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I love to get comments on the blog and enjoy helping others with their projects.  People have posted comments and I completely missed them.  Unfortunately I had the blog set up so you had to be a member to comment.  The comment notification was also being sent to an old email address.  Long story short, I apologize for not replying to comments.  I've changed the settings so now anyone can comment and it will notify me immediately.  You can also always email me directly at tok2tom@gmail.com.

Installed New Deaver Springs in the Rear

Check out these giant Deaver Springs.  From www.deaversprings.com

I've been trying to figure out how to get the sag out of the rear of the van for some time now.  I didn't like the rear blocks that were used in the lift.  I had stock springs and a 3.5 inch block holding the back end up.  My ride was a bit like a tuna boat and seemed harsh on dirt washboard roads.   After researching many options I finally decided to go the correct but expensive route.  These things are not cheap.  I got lucky though and got a pair at 2/3 normal price because they were used for 2 months.  Works for me.

These things are huge and very heavy duty.  Notice the eye that wraps all the way around.  My new deavers have  12 leaves compared to the stock ones that only had 4.  This allows for a much more progressive rate and completely negates the need for a lift block because the spring pack is so thick. 

The old spring looks very inadequate when the two are side by side.

Here is another reason for the spring replacement.  My old leaf springs seemed tired.  They weren't completely straight any more.  The bushings were also worn out and needed replacing.  Deaver sent me everything I needed at no extra cost.  Ubolts, brackets, and bushings all included.

The install was fairly straight forward.  Not terribly technical, but difficult because of the size and weight of the van and parts.  We broke a jack stand because it was at a slight angle under a load.  I had 4 jack stands and 3 jacks holding everything up before we started messing with springs.  Still scary when one jack stand gave way.  These darn vans are huge and way off the ground.  Combine that with the 9860lbs that my van weighs and you have a dangerous situation. 

The deavers lifted the rear of my van 1.5 inches.  My van is now level to slightly higher in the back.  It sits perfect now.  When I load the van, including a rear motorcycle carrier or trailer it doesn't go below level.  It seems to drive a little bit better too, maybe because of the added weight and better balance on the front end.  So far the ride is improved as well.  Washboard roads are much easier to cope with.  One thing that did not change was the side to side movement.  It still seems the same.  Keep in mind I do not have a rear sway bar.

Bottom line, Deavers are great, a big improvement overall.  Expensive, but worth the money.  Great customer service, good people.