Removing Leaves...

[Pezooki]

Hi all.

I have read all the posts regarding leaf removal (including the recent one) but I thought I would ask this question again in regards to my spring setup - as it is a bit different to the ones discussed in previous posts...

I have a 91WT soft top. It has a 2 inch KING SPRING lift which is ridiculously hard. Part numbers are SUZ-002 (fronts) and SUZ-006 (rears).

Here is the REAR:



Should I just remove the bottom 'load' spring here? (The thick straight one right a the bottom?)



Here is the FRONT:



Which one do you think I should remove in the front? I was thinking the small bottom one but I'm just not too sure! Any help wold be great!

Thanks in advance,

Pez

[just cruizin']

You're right the bottom one on both packs would be the go.

[GRPABT1]

Yeah what he said ^

I just removed one from the front just now actually and it now sits level and is a fair bit softer.

[Gwagensteve]

If you don't plan on exceeding the tyre size you have now and don't carry a lot of load, you could also remove the 3rd spring from the top on the rear. ( the one with the clamps on it)

This might make the car too soft though, but IMHO this is the leaf that's adding the most height and adding the most harshness to your car.

In cars with rear lockers, big tyres and gears, running only three leaves in the rear can lead to excessive axelwrap though.

Steve.

[Pezooki]

Cheers for the info boys!

Steve, I will be running 31's, 4.9's and a rear locker very soon , so it looks like I should leave the 3rd spring alone for now... Agreed that this spring would be causing above normal stiffness (thats the trade-off with increased height I guess!)...

Cheers!

[GRPABT1]

I'm not a big fan of king springs on sierra's, have only heard complaints that they are too stiff. They don't look allt hat flash either. They are great on my commodore though

Oh and open up those spring clamps too.

[Pezooki]

There is currently NO flex at all. It does mono's over speed humps and does your back every time you hit a pot hole. Im lucky its a soft-top cos I have neary been shot through the roof a few times!

When I bought the car it already had the King Springs. They are the worst ride ever!

My advice to anyone planning a lift on their zook is DO NOT USE KING SPRINGS ON YOUR ZOOK!

I will be opening up the clamps.

Once it's all done I will post back here with the results.

Cheers!

[Pezooki]

Hello all.

Here are the pics of the leaves now that I have removed the bottom leaf in each pack.

Here is the REAR:




Here in the FRONT:




And the left over bits:



It was a fairly easy job. I found the hardest bit was opening up the clamps! I just didn't have the best selection of bangers and whackers for that bit.

It will be off the road for a few days yet (due to other crap being stuffed) but I will post back here with the results of the new ride soon... (It already feels better - when I jump on the towbar the zook actually moves up and down! Its a miracle! hehehe)

Pez

[murcod]

Kings aren't the only ones who make rock hard leaf springs. I had Dobinsons in the rear of my Feroza and was getting launched out the seat over bumps on sealed roads!?

I ended up doing similar to what you've done. I was lucky enough to have the factory leaf pack and made a "hybrid" pack which was a very good compromise between lift / load carrying and ride quality.

I ended up with only three leafs in the rear + overload (removed the Dobinson overload and the two next smallest leaf above it.) I then put in one of the factory leafs and the slightly more flexible factory overload.

[built4thrashing]

it might not just be the springs. Shocks play a big roll in how hard the ride is. Gas shocks seem to be alot harder on the ride then oil. they work quicker and this is not always a good thing in such a short wheelbase leaf sprung car. ride feels real hard. I run adjustable ranchos in the front and oil no branders in the back and its amazing how much softer the ride is. if i want it to handle better i turnthe rancho's up hard. when wheelin i put them on soft. well worth the money.

[GRPABT1]

A stiff front end will make cornering alot better, the rear isn't as important. So by adjusting the front rancho's you're doing exactly the right thing.

[Zute]

I read recently that OME are the only people making there own leaf springs in Australia. Everyone else imports them and than resets the camber to suit.
You needed to use a blow torch to open the clamps.

[Highway-Star]

I read recently that OME are the only people making there own leaf springs in Australia. Everyone else imports them and than resets the camber to suit.

No, they are foreign made too. No way they could be locally made for the price anyway. I'm not aware of any locally made springs, except for custom made jobs. If you get custom springs at most suspension places they will do them in house, and charge for it too.

In cars with rear lockers, big tyres and gears, running only three leaves in the rear can lead to excessive axelwrap though.

I'm running 31", 4.9 gears and no locker atm, with OME medium duty springs, the rears have 3 main and 2 overloads. I reckon I'm getting some axle wrap, as I've managed to damage my shockies on the brake line brackets, when in perfect travel movements they should not have touched. These brackets have been bent in now, and the lines re-routed. Allot of people are probably aware of this potential problem, but thought I'd comment, and prevent someone else dinting 2 brand new shockies . Fronts not a problem, I have 5 leaves in that pack, 3 of which are full length.[/quote]

[mrRocky]

does removing the bottom leaf make any difference to the ride height of the car. i am currently contemplating this as my car has zero flex but iam running 33's and need all the height i can get to squeeze them under the guards so any loss in height would be no good 4me

[GRPABT1]

Well removing a leaf in the front of my sierra dropped the nose a little.

[Pezooki]

Hi all,

I put the zook back together last night and took it for a fang around the block a few times. Removing the leaves has improved the ride by a huge amount. It actually corners better now too, as it was so stiff before that it was lifting inside wheels! It is still a zook - so its not what you would call "brilliant", but it is a huge improvement over what it was.

It has dropped the ride height by a small amount - approximately 10mm. (This is not an issue for me.)

Cheers to all for your help!

Pez

[11_evl]

got any flexy pics. before and after

[Pezooki]

Nah sorry. I dont have any pics to show you. However when I say that it had "NO FLEX at all" thats exactly what I meant!

Next time Im out wheeling I will try to get some pics of the flex that I have now. I think the front will work well, but I have a feeling that the rear shocks will not have enough downwards travel, and will therefore restrict things a bit. If I unbolt a rear shock at the bottom and allow it to fully extend I only get just over an inch of further travel!

How much travel do other people see/expect for the shock to fully extend from its ride height position? I would have guessed it should rest at about half way????

I guess I will have to keep a very close eye on that!

[GRPABT1]

Depends on what shocks you have and how they are designed. My calmini ones have more droop then upward travel front where they sit on flat ground.

[ninjazuuk]

hey pezooki what shocks are you running??

[Pezooki]

Hi ninjazuuk,

My zook came with the 2" Kings springs and 'Ultima' shocks when I got it. I did not put these springs or shocks in by choice.

As you can see in the pics above, I have made the springs work much better but I am yet to change the shocks. The Ultima shocks IMHO are crapola. The ones in my zook have fairly stiff valving, and they limit droop a fair bit (they are close to full extension just sitting on flat groung -not good at all!). I don't have any part numbers to give you at the moment sorry.

Ultima shocks for a "Sierra with 50mm lift" can be purchased off eBay, however I do not know if these are the same model as the ones in my zook (I hope not, cos mine are definitely NOT correct for the application)

My zook is off the road for a heap of improvements at the moment. Fitting new shocks is high on the list of things to do. I am looking closely at the Hiace / VS wagon combo, as these WILL be much better than the Ulitma's I have now. (Some say valving on the Hiace / vs wagon shocks are too hard, some say they work great...)

If anyone can advise of a better "off the shelf" shock option for a sierra with a 2" spring lift, with standard mounts then I am all ears! (I know that extended bumpstops are definitely required for this - that is no problems!)

I hope that helps you ninjazuuk,

Pez

[VR Rodeo]

I have put the Doetsch Tech shocks in the front of mine that Lowrange sell ( got them through Locktup) They are valved pretty good and come in plenty of different lengths with mounts that fit straight onto the stock mounts. They work out about $65 each delivered I think...

http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/samsuspparts.htm

[ninjazuuk]

hey pezooki,
yep you sure have been a great help, i guess at the end of the day the whole some say this but other say differently just depends on what kind of application each person is using there zuuki for for me im after just a daily driver comfort but on weekends go out for a bit of a hammer but nothing to seriuos so im looking for a bolt on and forget application...but if only everything was that easy but i dont know about the hiace/vs wagon shocks because of what there designed for i wouldnt picture that they would have very much travel in them but like i said it just depends on what kind of 4x4ing each individual person does..

[Pezooki]

ninjazuuk: No worries at all, I'm happy to help!

I cant comment on the ride achieved with the Hiace/vs wagon shock setup as I have not done it myself, but I can tell you that the amount of travel is not a problem (there is plenty enough) when used with correct bumpstop extensions... It is the valving (stiffness) of the shocks that 'could' be an issue.

Also, if it is a daily driver then do your research on the springs, because most lifted springs for Zooks make them very uncomfortable to drive. If you really want lifted springs, then my advice is to go for the 'softest' (non heavy-duty) lift spring you can get. Even then, you might find yourself pulling leaves out to make it comfy...


VR Rodeo: Thanks for that info - I will sus them out!

Cheers guys,

Pez