Replacement Front Coil Springs

[ledzilla]

Ok, so I want to replace the front coil springs in my '83 since they seem to be sagging a bit. I suppose the weight of a plow had a hand in that. With the plow attached the front really dips down. It unbalances the weight sufficiently to cause problems with braking. Weight gets lifted off the rear wheels and they tend to lock up. The problem, though, is determining the correct springs. My Bronco has the quad shock option, which some literature has also suggested gives a 2" lift. All replacement options say they aren't for the quad shock setup, but I saw people saying in some places that those springs would still fit anyway. I've seen replacement shock/spring upper mounts for both the regular and quad shock, and except for the extra mount they don't seem that different, so I'm inclined to believe that there is not a factory 2" lift, and that I should be able to use springs that say they are not for the quad shock setup. Can anyone verify that?

If so, I was thinking of going with some heavier duty springs to better support the weight of the plow, and to ditch the AirLift helper springs (which have a leak). The AirLift springs I don't think are all the great for helping with the plow. They don't have a direct fit set of air springs, and the tallest universal springs that fit the inner spring diameter are still too short. I'm thinking I might install the Dayton 351902HD springs. They seem like they should be able to handle the weight of the plow without helper springs.

 

[goffprof]

Ok, so I want to replace the front coil springs in my '83 since they seem to be sagging a bit. I suppose the weight of a plow had a hand in that. With the plow attached the front really dips down. It unbalances the weight sufficiently to cause problems with braking. Weight gets lifted off the rear wheels and they tend to lock up. The problem, though, is determining the correct springs. My Bronco has the quad shock option, which some literature has also suggested gives a 2" lift. All replacement options say they aren't for the quad shock setup, but I saw people saying in some places that those springs would still fit anyway. I've seen replacement shock/spring upper mounts for both the regular and quad shock, and except for the extra mount they don't seem that different, so I'm inclined to believe that there is not a factory 2" lift, and that I should be able to use springs that say they are not for the quad shock setup. Can anyone verify that?

If so, I was thinking of going with some heavier duty springs to better support the weight of the plow, and to ditch the AirLift helper springs (which have a leak). The AirLift springs I don't think are all the great for helping with the plow. They don't have a direct fit set of air springs, and the tallest universal springs that fit the inner spring diameter are still too short. I'm thinking I might install the Dayton 351902HD springs. They seem like they should be able to handle the weight of the plow without helper springs.

I installed new progressive HD coil springs and coil over quad front shocks on my ‘96 EB 5.0 Bronco. I didn’t want any more lift over the quad EB stock height due to my railroad “hyrail” kit. The progressive coil springs worked great but the added coil over front shocks also took some of the weight and together they solved the sagging or spongy front end. I installed 3/4 ton leaf springs in the rear and coil over HD shocks, but the ride was too stiff so I replaced the rear shocks with HD, but no coils.

I avoided an air shock setup as in the event of failure, It would make my truck impossible to raise and lower when I use my railroad wheel kit.

 

[ledzilla]

I installed new progressive HD coil springs and coil over quad front shocks on my ‘96 EB 5.0 Bronco. I didn’t want any more lift over the quad EB stock height due to my railroad “hyrail” kit. The progressive coil springs worked great but the added coil over front shocks also took some of the weight and together they solved the sagging or spongy front end. I installed 3/4 ton leaf springs in the rear and coil over HD shocks, but the ride was too stiff so I replaced the rear shocks with HD, but no coils.

I avoided an air shock setup as in the event of failure, It would make my truck impossible to raise and lower when I use my railroad wheel kit.

So, the springs you used are fine for both the standard and dual-shock configurations? Just heavy duty for the extra weight?

 

[goffprof]

So, the springs you used are fine for both the standard and dual-shock configurations? Just heavy duty for the extra weight?

Yes. I didn’t want to change the bumper height, but needed HD springs. The progressive coil springs combined with 2 coil-over shocks worked great. I had installed all 4 coil-over front shocks, but the ride was too punishing so I removed 2 of them and installed 2 HD shocks.

The new 3/4 ton leaf springs were also a great addition and handled the rear extra weight.

 

[johnnyreb]

Nice looking ride. It had been along time since I had seen a rail road vehicle. Been along time since I seen a train,rail road track or heard a train. Could you get a picture of your bronco on the tracks? Thanks for the memorys.

 

[ledzilla]

Yes. I didn’t want to change the bumper height, but needed HD springs. The progressive coil springs combined with 2 coil-over shocks worked great. I had installed all 4 coil-over front shocks, but the ride was too punishing so I removed 2 of them and installed 2 HD shocks.

The new 3/4 ton leaf springs were also a great addition and handled the rear extra weight.

View attachment 32179

Awesome to know. I wasn't planning on installing load assist coilovers, but I'll keep that in mind. I was wanting to install Bilsteins all around, since the front shocks look like they've been there for a few decades, and I don't plan on having heavy enough loads in the rear to necessitate the air adjust shocks installed back there. Probably need new leaf springs back there, too.

Nice looking Bronco. Looks a lot nicer than mine. Don't think I've ever seen a Bronco with rail kits before.