VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans '56 Chevy 1/2 ton P/U springs/shocks

I've pulled the rear suspension out of the truck to re-gear the diff and repair the ravages of time. Since this truck will be a daily driver and also unlikely to carry more than a hundred pounds in the bed, I'd like to improve the over-the-road ride quality. Has anyone played with the number of leafs and specific shocks to get a more passenger car ride? I know the weight distribution differs between truck and car, so an exact duplication probably won't work well, but some combination should improve the ride. Also, has anyone used the poly strips between the leafs to eliminate the frictional damping? And, if so, did it require a change in the shocks to make up for the lost damping from the springs and did they last?

You can put 1mm thick metal strip between the leaves in order to reduce friction.

Yes! Don't do it!!

Gotta ask! Why not, and are you talking about the metal strips or poly strips or both???

The Poly strips. I won't use them for several reasons. One reason is that they are so slick that the strips constantly keep sliding out from in between the spring leaves due to the springing action of the leaf springs, and the strips either have to be pushed back in or cut off. Another reason is that due to their thickness the spring clamps are extremely difficult to get back on.

Thanks for the input. I figured they'd work their way out from between the leafs, since they were slick enough to remove spring friction. I may try to drill the leaf ends for buttons.