1952 Firedome rear leaf springs

I replaced the rear leaf springs on my Firedome this past weekend. I should have taken pictures of the old ones - you'd have been horrified.

I got my from Springs and Things and it included everything I needed for the install. New shackles, bushings, U bolts, and nuts. For around $500 I thought it was a pretty good deal.

After making sure the car was supported well with wheels chocked, I began by removing the shock, U Bolts, and mounting plate. I supported the axle about two inches above the spring as well.The threads were pretty crusty but a good wire brushing followed by a big shot of penetrating oil did the trick. Bolts were 3/4" and a deep socket worked best. The front mount had me using a 1" socket on the nut and a 15/16" wrench on the back. Pretty tough coming off.

The rear shackles were a bit problematic. The upper portion is located behind the bumper iron mounts making a tight fit. A 5/8" end wrench worked best to loosen it but you have to pry the shackle back a bit to get it completely off. The shackle rubber was really dried out. After putting it all back together, I lowered the axle onto the spring only to find it did not line up correctly. The axle had moved back a good inch. But I overcame that with a come along pulling it ever so slightly forward to seat properly.

Let me back track a bit. The new hardware is NOT the same sizing. It came with 3/4 nuts for the u bolts but the front bolt used 7/8" both sides rather than a 1" and 15/16" and the rear shackles use a 1/2" wrench.

All in all it took a good 5 hours to replace both springs. But now I have my ride height back and going over railroad tracks is much more pleasant. If you take on this project remember - Safety First! Chock those wheels and set that brake!