Leaf spring upgrade to lenny our 1947 gm silversides 3751 rv bus conversion

Well this was a lot of work for very moderately satisfying results.

[@deniseshephard3347]

Thank you to everyone involved for bringing these beautiful old busses back to life ever since I have first begun watching your videos the way in which you work as a family you work together so well the comradere you have between you all its moving the busses you bring back to life wouldnt be here if it wasn't for people like yourselves and that I thank you for keep doing what your doing because your inspiring so many people

[@flick22601]

I did a similar job one time. After that, I drove the trucks to a spring shop, told them what I wanted and watched the magic happen. Those folks know what they are doing, make the job look easy and it cost less than I spent working my butt off and doing it myself.

[@kevinnorris1434]

It's good to have a buddy to help you 🤠😜

[@buckroger5850]

Why is it the older we get the more we grunt when we work on things 🤣 excellent job guys and I want the shop 👍🖖

[@nealwright5630]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGWypnZ_qrh2gc0

[@mikebills9343]

Ha ha too right i grunt getting off the floor all the time , always under vehicles , getting too old for it

[@alanmorrison3598]

Forgive me for mentioning something you have probably already ruled out but to be sure the spring is the problem..Using the concrete pad as a reference plane, level the bus using the floor of the interior and a level..Be sure to jack it by the structure not by the axle etc. Then determine the distance from the pad to the shackle mounting points on each side and if all's well with the bus structure, these distances should be comparable..As long as your at it, with the bus leveled per the above procedure, check the distance from the tire on each side to the wheel opening arch and again these distances should be comparable side to side. Another thought I had again with the bus leveled per the above procedure determine the vertical distance between the u-bolt plate and each spring attach loop, Again, all these distances should be comparable side to side. My feeling is that using this procedure, you insure that the problem is the spring itself and not a twisted or deformed bus structure.

[@uliwehner]

another way to look at this would be to weigh the bus side to side. Like putting the driver side tires on the truck scales, then whoop it around and weight the passenger side. If there is a weight difference, you will know how much. hundreds of pounds vs thousands of pounds....

[@WillyMcCoy50]

Corner weigh the bus.

[@terrystewart2070]

Man that was exhausting just watching you all wrestle with those heavy SOB's. At this point, if it was mine, I would be sorely tempted to just get 2" longer U-bolts and a drilled and pinned solid 2" plate to just raise the body 2".

[@wazza33racer]

brings back memories of doing spring packs in semis and kenworths. Hendrickson walking beam suspensions had a god almighty heavy spring pack in them.

[@joseortiz5965]

Omg , I have learned something today, yes sir , I learned that I will never change a leaf spring on a bus. Dang it. That was alot of work. Awesome.

[@rickmacallen4874]

Scott I’m just now watching the video and your friend whoever he may be God bless him keep up the good work

[@TSki-ks2pz]

Get a large bit of thin sheet metal under the work area and the spring or any steel will slide around with far less force. It can also make getting tires off and back easier if a little lubrication is added to the sheet metal.

[@irgski]

This, like hanging sheet rock, is a “young man’s” sport!

[@peterrogers9228]

You should watch some of the "Pakistani Truck" and similar series on working with truck springs. Whilst much of what they do might not be acceptable in the west, they certainly know how to handle springs. In particular you start with the bolt through the bottom spring and then progressively load the rest!

[@randybrill5071]

Think it’s time to find a spring shop that knows what they are doing. It’s not easy doing it just hoping it will fit.

[@hydroy1]

Left spring heat treat is a wild subject no matter who does it. ( what the book tells and what really happens is two different things ) My opinion is go to a much thicker leaf on that side of Lenny or if your on a budget get a custom made longer shackle to correct the problem as nothing is going to get better with springs. All springs have 1 thing in common, they all get weaker .

[@Adventures_with_Josh]

Hey Scott awesome job as always, I noticed one thing,.if I'm seeing this correct then the axel sits on the top spring, there for in order to get more height you would need a top leaf with deeper curve if that make sense. If u were to put a straight edge across the eyes of top leaf and measure down say it's 5inches u would need one that is like 8 inches deep to give the body the lift. No matter how many leafs are added under the top leaf not height will be gained.

[@mfbfreak]

Every time you start it, in my head the violin starts playing.

[@fxworld7012]

When I was young I used to put springs in State Highway, Garbage & Cattle Trucks, the shop was completely set up to do this quickly & more easily, the springs were still killer to move, that's why I wouldn't do it now I'm a lot older... :p

[@markfoster6110]

Think a bus ride to the people who made it might be the shot .. done has got there numbers wrong .. good luck the light will come on somewhere . Dam hard work .glad you have a decent floor to work on

[@brianjohnston9822]

I know that the audience has a thousand ideas, so I’ll just keep mine to myself. I have done a few of these on school buses, and I’ll tell you I got to practice swearing in a few different languages. But…ratchet straps made a world of difference.

[@richardw.foxhall3392]

Maybe time for a longer, heavier top pair of leaf springs. Since the axle sits in the belly of the arc of the leaves, longer steeper arc begets a higher lenny on that side. Unfortunately stock length top leaves will not give you the needed lift you seek. The geometry seems wrong to me. Put it out as a You Tube challenge...

[@858493]

Well the work shop floor has been christened..kindest regards Doc from Down Under

[@paulelliott2861]

My days Scott so sorry the new springs did not work mate. I’m sure you will get it sorted. God bless mate. All the very best. Paul. U.K

[@charlesmair26]

That's gotta hurt man, Best of luck.

[@rickmacallen4874]

I apologize you guys it took me like a half a day to watch your video I was just so busy love you keep up the good work peace!!

[@HANKTHEDANKEST]

Even a partial fail is worth it for the experience of having tried. I had to basically destroy a van door the other day to prove to myself that I did, in fact, just need to go to the pick N' pull and grab a new one for a hundy. But hey, I'm glad I did it! I'll never wonder now: that door was, in fact, total garbage and will serve me better as scrap sheet. I feel like Lenny deserves a trip to a quality spring shop for a little custom lovin' now. :)

[@w2dmw]

Boy Scott,... It must feel great to work inside your new shop, when, after an exhausting day, you can just wash up, and close the door behind you, ... not having to put everything away, and set it up again the next day.....

[@coreycampbell1689]

45 years ago my Camaro sagged on one side so I stuck 3” of washers under the front spring mount and installed 4” bolts. Helped lol

[@Flinix]

man everytime I see that bus of yours I'm just stunned by how pretty she is. Makes me happy that I picked up my PDA-3703 since they look very similar

[@archstanton9206]

With you sending them the weights on the bus putting the right springs together would seem like just them doing the math on their product. You are being a heck of a lot calmer than I would be after all you have been through on this issue. On the brighter side, from a guy who has done his share of work while laying in dirt, gravel, etc, I am sure it was nice to be on concrete!

[@hydroy1]

Heat treat on springs is more magic them book smart , what the book tells us and what really happens will always be more luck then anything with new lead springs.

[@timatwell3728]

@@hydroy1 Yeal and you be surprised at what little bit of heat that transferred into the leaf from that welding he done on them even that little bit weakened it it don't take much heat to do it

[@jballard3253]

Love it!! 4' Equalizer - very few mechanics use them, run for the torch!

[@michaelscarfi3196]

I worked in a gmc truck shop when I was a kid in the 70s. The only thing we sent out were springs and automatic transmission rebuilds. That is when gmc still made a heavy truck.

[@peterkaks4395]

Am liking the wide concrete floor . Makes working under these buses so much easier . Great job guys .

[@henryharrison3988]

New spring every year. Crazy

[@mickkingston1450]

Hi, you could do with some thick steel plate on the floor of the shop in one area for jobs like that to save damaging the shop floor concrete ! We did that when changing springs on our trucks here in the uk, easier to slide slide stuff around on the steel plates 👍

[@edwarddeyojr.793]

The one good thing here is,,,,its been apart a few times and should’nt be rusted tight,,,hope this fixes the problem,,your shop looks great,,really coming around,,good luck as allways stay safe,,😍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@davidowen888]

Big work requires Big Tools 😅,that was exhausting to watch phewww

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

Wow! That was some battle. I think you might need some more of the spring pack re arched to get more lift. Just make sure the bus is square and level to rule out everything but the spring. Good Luck!

[@lindseystyles5232]

Great bus- history.

[@spsliger]

Might want to keep that spring steel. Might come in handy on some future project or tool.

[@auburnfolsom]

Waste not, want not.

[@erikkovacs3097]

I wonder if it's practical to do a big rig style suspension conversion with air bags.

[@andywarrington4738]

that motor sounds damn good

[@darrenw2803]

Nice seeing Lenny moving again

[@johnrice4307]

I hate being a 'told-you-so', but when this spring fiasco first started, to get both spring stacks to Fulton Spring Company in Fulton NY, and have them build matched heavy-duty stacks for Lenny; that way, you will be certain of perfect results. I ran large trucks often loaded to the max, and they made them perfect every time, first time--no messing around, even with permanently mounted off-balanced loads. I wouldn't trust any others with my trucks or life. They would have done all of the work, and had you in and out in a day--pros all the way! Without them being balanced, I'm betting Lenny waddles like a duck.

[@Wildstar40]

Yeah like tires, shocks, brakes ... always replace them in pairs left and right.

[@jtamsett]

How about some bags?

[@camachinist]

I haven't been following the details; has Scott scaled the individual wheel sets? We always had to do that when sending in a spec sheet for spring packs, in some cases also putting a load cell on each spring attachment point. This kind of stuff sure is frustrating but it is fixable.

[@mike5162]

@Lex Riordan please correct and edit your comment so that it makes sense.

[@marty0715yt]

I had to mount a big ole steel Rock Slider and used an ATV jack. It cradled the 6 foot hunk of steel and then lifted it until I could get some bolts in her. Worked good.

[@jimbruneau6769]

With underslung springs, you've got to lengthen the shackles to get more lift. Did that many times with UTV flatbed trailers to get more off road ground clearance

[@bbqbill406]

imagine lifting the bus high enough and placing the spring set on the floor jack and rolling it right up under the mounting area and jacking up the springs into place

[@charlessoule8587]

It’s only right that the first bus you work on in your new garage should be your own!

[@simonmorris3964]

Your correct Kelly it will settle on the test drive.

[@marshalllhiepler]

Just a wild thought, from the darkest regions of my mind ... but, perhaps there is a threaded plug on one of your hydraulic jacks, that would accept a pressure gauge, with an appropriate adapter. You could then use the "jack/gauge" at each corner of the bus, to compare Pressure Readings, and thus, to note weight differences. In my humble opinion, a serious weight discrepancy between the left and right rear springs, would be best remedied by efforts to balance the interior components ... as daunting as that may be.

[@andywarrington4738]

damn.......you'll get there eventually

[@jamesschramm4739]

Looked like the both of ya were having a rough time getting those bolts loose. Twenty years younger might have helped, good thing your son was there.

[@reginaldbyrd8073]

5:24 That looks like great calistetics.

[@simonmorris3964]

So if the right front is a little low , the left rear will be a little high. This would additionally cause the left front to be higher and the right rear to be lower.

[@hydroy1]

Something to think about, the heat treat on the drivers side springs might be harder then on the passenger side spring. Maybe just swap sides of the springs ? Costs nothing to try . Yeah I know it's a lot of work but maybe would cure the problem and the bus would sit straight . It's that or go to a custom machined extended shackle to get it up . Also keep in mind with age springs only go down, never up so your going to be forced to get that side of the bus up more sooner or later. Sorry about that scott.

[@jmikronis7376]

@Bus Grease Monkey, individuals who forge knives would love to have those scrap steel leaf spring pieces!

[@rickl6697]

Could you use a wheel lift that has 2 rollers and 4 casters to lift each wheel on a car so you can roll it around. Harbor freight sells them. Seems like you could put that under that spring lift it slightly and roll that monster right under there into position.

[@carlaustin7398]

It seems like I remember a guy with a cut/bruise on his forehead at his daughter's wedding after the last spring change............

[@mrad6533]

I know I keep saying this but you guys are some tuff people 💪

[@1dollarten]

Heavy truck ,bus same thing , all bull work

[@larryanderson8049]

maybe re arch the springs you have now..you have new springs that just need to be fine tuned...lol have watched u-tube spring re arch in pakistan ,a fine art indeed!

[@wayneconkey3404]

I use harbor freight mover dollies. They usually set right in them and you can position easily then use the jack to lift into position.

[@countryracer69]

Been there done that. But most I have done had the axle under spring. Only a couple like this

[@leandalynch975]

biggggggggg job, bugger still not right

[@joelmiller7]

The struggle is real!!!

[@rickmacallen4874]

I wish I had friends like that??? I do!!

[@LAP1050]

Are you able to balance out your load? Recalling that the right side is where you carry all your tools 🧰

[@akshonclip]

Leroy - Roof Roof Roof = “Yes I Do!”

[@miketanner1920]

Um I had a similar situation with a old 5 ton truck The leafs were fattening out it turned out my frame was flexing and the shackles were damaged along with the bushings I welded in heavy plates on both insides for 6 in past each shackle and replaced the bushings with urethane moog I don't know if this helps you or not But I hope it does Have a good one brother

[@mattc.310]

At 00:47 you went over the spring replacement plan and said it was a 13 spring pack, but at 36:10 there is a good image of the installed pack, and I count 12 elements. Did I miss something? Next step a re-arc or perhaps a block? I've done frame and suspension lifts and even the 1/2 tons can be a wrestling match depending on what they wanted. Counted fingers after each one. Good job keeping all the appendages. Bummer that it still sags. Onward and upward.

[@backwoodsentertainment358]

On cars it never was an issue..you could buy shackles for the back..could you possibly make a super heavy duty shackle for low side. Just a 2 inch lift..maybe 1 1/2 inch....just a thought

[@mrad6533]

You guys are going to hurt the next day good work

[@garymackey850]

9:36 Tyler arrived....old guys go take a rest!!!! :)

[@lwilton]

Looks like you could have put that front spring pack tie bolt in while the springs were up on jacks. That probably would have helped a little bit.

[@marty0715yt]

Momma is a Task Master!! I'll call it a success after a drive!! You Go Girl. Silly Boyz!

[@notajp]

Just watched a movie on Svengoolie tonight. At the end of the movie they showed a GM silversides school bus that looked exactly like Lenny…

[@Dukemeistro]

Very very intriguing video. Wonder if you ever got that side up where you want it. I'll search through your videos to see.

[@davidapp3730]

That looked like hard work. What are you going to do about the rebound clips?

[@lloydrobinson7081]

keep the videos coming

[@jfv65]

talk about leverage! Must be some serious torque on those U-bolt nuts.

[@thatdave86]

The universal father and son communication ,sometimes testing,both are right , because they are both alike ,always important to be clear an precise with instructions . Looks very trying for you lying on the ground (I know what it's like) Bit unsure how you can have Difference in left and right springs and are you removing the short leafs from one side only. Hope there's not other issues with chassis and mounts Must be nice being in the shed 🙂

[@7novalee]

That job burned some calories.

[@Correllbil]

Scott, get yourself some of those moving blankets at Harbor Freight to lay on the floor. I like to use them better than a creeper.

[@j6sj7]

Well at least no fingers got mashed... that's a plus.

[@donalheaiy2087]

Its a young mans game

[@jonrusso59]

Scott I'm wondering if your axle housing is bend to one side ..had same problems with a wrecker and turned axxes were bent and crooked to..

[@name-ey5it]

You should weld some kind of fork at the end ,your jack so it would be easier to lift up the rear springs.

[@eddiepatterson5025]

Just guessing here maybe you might can use a custom made lift block between the axle and spring to level up the Lenny as far as spacing from tire to fender arch lip.

[@blakerichardson414]

Would replacing just one spring create different spring rates between both sides of the bus now?

[@pettyfogger2305]

Wouldn't having the transmission hanging out beyond the frame and centerline of the bus plus the tons of tools and equipment you used to haul mostly on the bus ' s right side and rear (as I think I recall) have caused the bus body to shift and 'slouch' to the right rear? May I suggest you ask/invite your neighborhood DOT truck inspector with his lightweight portable wheel scales up for a cup of coffee? I did truck inspections as a sheriff's deputy after MCSAP training with the state patrol and wonder what you corner weights are for your bus and if that might be part of your issue. Your beautiful Quonset with near perfect level is a great place to check out individual wheel weight. I bet the inspector would love to pick your brain to fill in gaps in his understanding of heavy truck and bus systems too. Even after hundreds of hours of training and coming from a trucking family business, I have learned REAMS from watching your YT videos!!

[@OddsandSods26]

It occurs to me, for the next time, to run a chalk mark where the tie bolt runs through the leafs.

[@robertquast9684]

Seems like they didn’t give you the right arch height in the springs. I replaced springs on a trailer and they gave me low arch instead of high arch and it sits like Lenny does. I assume you checked shackle lengths and that they match. The comments about adding blocks won’t work with the spring under the axle

[@mixrmandd]

I'm thinking an air suspension swap would be a better option

[@jfv65]

why not both?

[@mixrmandd]

@@jfv65 longevity, ride quality, and the option to neal the bus when stationary to name a few reasons

[@jimjoe9945]

@@mixrmandd who's neal?

[@BusNit]

After watching many of your videos, I decided to invest in Milwaukee tools just for my bus. I have the large 1" D ring impact and the 1/2" impact. Are you happy with yours? Is that the 1/2" or 3/4" version?

[@The_Smith]

so frustrating! given the loads those things carried when new you'd think the springs would be enough to hold it level . . . that's what a 37 passenger bus? Dad's rule of thumb was 200 pounds per person when calulating passenger load (person and luggage) do you have more than 7500 lbs of gear etc. ? I feel your frustration bud.

[@kevinhornbuckle]

Convert to air ride. It would help protect the bus from getting vibrated to death.

[@danielstrachan8988]

Oooooh my goodness 😁😁👍👍

[@larrywalker7759]

Now that you have a super shop floor to work with, get you some scrap pieces of 1/4" or 3/8" plywood dedicated to letting heavy components land on . Sacrifice the plywood, not the floor or the component. You will thank yourself later.

[@fulf]

And a lift so you dont need to be on the floor. (Yes i know its a litle expensive)

[@boosteddiesel1834]

Looks like the front left is higher than its companion. Could that make a difference?

[@gungadin6889]

Have longer U straps n U bolts made. Also a longer spring centering bolt. Add the 2 spring leafs just below the top leaf from the prior pack. Stagger them in matching them in pairs OEM from factory designed much too narrow for that much weight. Will not carry the weight. Break down too fast. OEM should have been 5 inch

[@PCStuart1]

Hi, I hate to say it but it looks like the rest of your spring pack needs to be replaced too or reset at a spring manufacturers. My first bus drive was an Ansair Clipper on my dads knee, cool buses. Cheers

[@deanrichardson2911]

Counter balance, if is that important. Is this a factory set . ( the way it should be ) ?

[@brianjohnston9822]

Isn’t your water storage on that side of the bus? Keep using the water without refilling and see if the bus balances out.