Leaf Springs removal?

[jojobafanzi]

Has anyone had to remove rear leaf springs to replace the spring and shackle bushings? My original bushings are shot and it looks like all the tanks have to be removed to do this job. 2017 Roadtrek 170 Versatile on Chevy Express platform. Thanks! Joe

 

[jjrbus]

I have a 02C200P so different animal. I removed the grey and black tanks, not an easy job then paid a shop to replace the leaf springs.

Best price I found for springs and parts, FREE DELIVERY to a local Chevy dealer and FREE no hassle returns. Note, some of sellers will give you a estimated deliver price!

https://parts.chevrolet.com/

 

[Luv2Go-ClassB]

Both booster and I have removed a leaf and added airbags with bump stops. For the 210, no tank removal was necessary. But IIRC booster has a 190 so hopefully he will see this and chime in. There is a related thread on this site with more details but I can't immediately find it.

Just in case my sig does not show up:

2006 Chevy 210 Versatile

 

[jojobafanzi]

Both booster and I have removed a leaf and added airbags with bump stops. For the 210, no tank removal was necessary. But IIRC booster has a 190 so hopefully he will see this and chime in. There is a related thread on this site with more details but I can't immediately find it.

Just in case my sig does not show up:

2006 Chevy 210 Versatile

Thanks for taking interest. I have been asking around my area and there is a custom shop about 15 minutes away that does restorations and modifications. I am going to give the shop a call on Monday. I crawled under the van today and it looks to me that the tanks can stay in place. Fender liner can be cut for access for wrenches and reinstalled after. I think the regular auto shops are not equipped for and have no desire for custom jobs. They just want the easy stuff and I don't blame them. Joe

 

[jojobafanzi]

Both booster and I have removed a leaf and added airbags with bump stops. For the 210, no tank removal was necessary. But IIRC booster has a 190 so hopefully he will see this and chime in. There is a related thread on this site with more details but I can't immediately find it.

Just in case my sig does not show up:

2006 Chevy 210 Versatile

Good morning. Can you explain why you did the suspension modifications? Curious. My Roadtrek Versatile 170 is an ill handling beast. Thanks in advance. Joe

 

[booster]

Good morning. Can you explain why you did the suspension modifications? Curious. My Roadtrek Versatile 170 is an ill handling beast. Thanks in advance. Joe

The 190s and 210s tend to be sitting on the big overload leaf in the rear spring packs. The 2500 model 170s might not even have that overload leaf, though.


Because they sit on a very high rate spring, the ride in the rear can be quite harsh and noisy if the springs slap into the overload. Bridge transitions seem to be the worst places for it to show up, for instance.


Removing the overload leaf and picking up the weight it was carrying with and much lower spring rate air bag smooths out the ride in the rear significantly. It increases the spring travel so vertical motion increases some, but it is a smooth motion that it much more palatable to many people. You do loose a bit of sway control though because of the loss of stiffness, so a rear sway bar addition, or a bigger rear sway bar if you already have one (which we did), might be needed to get better sway control. Most people would probably not notice any change in handling even without the sway bar though, I think.

 

[jojobafanzi]

The 190s and 210s tend to be sitting on the big overload leaf in the rear spring packs. The 2500 model 170s might not even have that overload leaf, though.

Most people would probably not notice any change in handling even without the sway bar though, I think.

I don't think I have overload springs and there is definitely no rear sway bar in place. I'm thinking I need to keep that rear from moving side to side. I'll try to include pictures of the spring pack and what I believe to be a bad spring eye bushing. I'm really interested in what mods have been done to a 170 versatile and if it worked. I definitely need to order something or perhaps let the shop order it when I drop it off in a few weeks. Thanks in advance and thank you for taking interest on this issue. Joe

 

[booster]

I don't think I have overload springs and there is definitely no rear sway bar in place. I'm thinking I need to keep that rear from moving side to side. I'll try to include pictures of the spring pack and what I believe to be a bad spring eye bushing. I'm really interested in what mods have been done to a 170 versatile and if it worked. I definitely need to order something or perhaps let the shop order it when I drop it off in a few weeks. Thanks in advance and thank you for taking interest on this issue. Joe

The alignment specs don't look bad at all, except for the toe out of the rear that is not desirable but you can't do anything about it without bending the rear axle.


You do have overload leaf in your springs. It is the bottom 3/4"+ thickness one. You are one leaf less of the thin ones, though, compared to the 3500 vans.


That appears to be a shackle bushing? I don't see any deteriorated rubber on it but is pulled in a bit. Is it loose if the axle is nearly hanging but weight of axle off with a floor jack?



What are you seeing that makes you think you have to keep the axle from moving side to side? 210s would probably have nearly 2000# more in the rear than a 170 and 190s could also be that high but not commonly. We just don't see side to side axle movement in the Chevies, even high mile ones with original spring bushings.


I would suggest that maybe the moderators could put this and the other or your similar thread together so the information and pix are all in one place. I think that would be better for all us and future readers.

 

[phantomjock]

jojobafanzi​

Curious as to the outcome. Its 9 months on, so maybe solved?
I have a 170 and looking at rear spring and may be moving to airbags.
How did your approach turn out?
I know these are all over the forum, just checking here as I look at the rest too.

Cheers - Jim

 

[jojobafanzi]

Hello Jim. It’s been a long journey but the short story is basically the Chevy Roadtrek I own is a miserable vehicle to drive and really will love the day I’m in something else. Here is my progress. Replaced the tires with Michelins at about 14,000 miles. Replaced the shocks with bilsteins. Had generator moved rearward 2”. Had 1-3/8” rear sway bar installed. Replaced the rear sway bushings with poly. Replaced front sway bar with road master 1.5” .. replaced front sway bar links with poly. Replaced the rear swaybar with road master 1.5” . Installed new wheels and replaced the tires again with Michelins at 42,000 miles. 8 alignments. Replaced upper control arm bolts and adjusting cams to locking cams. Discovered the factory defective upper control arm bolt at that repair which was the cause of the alignment going out. Van is currently at GM dealership in central Florida getting fluid change and checking front end for worn components and alignment. Removed the spare tire and awning for a few weeks. Removing the tire and awning made a big difference. Vehicle no longer sways but jerks right and left over 40 miles per hour making long drives uncomfortable and exhausting to drive. Windy days make the drive worse. Calm days are tolerable. 80 mph it just feels like it is wiggling. Feels like a loose front end steering component. Feels like one of my old cars that had 250,000 miles on it. Its top heavy.

 

[phantomjock]

Thanks for the update - but sorry to hear still struggling with the handling issues.

Best of luck with the latest effort. Fingers crossed.

Cheers - Jim

 

[jjrbus]

Hello Jim. It’s been a long journey but the short story is basically the Chevy Roadtrek I own is a miserable vehicle to drive and really will love the day I’m in something else. Here is my progress. Replaced the tires with Michelins at about 14,000 miles. Replaced the shocks with bilsteins. Had generator moved rearward 2”. Had 1-3/8” rear sway bar installed. Replaced the rear sway bushings with poly. Replaced front sway bar with road master 1.5” .. replaced front sway bar links with poly. Replaced the rear swaybar with road master 1.5” . Installed new wheels and replaced the tires again with Michelins at 42,000 miles. 8 alignments. Replaced upper control arm bolts and adjusting cams to locking cams. Discovered the factory defective upper control arm bolt at that repair which was the cause of the alignment going out. Van is currently at GM dealership in central Florida getting fluid change and checking front end for worn components and alignment. Removed the spare tire and awning for a few weeks. Removing the tire and awning made a big difference. Vehicle no longer sways but jerks right and left over 40 miles per hour making long drives uncomfortable and exhausting to drive. Windy days make the drive worse. Calm days are tolerable. 80 mph it just feels like it is wiggling. Feels like a loose front end steering component. Feels like one of my old cars that had 250,000 miles on it. Its top heavy.

02 C 200P I am on my 6th alignment. One thing I am sure of is most alignment techs do not know how to align the older trucks. After swearing at my RT the 5th tech threw in the towel and told me I needed an alignment specialist! My 2 most noticeable improvements. The worst my RT handled was due to the front end not being greased, this was after 2 oil changes at oil change places. The 2nd was changing from after market aluminum wheels to OE steel wheels. Right out of the driveway it was a very noticeable improvement. Still can be better.