EPISODE 106 Classic & Muscle Car leaf spring dos and don'ts Autorestomod

This week we finish our question and answer session about rear leaf and front coil springs with Mike Eaton from Eaton Detroit Spring . We also talk about why lowering blocks are bad mojo and give some dos and don'ts for your springs. We also give a practical examination to the 1965 Mustang hardtop we are working on to see exactly what is ailing the pony car. Next week we will be giving install tips and test driving the car.
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[@qtig9490]

This guy knows his springs. Excellent tip about knowing when leaf springs are shot when you see daylight between the leafs -never heard that but it makes sense now.

[@justtinkering6054]

HOLY COW!! I just watched this video and then bounced over to Eaton's website for some info on my car. I decided to call Eaton to ask a couple questions. Two rings and who picked up the phone..........MIKE!!! WOW!! Very helpful and super knowledgeable. I think he put me on the right track. Thank you for these videos. I want to see more of Mike please.

[@AutoRestoMod]

Call Mike back and tell him.

[@justtinkering6054]

@@AutoRestoMod I told him I couldn’t believe that I actually got to speak with him! I told him I loved the videos and that I wanted to see more of him in them. He said it had been a while and he wanted to do more but Covid kind of got in the way. I told him I really can’t wait to see more videos with him in them. I hope you can make it happen!

[@louieflash7190]

Lots of great info. Thanks.

[@AutoRestoMod]

You are welcome

[@TTOCS11]

i really like that guy, he doesnt mess around! Great vid thanks

[@fknows1]

Agree with what he is saying about air gaps between the leafs, but you also got to take into consideration like on this car it is running anti noise pads between the leafs, and yes I know this clip is 8years old. but its nice to see someone calling it how it is

[@AutoRestoMod]

Yep.

[@VictorHernandez-wu1pw]

good to know all the details,, thank you for all the information, very helpful.

[@umangu]

This is great, I just spoke with Mike and he's so knowledgeable and helpful. Can't wait to fit my car with Eaton springs!

[@guntherhoffman7421]

I'm worrying about the rear height without having the glass, interior etc... things that are common sense but we just forget to think about at the time. thanks! You guys rock!

[@joebloeu]

good information from some one who has been in the industry a long time and knows what he is talking about.Not just a I know everything fig jam blow in.(fig jam - f..k I'm good,just ask me)

[@AutoRestoMod]

Actually it was focused on what mistakes he has seen made by customers. When you've been in business over 70 years you get to see a lot of people who make mistakes. Those mistakes can be used as teaching moments like we did here.

[@moparman7367]

Great useful info, thx guys :)

[@jevchance]

Sweet Jeff thanks for the vid. Need to buy springs for my project this summer, I'll give this guy a call and see what their pricing looks like.

[@kalan4787]

...cant believe this was 11 years ago

[@AutoRestoMod]

We don't do a lot of yelling behold. We only get cross if people call us or other viewers bad names or insult them about their intelligence. We've yet to find a replacement for the rear leaf that we like. We'd be glad to test some of the offerings if the suppliers are willing to pony up however.

[@lc2129]

Hi fellas, My 67 coupe seems to sit tilted lets say! It is very noticeable so I took a measuring tape to confirm that my right rear sits about 2" -2 1/2" higher than my left(drivers). Where can I start looking for a fix?

[@Inboundbogie]

Thank you so much

[@AutoRestoMod]

If your springs are old you might consider going ahead and replacing them. We would suspect that one of two things is going on; either there is damage on the right side of the car (frame rail pushed in from the rear) or one spring has failed. Make sure also that the rear shackles are both the same and that the rubber isolaters are in good condition.

[@AutoRestoMod]

Eaton Detroit Spring defines ride height by the original Ford, GM, and Mopar blueprints. All of the manufacturers had "set heights" that were measured from either the frame to the top of the axle tube or from the bottom edge of the top of the fender to the ground. Ford did have the Mustang sitting about an inch (give or take) lower in the rear. These measurements could vary nearly two inches in some instances. Hope this clarifies it for you.

[@coreyjeffords3083]

First of all, I love watching your guys’ videos as I am working on a 65 mustang and have learned so much through you guys. This is probably a stupid question but I ordered the stage 1 leaf spring kit from total control products which includes the spring plates and leaf springs. I also ordered the u bolts. The u bolts are 3” wide and my axle tube on my standard 8” rear end is 2-3/8” in diameter. Is it safe to use the new u bolts or do I need ones that are the exact same width as my rear axle diameter to eliminate that little bit of gap on either side? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[@AutoRestoMod]

I would want them to be tight to the axle.

[@NXT_LVL]

a more current question: I've watch a few installs of lowering kits and on newer Ford Trucks, they have OEM lift blocks between the axle and rear leaf spring that the kits have you swap out or remove... Belltech etc. Now did Ford design the leafs to work WITH the blocks as Mike was saying how they tweak the spring to fit your vehicle or is that whole fulcrum explanation now void based on how the OEMs have it for lifting rather than lowering?

[@AutoRestoMod]

The OEM set up is designed to work as installed.

[@TheAbdelillo]

I was wondering what would be his input on flipping the shackles to lower a truck by unmounting the shackles and dilling new holes and installing them up higher so a truck would d look lower?

[@AutoRestoMod]

Interestingly Mike Eaton at Eaton Detroit Spring says the only reason that the axle is mounted the way it is on trucks is to provide ground clearance. So you could do that. Keep in mind that you will probably have to "C" the frame for good travel and also mess with drive-line angle. We plan to cover the drive-line angle at a later date.

[@pd2865]

question, does Eaton recommend any anti seize lubricant on the bolt shank, bushings?

[@AutoRestoMod]

I do. A future owner may thank you.

[@tonyrocks951]

Sweet

[@shaun787max]

I have a 2008 mustang with leaf springs, I’d like to use lowering springs and bought an adjustable panhard bar to install them with , now my question is , do I remove my leaf springs entirely and replace it with only the panhard bar? Or use springs and panhard?

[@AutoRestoMod]

No way you have rear leaf springs on an '08 unless someone modified the car: Leaf springs are flat and long and coil springs are like a pigs tail. The panhard bar is a stabilization device that controls axle movement (Mostly laterally), it should be reinstalled.

[@markyisser9004]

do u think its better to add shackles as opposed to lift blocks for my ram??

[@AutoRestoMod]

What is your eventual goal on the truck? We would recommend you contact Eaton Detroit directly. They have years of experience in this. www.eatondetroitspring.com/

[@alexzanderarmstrong]

What about removing leafs so truck rides softer but adding air helper “spring” for when you have a load?

[@AutoRestoMod]

That can be done. But generally it is less effective.

[@walther9161]

How do you measure your present springs in order to get new ones to match so you don’t end up with a higher stance?

[@AutoRestoMod]

We'd recommend a call to Eaton Detroit for that info. different cars have different measuring points for ride height.

[@freddybriceno5652]

Hai,Freddy Sánchez, Venezuela, plis, the vídeo in spain,

[@nickcahill8156]

how much is a custom leaf spring build through you guys?

[@AutoRestoMod]

Hi Nick, we don't actually do the springs. You'd want to contact Eaton Detroit Spring: [phone] or www.eatondetroitspring.com/

[@AutoRestoMod]

True that they are, but most classic cars are kinda stuck with them. There are alternative solutions to leafs, but most of them are expensive and many of them are not all that great themselves.

[@AimlessMoto]

Heighth is not a word :).

[@markmurtagh4434]

Factory heigth ?

[@AutoRestoMod]

Very cryptic... can you expound?

[@Aviator111167]

Look at some of the original Ford photos of the Mustang......the rear end sits very low, almost sagging. How does this guy define factory ride heigth ?

[@dennis6325]

Instead of asking me 10,000 questions...could I just tell you the weight of the vehicle at the center of each axle? Is that not what you are after?

[@brunoburtoni8479]

can we actually see an installation of lowered leaf springs??

[@AutoRestoMod]

Yep, in the episode labeled how to install rear leaf springs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmeVZYyCYtSaqqc

[@Thirdgen83]

There is NOTHING wrong with lowering-blocks as long as they are not extremely tall.

[@AutoRestoMod]

Thirdgen83 Well that is the beauty of opinions ThirdGen. =)

[@SpecialEDy]

It negates the purpose of ladder bars

[@mustardstain504d6]

It's all fun and games until you split a block in half.

[@michaels8050]

Not really dos and don'ts, more like when and when not to buy new springs. Maybe if I watched the whole thing i'd have caught the parts about removing leafs or cutting them down, but this is way too basic, more like a sales pitch.

[@AutoRestoMod]

Thanks for the input Micheal. There was good "dos and don't" info in this. Mike has years of experience in the spring business and we were lucky to have him in the shop.

[@erichirsch7640]

+Michael S I've seen leaves removed . worked fine

[@AutoRestoMod]

Eric, thanks for the input. And what you say is true. Leaves can be removed and it will "work fine". We'd rather save the money up and have it to work like the factory intended, or modified in a way that works as a factory part would. The wagon we have has lowering blocks, they work...well, worked for a time to lower the vehicle they are not however the best solution. While we could promote workarounds, we try and not do that. As a show we have to be responsible do the thing that is the safest and best method that we know how to do.

[@TOMVUTHEPIMP]

Boooo!!! That old man is no fun. Probably has 14" wheels on his car.

[@AutoRestoMod]

That "old man" has more spring knowledge than any four people. He is just imparting the truth about suspension geometry

[@59isfine]

I would skip this company entirely. Most of his was focused on how stupid customers are