who is the frame and suspension expert

[stock orange]

Is there anyone out there that can give me a call and help me figure out why my 2.5 leaf springs lift my frame higher than the average height.

a 2.5 lift should have the bottom of the frame to the ground at about 20-21 inches.

I am 24 inches

and top of axle to frame at about 8.5 inches

I am at 10.5

The body is off the frame but we have a engine sitting on the top of the frame to add a few hundred pounds.


please call if you have seen this before and know what the heck is going on

310-963-9963.

Thanks

Ed

 

[73azbronco]

My experience, not an expert mind you you have not fully loaded it down, and yes, the lift on any spring is more, sometimes way more than advertised, unfortunately.

Leaf springs can bind on the shackle bolts if not tightened at ride height nor sufficiently lubed bushings.

Did you torque the bolts down jacked up or on the ground?

I replaced the springs on my jeep advertised at 3.5 lift, true lift ended up being 5 inches, way out there. Not saying thats the exact problem with yours.

 

[broncodriver99]

Sounds pretty normal to me. You are missing about 1200 lbs worth of body/top/doors and the rest of the drivetrain. An engine is not near enough weight to compress the springs properly.

As mentioned the rear spring and shackle bolts should be tightened with the fully assembled vehicle weight on them, especially if running the OE style rubber bushings with the serrated edge meant to dig into the steel mount.

 

[DirtDonk]

What they said.
While it's a known thing that some springs (at least ours) end up lifting more than expected, at least initially, there is ZERO you can determine about anything until the full weight of the vehicle is loaded on to the springs.

Some super stiff springs might not be higher unloaded then loaded, but a not-so-stiff leaf pack is going to compress under the normal weight, and rise up when unladen.
Ever seen a sixties vintage passenger car with coil springs after the engine was removed? Sitting several inches higher than normal. Softer springs needed more length built in so they would compress down to ride height when loaded.
Made removing them a pain though. Glad ours are not near as bad.

If you're at the point where you're trying to mock things up and just need things to be at the expected ride height however, you can still get there from here.
Never use the frame height if you want consistency. Tries vary too much, so measure between the top of the axle tube and the bottom of the frame rail for your ride-height settings.
You may need to use ratchet straps or something similar to compress the springs down so that your axle-to-frame measurement is 9.5" in front and 8.5" in the rear for a 2.5" lift.
These are approximate measurements, and your results may vary. But they get you as close as you're going to get at this stage.

Good luck.

Paul