Rear leaf springs

[Rubikahn]

My new to me short bed Comanche has sagging leaf springs, so I’m going to need to swap them soon. I’ve found an online website that sells replacements. There are two different spring pack choices available. I’m guessing one is the normal spring pack and the other is the equivalent to the metric ton spring pack. It already had an SOA on it. Is it worth paying extra for the metric ton springs or not? 

[Eagle]

If it has a SOA, how did you determine that the springs have sagged?

[Rubikahn]

Visually, the rear end is sitting much lower than the front end. When I first got it home it sat level from front to back. It's a second vehicle and hasn't seen much use since I got it. Honestly haven't looked underneath to see if anything else is going on, i just assumed they had sagged. 

[Pete M]

yeah, it's best to check what's going on before spending money.   the fix could be as simple as a single long leaf thrown in. 

 

 

oh, and there are 3 different companies selling leafpacks so there are plenty of choices.  

[gogmorgo]

Some people want the "level" look. Personally I don't get it, because if you throw weight in the rear then it squats like nuts, but to each their own. If all you're concerned about is how it looks, like there's no issues with ride quality or anything, is it worth looking into seeing if dropping the front a bit would help the stance? Maybe there's a small spacer on top of the lift springs that could be removed?

If you are looking into replacing the leafs, the slightly stiffer metric ton springs would help to prevent axle wrap, which is more of a concern with a SOA setup. In theory there's no ride height difference between the two, but in practice it's likely you'll see a small height increase in ride height with the metric ton, just because they don't compress quite so much under the weight of the truck. 

I'm also making a pretty big assumption that you're looking at metric ton vs standard load springs. Metric ton springs have a capacity around 1700lbs, standard are roughly 1300, IIRC. There's also roughly a 1" ride height difference in the springs between 2wd and 4x4 models, which I'd say is possibly a difference you're seeing, not that I've encountered it necessarily when looking at spring specs from a few places, but I don't know what supplier you're looking at.

Personally when I get around to changing out my springs, I'm going to have them custom built by a local shop. Leaf packs are heavy and pretty expensive to ship.

[yxmj]

As said above .....if it is spring over already an added leaf could solve your problems.....easy donors are (XJ obviously) S-10 and F- 150's (you can use any leaf the same width)

 

I like to take the pack apart on the truck leaving the top leaf bolted to the frame and shackles.....then reassemble the pack with the new leaf and reinstall.....Just costs the price of the donor leaf....new u-bolts....and some refreshments for your time.

[Rubikahn]

Ok thanks for the info everyone.  Been working so much lately i just haven't gotten a chance to get a look at whats going on.  I do like adding the extra leaf idea. junkyard XJs are plentiful around here.