Well, i did it and it worked out PERFECTLY! It was actually fairly simple, the first side took me around 4 hours, and the second try only took me 2. I will write a full write up on how i did this, with the pics i took, but heres a quick run down.
Remove the leafs 2 mounting points at the shackle and towards the front of the truck.
Remove the u-bolts, and bump stop, and pull the springs out.
Clamp the springs down with c-clamps and losen the hex bolt holding the leafs together (not the one in the center)
Then with the springs still clamped down, losen the middle one all the way off.
Then slowly losen the c-clamps until they all come apart.
Clean off excess dirt/grime/etc. I used a wire brush attached to a drill or hand grinder.
I also removed all the paint and rust i could, them shot them with semi gloss black to make them look a little better. This is optional.
And grease it up. (I put A LOT of THICK wheel bearing grease, i covered every leaf front and back, except the top and bottom leafs)
Then to put themp together, line up the holes, put the white plastic pieces back in place, and using the c-clamp compress the springs enough to put the middle bolt through, and tighten down the nut until all the leafs are touching. (Dont know the torque specs off the top of my head)
The leafs go back together a certain way, so if you put one in backwards, (or flip it around) it will not go together correctly. So just look and see if it isn't in the way of anything else.
Then compress the outer side to put the hex bolt and sleeve back in. Screw the hex bolt all the way, you will feel it stop, and there is no getting tighter.
Then stick them back it, in the reverse order you took them out. Put the ubolts, and bump stops in, then mount the springs in the appropriate places. The leafs torque specs are 63 ft/lbs, and the ubolts are 89 ft/lbs.
(Putting the leafs back in was by far the hardest part, and it wasn't too difficult, just that my axle moved when the spring wasnt in place, so we had to push the axle to the right place in order to put the leafs in the right position.)
Then stick the tire on and your done! :teethmast
From what I've read forged C clamps are what you want and as for them slipping take a folded rag and put them between the clamps and leaf to prevent slipping.
I have forged c clamps, and i took the risk and just stuck them on there, no rag, and they didnt slip at all.
I tried to battle this problem for years!! Until one day I came out with a spray bottle of ATF.... I soaked every single square inch of thise leafs and shackles with ATF (while assembled) and I haven't heard a thing in about 4 months... Try this out man, you'll be surprised
I sprayed everything i possibly could in there, and it only made my problem worse and worse, it was just the rust/dirt/sand/mud/grime in there that was being a b*tch.
What most people have are cheapo sleazy C clamps that tend to bend or break when used on leaf springs. Forged C clamps are expensive. See photos of cheapo vs forged clamps. Why don't I have any big cheapo clamps? Cuz they broke.
I would not take apart the springs unless absolutely necessary. If you are going to mess with them, you might think about a Deaver spring pack so you would get an improved ride out of the ordeal.
Do one side at a time, don't use the bolt to align the leaves, use a punch and then put in the bolt after you get all the leaves aligned and assembled, or you will shear off or mess up the threads on the bolt.
I have 6 forged c clamps, 2 4" clamps and 4 6" clamps. Plus taking apart the springs was pretty darn easy once you know how to do it (only took me 2 hours to do one side, and that included painting)
Plus i dont have money to get a deaver spring pack. I did this with just stuff i had in my shop.
Aligning the leaves was easy, and did it by hand, then stuck the bolt it and nearly compressed the springs by hand all the way, the clamp just makes it easier.
