Bronco lean - in the rear

[pcf_mark]

Stock '68, 4R70W, NP205 no suspension or body lift. I have a rear lean I adjusted with a 1/2" thick plate a few years ago. Now I have noticed it is sagging pretty good on the same side. No side tank or spare tire carrier.

I'm pretty sure the frame is straight. The body is pretty square using a tape measure on the garage floor. Oddly the bumpers are not square / level. It actually looks like the space between the top of the spring pack and the frame is less (more squished) on one side than the other.

Any way to check that spring is actually a goner? It is going to be a real treat replacing it but I never had a spring collapse. Break yes.

 

[xcntrk]

Is bronco lean on the rear are real thing? Wouldn't that just be leaf spring sag? Should be pretty easy to measure from the floor to the front & rear eyelets to determine if the spring is sagging.

 

[bronconut73]

Is bronco lean on the rear are real thing? Wouldn't that just be leaf spring sag? Should be pretty easy to measure from the floor to the front & rear eyelets to determine if the spring is sagging.

The infamous Bronco lean caused by improperly installed C-Bushings and radius arms "definitely" shows the lean more in the rear than the front...

 

[Whoaa]

I'm concerned about the body bushings.

Yes, the "Bronco lean" is real and the front suspension is usually the root cause for leaning in the rear.

Taking into consideration the bumpers don't seemed aligned I'm focused on the body bushings for now......can you post some pic's?

 

[KBUCK1]

The body mounts will not have any bearing on the way the bumper sits in relation to the ground. Only suspension can do that

 

[pcf_mark]

When I had my front end apart down to every last bolt I squared up the arms within 1/8. My front is straight. Almost perfect as measured by front frame ears and the fender lips.

This is exclusively in the rear as viewed from the rear. I have not measured it because I was not sure of where to measure. Is it from the top of the axle to the frame? Someone mentioned the shackles but I do not understand how to measure that. They are in the pockets.

 

[DirtDonk]

A sagging spring on one side should show up as differences in a couple of places I would think.
One would be the distance from the top of the axle to the frame.
Another would be from the ground to the frame, assuming that the hangers are welded on in exactly the same height on each frame rail.
Another would be to look at the lower overload spring (if these are stock type springs?) where the gap at the tips would be different from side to side.
Another would be to simply(?) swap them from side to side to see if the lean follows the spring.

Not sure what the difficulty here is though. Springs sag.
If you have a sagged spring that's been sagging down so long you actually put a block on one side a few years ago, I'd say it's time for new springs. Or at least a re-arch if you just can't stand the idea of non-stock equipment on your truck.
These days though, a re-arch at a local spring shop might cost as much as a new set of modern 9-leaf stock height springs would. And the old ones won't ride as smooth as the new ones and would tend to re-sag sooner than all new ones would too, from some experiences.

Too bad there's no guarantee that new ones will sit level either. Just a pretty good chance that they will, based on historical quality of manufacture. But it's still an inexact science, so no way to tell until you get there.

Good luck. But remember... Springs sag and bushings wear out. So do the eye bolt holes in some cases. You just have to decide when to live with it (by adding more blocks or an add-a-leaf maybe?), or go out with the old, in with the new.

And you don't have to take my word for it, since I sell new ones so could possibly be biased, but I'm sure others will have something to say about it that you can take to the bank.

Paul

 

[pcf_mark]

Thanks fellas I am going to triple check everything is straight then probably commit to new springs if needed. They are so crappy to remove or I would swap them side to side!

I bet shipping on new springs is spendy!

I'll post how I make out. They are 48 years old after all. I just never expected one side to just drop..drop...drop over time.

 

[blubuckaroo]

I had the rear lean after installing an 11 leaf lift. I tried the things that WH had suggested without success. I ended up adding a 3/4" spring spacer to the drive's side rear.

I figure it was the weight of the aux tank, driver, or maybe the springs I had bought.
Anyway, it's level now.
Sometimes the direct method is the best.

 

[Whoaa]

Here are some old wore-out springs and some new ones. Make sure to get new hardware and fasteners to complete the job right.

 

[Laker]

I had the rear lean after installing an 11 leaf lift. I tried the things that WH had suggested without success. I ended up adding a 3/4" spring spacer to the drive's side rear.

I figure it was the weight of the aux tank, driver, or maybe the springs I had bought.
Anyway, it's level now.
Sometimes the direct method is the best.

That is what I think I will end up doing. I added a WH 3.5" lift 5 years ago and noticed this past summer it is leaning noticeably. I am assuming the springs are sagging probably for the same reasons. Cannot see it being radius arm alignment for simple reason is was dead on perfect for 4 years and then all of a sudden leaning. Or maybe I'm missing something.

 

[JAFO]

You didn't grease your springs, right? The grease can cause modern springs to weaken.

 

[bronconut73]

That is what I think I will end up doing. I added a WH 3.5" lift 5 years ago and noticed this past summer it is leaning noticeably. I am assuming the springs are sagging probably for the same reasons. Cannot see it being radius arm alignment for simple reason is was dead on perfect for 4 years and then all of a sudden leaning. Or maybe I'm missing something.

Mine will lean a little bit from time to time.
I just go stretch it out with some good articulation.
That seems to put the radius arms back in the right position and it levels out.

 

[GloNDark]

I had some pretty good lean in the rear of my bronco when I bought it. I figured it was typical c-bushing caused lean but when I put my lift on, I noticed that 2 of the factory leaves has cracks in them by the center pin. I couldn't even see the cracks until I pulled the springs apart to put add-a-leafs in. I ended up buying new springs and dropping them in.

Might be worth taking a close look at the leaves themselves to see if they are damaged at all.