Hi, I've been reading around the forums to try and find a write up of leaf spring replacements, but seems its all about lifting which I am just staying stock. I just bought this truck and the passenger rear middle leaf broke in half. I just got a used one from a local junk yard and was going to just replace the one side. Finding these parts I have found are not easy around here though for some reason. I just wanted to see if someone could give me a list of anything else I may need. I personally have never done a leaf spring replacement before but I have an automotive background, just mainly in cars because my trucks have never failed me. I was thinking I would need new bushings and possibly u bolts but I have no idea where I would find them because my local auto stores don't have them. Any help is apreciated.

 

BTW: Truck info is 1993 Dodge Dakota 4x4 with the 5.2L and automatic

 

I don't have an answer for you, but please keep me posted as mine are looking might FLAT right now.

 

I don't know how first gens compare to second gens, but I know on mine, one of the spring bolts wouldn't come out because the gas tank was in the way. I had to cut it. And all of them were rusted in place to the point where I needed a big hammer to drive them out.

I took the bed off to give me more working room and I'm glad I did. The job would have sucked otherwise. With the bed off, I didn't even have to remove the wheels.

 

if you replace the entire pack, do both sides or you might end up with the back of your truck leaning to one side. If you only want to replace the broken leaf and the leaf connected to the truck is in good shape, follow the paragraph below and you will be done in the time it takes to hammer the bolts out of the spring hangers.

remove the nuts on the U bolts and lift the truck until the spring pack is off the axle, remove the clamps front and rear that hold the pack together (most likely they rusted and fell off a long time ago), and grind off the bolt in the middle. put the new leaf on the spring pack, replace the bolt in the middle, and bend some thin metal around the pack where the clamps were. Tack weld the clamps shut or just use some glue that bonds to metal.

 

Good call. I didn't even think about just replacing the one leaf. I was doing a lot more work on mine (shackle flip, installing full-size Dodge springs, etc.), so that wouldn't have worked for me.

 

Well I already got a used leaf spring for the one side and I went ahead and ordered new bushings. I can't replace just the one spring because they are all torn up now. I'm hoping that going with the used leaf spring it wont throw it off too bad but the truck is rarely driven anymore, basically just to haul my ATV around on the weekends. I will probably grab a clamp set from autozone so everything is done right. Right now its dog tracking like crazy, if this doesnt work just replacing the one side ill order new ones for both sides but im hoping to get away with just doing this one.