard top kit and is my fun truck. it will never see a full load or off road. i'm removing a leaf from the springs to see what that will do towards smoothing out the ride. several years ago i bought the bushings for the eyes. just opened the box and they are a hard plastic or nylon. what ford used is a rubber bushing. i think the aftermarket bushings will transmit shocks to the frame that the rubber might cushion a bit. so it's off to ford to see if they have the bushings and how many of the kids i have to sell to afford them.

So, a 1988 Ranger will always ride like a truck.

Pulling a leaf out of the pack isn’t going to make much difference. Plus it will contribute to potential axle wrap issues (this is where the leaf spring bends from a flat U shape to a sort of S shape from the torque and breaks things. If you do pull a leaf out, I would recommend adding traction bars to the rear axle to help prevent axle wrap.

The 1998-2011 trucks tend to ride a little better because they have a different front suspension design and often softer leaf springs in the rear from the factory. Leaf springs will interchange.

Poly bushings are a lot stiffer than rubber. Most auto parts stores house brand replacement bushings are rubber.

If you’re really chasing a better ride on your 88, you have to make some major changes to the suspension. Rubber bushings and good shocks are only the start, extended radius arms in the front are supposed to help with ride too. Then you get into starting to change the suspension components like the front coil springs and rear leaf springs for something better, but there’s nothing available aftermarket that just bolts on, everything will require fabricating. But the other part of the factor is that too soft of a ride will cause body roll in corners and can be dangerous.

Basically, if you want a ride like a luxury car, get a luxury car. It’s a truck, so it has to ride more like a truck to be stable because you have a high center of gravity. A lot of newer trucks ride better than the older ones, but the suspension is so soft that they sag dramatically with weight in the bed and then ride like trash with the weight. It’s a balancing act really.