Upgrading Rear Suspension with New Leaf Springs!

In this episode, we replace the rear leaf springs and attaching hardware. It was quite a experience as everything was rusted pretty good.
#projectcar #dodgedart #montsweaggarage #classiccars #mopar #moparperformance

[@NewbombTurk.]

Just about to do this same job on my '68. Fortunately, the rear end was swapped not long ago by the previous owner (now an 8 3/4) and the springs were inboarded as well. Going to a set of 3k lb. Super Stock springs from Mancini with a set of Competition engineering adjustable drag shocks.

[@MontsweagGarage]

Welcome Newbomb and thanks for the comment! I am on the hunt for an a-body 8.75 myself. Preferably with the small bolt pattern. Kind of hard to come by up here but I think I have a good lead. I hope your spring replacement goes smoother than mine did. lol.

[@steveash9831]

The threads on U-bolts are designed to lock when tightened fully. Thus, you must cut them off.

[@MontsweagGarage]

Thanks for the info and the comment Steve. I was not aware they were designed to lock. It makes sense though. That's the last thing I would want coming loose.

[@maximuswedgie5149]

Very nice👍

[@MontsweagGarage]

Thank you! And thanks for watching!

[@nelsonquinapallo6389]

Thanks nice demo I need call Mancinni racing

[@MontsweagGarage]

@@nelsonquinapallo6389 They were great. Fast delivery and the parts are great quality. www.manciniracing.com/

[@skinny7010]

Glad I found MOntsweag. Have been wondering what an original 273 might have looked like. And I'm in my driveway this morning with frozen u-bolts and springs etc. ('67 barracuda) Don't lowrate your work- you're a freaking inspiration! (Had a 70 dart as a kid- but 67s are prettier.)

[@MontsweagGarage]

@skinny7010 thank you and welcome to the channel. I hope you find it helpful. My 273 is very tired. Even after new bearings, rings, and seals. It is going to take a break and let the 360 Magnum step in for a bit. At least until I find another car to drop it in. Then it will get a trip to the machine shop for a proper spa day.

[@MontsweagGarage]

@skinny7010 How'd your spring swap go?

[@skinny7010]

Oh, boy@@MontsweagGarage, I haven't had the time! My driver (Mazda CX-5) needed brakes and rear struts. (which are like hen's teeth, as it turns out. Love the car, but the boys in Kyoto took a little shortcut on these.). Anyway- when I got back to the shock bracket I find I have some sort of (purposely) distorted nuts (on the car). I presume these are to prevent backoff w. vibration? From the people who brought us LH nuts on the driver side lugs. (Literally the same people.)

[@MontsweagGarage]

@@skinny7010 Were they on the u-bolts or is it the nut holding the shock on? My u-bolt nuts were rusted beyond saving so I ended up cutting them off and replacing them. My shock bolt was normal and came of with a little WD-40. I didn't notice any weird hardware. Could be mine had already been replaced. Feel free to send pics to [e-mail]. I have a couple of MOPAR specialists at my area that may be able to shed some light on the issue.

[@skinny7010]

@@MontsweagGarage - they were the u-bolts. I think they are original- (black phosphate maybe?). Not much rust, just maybe a little grimy. But man, they were hard going. I'm in my driveway and I can't get my impact wrench/deep socket on there. My plan is to cut them off just past the nut and maybe that allows impact wrench/regular socket.

[@steveroberson1488]

Just the video I needed to see ,,,,getting ready to overhaul the entire drive from my trans back on my 69 Dart ,,I hope you're addressing that rust issue near the rear bracket before that all fails ,,,I would also have applied a small amount of grease on all rubber bushings to prevent squeaks & help reduce wear ,,+ makes removing them down the road much easier,, Mopar or no car brother !

[@MontsweagGarage]

Hello Steve and welcome to the channel! Your comment went to "held for review" for some reason. I plan on taking care of the rear brackets before I put it back on the road. I'll probably throw some grease in the bushings while I'm at it. I haven't heard any squeaking since I replaced them but you have a point about the wear. Engine and trans are out while I address the front suspension, floor pans, and torsion bar crossmember so it'll be a bit before she's back together and on the road. I am finding that when I start taking things apart, the list of repairs grows substantially. The next video will illustrate this point perfectly. Lol.

[@richardweyland116]

I like your work lights! Looks like you just removed the bottom of the shock, not the whole thing. You did the rear first? Nice job! I'll be doing this for the first time as well.

[@MontsweagGarage]

Thank you Richard, and welcome to the channel. These work lights are pretty nice. They are small, magnetic, and bright. The battery usually lasts a couple of work sessions. I picked them up here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B59TH1Q2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I did not remove the whole shock. It kind of swings out of the way once you detach the bottom. And I did do the rear first. Working on the front now. Waiting for the ball joint socket to get the uppers out. I intend to shoot a video on the process.

[@stevenlevitz8895]

You had me at “Butt Lift.” 🍑

[@MontsweagGarage]

Thanks for the comment Steven. I love the change. The new stance is awesome. Once I finish the front suspension, I can drop the the front a bit and give it a bit more rake.

[@Alexander-nb1rz]

You got the same B 7 paint that's on my 69 Dart i to will put new springs and move in do a mini tub with cal tracs had a 4 link before and loved it a cal trac is a poor man's 4 link

[@MontsweagGarage]

Good morning Alexander! Welcome to the channel and thank you for the comment! I would love to do a mini tub with a spring relocation and caltracs but for the time being I want to avoid traction adders. The car still has the 7 1/4 sure grip rear end in it. I have been looking for the right 8 3/4 to drop in but haven't found one for an a body around here and don't want to cough up the coin for a new one. I'd love to see your Dart sometime! shoot me some pictures and a short story behind the car if you are so inclined! Hope to see you again!

[@Alexander-nb1rz]

@@MontsweagGarage How do I get pics to you? I can take a pic and what's your email or #?I'm sorry I'm a old timer and out of the Hospital from heart surgery I got a LVAD in my heart it's a pump and plan on getting at it again my ride is a M code tribute 440 with a 727/83/4 3:55 gears I plan on selling down the road just got a Dana 60 w/4:10 gears and a spool w/strange disc, shorted.

[@MontsweagGarage]

@Alexander-nb1rz my email is [e-mail]. if and when you get a chance, shoot me a frw pics and the story behind the car. My idea is to add a "viewers rides" segment to some of my videos. There is absolutely no rush! Your health is FAR more important!

[@Alexander-nb1rz]

@@MontsweagGarage well I tried sending pics two times and it said email not found or doesn't exist? I looked at the email to make sure I typed it in correctly?

[@MontsweagGarage]

@Alexander-nb1rz not your fault. I mistyped. It is [e-mail]. I didn't have my glasses on this morning lol.

[@acardiac5983]

What is the pinion angle of the center section for a stock set up?

[@MontsweagGarage]

@acardiac5983 I am not sure off the top of my head and the FSM doesn't seem to have any info on it. I do know that there are few factors that affect it, including how much torque your engine puts out and now much wrap you leaf springs allow. Ideally you want the engine/transmission and the pinion to be parallel under full load. This is a decent thread discussing the topic: www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/pinion-angle.160127/. Post 14 is how I intend to go about setting mine once the 360 is in the car.

[@DaPenceman]

I would be using anti seize where ever possible, but than I'm weird that way

[@MontsweagGarage]

Thanks for the comment @DaPenceman, and welcome to the channel. That is probably a good idea. I am doing the front now, I may take the rear apart again and add a healthy dose of anti seize. Thanks for the tip!

[@richardweyland116]

My hardware brackets aren't that rusty. Do they still have to come out or can I just take the bolt out of the end of the leaf spring?

[@MontsweagGarage]

You can get the bolt out without taking the bracket off so long as the bolt head is facing out. If the nut is facing out (mine was), then the bolt will hit the frame rail, and you'll have to drop the bracket.

[@MontsweagGarage]

@richardweyland116 How did your spring replacement go?

[@peterolson8350]

Isn't the rear axle too far forward? Front part of leaf spring too short or front mount wrong

[@MontsweagGarage]

Hello Peter. Welcome and thank you for the comment! That is the stock position for the Dart. The wheels are not centered in the wells but run closer to the front. That is common for MOPARS as I understand it. It was a little further back in the "before shot" as most of the curve was gone from the original springs with the weight of the car on them. With the new springs in, they got pulled forward slightly bit not near enough to cause issues. I still have plenty of travel in the slip yoke and the wear mark lines up in the same spot it was before the swap. I definitely could have/should have measured before and after but I did not think of it at the time. I am learning as I go.

[@peterolson8350]

​@@MontsweagGarageOk, I think my wheel is fairly centered on my Charger 69, but maybe it's different on a Dart.

[@MontsweagGarage]

@@peterolson8350 You had me wondering so I went to classic cars.com and looked up several pictures of the 67 Dart and they are all pretty much the same. I am glad you pointed it out though. I would have never thought to look.

[@acardiac5983]

What size rims and tires are you using?

[@MontsweagGarage]

@acardiac5983 Welcome to the channel and thank you for the comment. The wheels are American Racing's AR62 Outlaw II and are 14x7 with 4" backspacing. For tires, up front I went with 205/70/R14 and on the rear ! went with 235/60/R14. Since this is a small bolt pattern car (5x4) there are not a lot of options for wheels.

[@acardiac5983]

How much space do you have between the quarter panel and the leaf spring?

[@MontsweagGarage]

@acardiac5983 I think I had around 11 inches from leaf spring to the top center of the wheel well. This video covers the process of measuring for wheels and tires. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXzXopyLl96Zoacsi=lKRcloK_d7esAt-6

[@rong4189]

Maybe I missed it but what springs are these exactly? Thanks

[@MontsweagGarage]

Welcome @rong4189! Thank you for leaving a comment. These are Mopar Performance Super Stock Leaf Springs. The part numbers are P4120863/P4120864. please let me know if you have any further questions.

[@mikedoss9777]

Did you adjust the front suspension beforehand? How much do they cost?

[@MontsweagGarage]

I did not adjust the front suspension. Due to a repair on the Torsion Bar Crossmember by the previous owner, the front is as low as it will go until I can get that replaced. And if I remember correctly, the springs were $126 each. I got them from SD Truck Springs but they don't seem to carry them anymore. General Spring also makes springs for a-body Mopars. I was looking at them as well. Their stock height springs are $130 and the ones with the 2 1/2" lift are $150. Hope this is helpful. Here is a link to General Spring. www.generalspringkc.com/leaf-springs/dodge-chrysler-plymouth/dodge-chrysler-plymouth-car/

[@mikedoss9777]

@@MontsweagGarage Thank you , brother . I was debating whether to get my springs re-arched or just get new ones. Not sure if a re-arch lasts . What do you think?

[@MontsweagGarage]

@mikedoss9777 To be perfectly honest, Mike, I do not know. This is my first project car. My springs were done so I replaced them. However. I would weigh the cost of having them re-arched against new ones. The new ones are much less expensive than I expected them to be.

[@pdiz]

11:15: No they're not, you got your grip too far down on that torque wrench. You probably increased torque by a small margin, but still probably within specs. Just giving you a hard time.

[@MontsweagGarage]

@pdiz Welcome to the channel and thanks for the comment! A little harassment won't hurt my feeling. The Navy only left me with one and butthurt isn't it. Lol. Things were holding up pretty well until I tore it all apart again. I'm sure it'll hold up once everything is back together.

[@pdiz]

@@MontsweagGarage Had to subscribe because you are doing everything I'm doing on my own vehicle ('70 Bee), including the welding part that I've never done before. But hey, can't afford to buy one already restored. In any event, those U-bolts are disturbing because they don't have the hatched/flat area that the original Mopars do that prevent slippage and also don't crush the axle housing, which brings up the question: Why did you have to tear it all apart again? I doubt it was the U-bolts (most people just put whatever on and it's fine), but have to ask.

[@MontsweagGarage]

@pdiz Thank you for the sub. Preparing to tackle the rear frame and body. The frame rails are ok, but just about everything else from the rear wheels back needs attention, mainly the rear leaf spring mounts. But also the rear crossmember/extensions, trunk extensions, bumper mounts, and quarter panels. As far as the u bolts, they came from Mancini racing, so I trust them.

[@pdiz]

@@MontsweagGarage Yep, love Mancini Racing, mainly because there's no Chebby/F0rt parts. Yeah, you think you got it bad, I had "all new sheet metal" welded to bad metal from previous owner. So I got brand new quarters welded to rusty well houses, brand new trunk pan welded to rusty subframes that weren't even treated first, AND they didn't plug weld into the subframe. They literally welded on the OUTSIDE (under the car) to the subframe with a random welds. I am debating if I have to pull it all off and try to do it or just kind of work with it. I say you got off easy... Big sigh together!

[@MontsweagGarage]

Damn! That sucks! At least I had original material to work with and the seller (original owner's son) was up front about what needed to be fixed. I'd love to see what you're working on. I had by eye on a '69 Super Bee (the green one in my channel banner) and was waiting for my taxes to come back so I could have cash in hand when I went to look at it. She sold it the Tuesday before I got my taxes. That was going to be the next project and my first "will it run" video....=/.

[@richardweyland116]

Mopar or NO car.

[@MontsweagGarage]

Fair warning! I am not strictly a MOPAR guy. They figure big into my bucket list of cars I want. 70 or 71 Barracuda, 69 Coronet, 50's Power Wagon,s and 70 challenger are right at the top. BUT....I also want a first gen Camaro or firebird and I love the 68 Apache. Just love the look of them. Another project car is a ways down the road though.

[@richardweyland116]

@@MontsweagGarage Yeah, I've loved the 69 Charger since I was in HS. When I bought my first Mopar the Chevy guys picked on me mercilessly. Then I started kicking their butts at car shows.

[@MontsweagGarage]

I am eyeballing a 69 super bee. I'll probably grab it if it's still there in the spring.