1957/58/59 Dodge/Plymouth leaf springs

Well, I measured and looked. My 58 Dodge rear leaf springs have 20" front segments and 35" rear segments, 55" overall length. Unless I'm wrong they are A body spring dimensions. Exactly.
I've heard to run 5 leaf A body springs....

Anybody have any useful first hand advice or tips? Thanks

'62-'63 B-bodies have the same segment lengths and might be a better choice for weight-carrying ability.

You are figuring the rear of the 58 considerably heavier than most A bodies I assume?

According to the standard catalog of Chrysler, 1924-1990:
A 58 Dodge Coronet 2 door sedan had a shipping weight of 3505lbs.
A 58 Plymouth Fury 2 door club sedan had a shipping weight of 3240 lbs - 3370 lbs. : A 4 door Fury sedan at 3255 lbs - 3430 lbs

The same book lists a 71 Duster with a shipping weight of 2825 lbs - 2920 lbs
A 71 340 Duster at 3140 lbs. : A 4 door Valiant at 2835 lbs - 2935 lbs

The book lists a 63 Belvedere 2 door sedan at 3000 lbs - 3215 lbs
A 2 door ht at 3025 lbs - 3190 lbs : A 4 door sedan at 3020 lbs

The book lists a 69 383 Road Runner at 3435 lbs coupe and 3450 lbs HT

Looks to me the A body weighs about the same as the 63 B body and both are a little light, but the 69 B Body's are closer in weight to the 58 cars. Gene

You are correct, the A-body spring dimensions are the same. So much so, I run caltrac monoleaf springs and bars for an A-body in my 1957 plymouth. ...

Perfect. lol
How do you like how it sits?
Do you think a set of A body springs 5 leafs per side would dit a little too high or should be ok?
Any pics?

If strictly overall weight was the only factor this would be easy! I think the 57/58/59 Plymouths and Dodges are very close to an A body rear spring with 5 leafs per side, but MIGHT sit a touch high....

My 58 suburban was about 4250, real curb wt. With the 392/518 a lot of that weight was upfront but that's a lot heavier than a a-body.

One would expect a wagon to be heavier then a 2 door coupe or sedan. 4250 is in the range of a C body or a 70s 4x4 pickup.

Is your 392 an old Hemi or a new Hemi? Gene

lol When I'm finished I'll weigh and post the weight.

3750 curb weight with a 6!!

It's the orig Gene, and other than the HH intake everything else is Chrysler.

Combination of A body super stock, and original springs in my '58 Sport suburban.

I just ordered P3412002 and P3412003 SuperStock springs. Will see how it goes!!!!

you need to press out the metal sleeve on your factory bushings, and press it into the metal sleeve on the super stock springs. the bolt diameters are different.

Ha! Never heard that, thanks for the warning!!

I used super stock springs on the 57 Dodge I built 20 years ago and I do remember I had to drill the front spring perches for a larger bolt.



.

It would be a lot easier to drill the steel bushing to a larger diameter then it would be to press out the old steel bushing and press in a different one. Those rubber pieces don't like to give up steel inserts very well. Gene

if the super stock springs have a larger diameter bolt bushing than your original springs, i would drill out your original spring hanger to fit the bolt size of the SS springs.

Yup! I'll use A body bolts for sure! Thanks guys!! Got one spring already, second coming this weekend

That book is wrong on the original shipping weights of the 1963 Plymouth Belvederes 2 door sedans, way to light
I raced a original 1963 Plymouth M.W. 415 HP 2 door sedan with the original factory carpet, heater and radio delete option, the NHRA minimum weight for that car back in the mid 1970 was 3320 Lbs. with out the driver I had to remove the heater to get it down to that weight with a half of tank of gasoline Maybe the aluminum front end cars could have been near those weight but not the OEM all steel cars
I also owned and raced a M.W. 1963 Belvedere 2 door hardtop, it weighed more the sedan did
I've owned and race more than one A body also, they are a lot lighter than any of the B body where
My last pump gas BB 1971 duster weighed 3450 Lbs. with me in it with a full tank of gas, I weighed around 270 Lbs. with all the race gear on in that car at the tracks. That car had a fibrgelas race weight hood and front bumper, extra insulation under the heavy duty good carpet, I wasn't trying to make that car a lightweight do to wanting to race it on the streets of L.A for money
I owned a 1959 Dodge Coronet 326 C.I.V8 Powerflyte 2 door hardtop also, no way it was as light as the later B bodies where
I'm thinking that car was nearer to 4000 Lbs. empty than nearer to 3500 Lbs.

My brother had a 1957 Plymouth Savoy four door with a 301 wideblock 2 speed auto. We took it to a scale, it weighed 3530 no driver...

The dodge is a bigger car. 4 more inches of wheelbase.

My NHRA Stock Car Classification Guide shows a 1959 Coronet 326 / 255 horsepower two door hardtop with auto as having a weight break of 13.60. That puts shipping weight at 3468. NHRAracer.com only goes back to 1960 on their internet guide so I had to dig out my old hard copy dated 1969.

I gotta measure my 1958 Dodge Regent. It's a Canadian Dodge.... a Plodge. Dodge front end but Plymouth from the firewall back. I assume it's a shorter Plymouth wheelbase......?

Plodge ... ONLY available from our good friends NORTH OF THE BORDER from miniVancouverLand !!

Hey!!!!
We get Chevrolet powered 1960's Pontiacs too!!!!

Nothing weird up here.

No no.....

I owned and drove a bunch of early, pre 1960s Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler two door hardtops and one 1959 Plymouth two door sedan.
I had to weigh the 1960 Dodge Phoenix that was missing the rear seat, radio, heater and all the floor mats and interior insulation to race it at a race at the old airport in Indio, CA. It weighed 4060 Lbs. with a half of tank of fuel with all iron stroker 383 motor with the OEM inline dual quads with a cheap set of Tri Y headers and no exhaust system on it and no driver. It ran high 12. ET in B/MP back in 1969 on a set of 750x14 6 inch wide tread width J.C Penney cheater slicks, those tires wiggle around a bunch on the other end when I let off
I flat towed it to and from the races with a 1957 Chrysler 300 C car I should have kept a bunch of those cars, but I didn't
All of those pre 1962 cars had full steel frames and no weight saving aluminum parts on them until 1963 When Mopar got deep into drag racing to sell more cars

cab, your reference to those j.c. penneys cheater slicks reminded me the front tires and wheels that came with my charger [when i bought it in 1970] had 15x6 j.c. penny aluminum 5 spokes. i think they were a copy of the torque thrusts, but they disappeared many, many [and many] moons ago. i wished lots of times i had kept 'em, but that's how life goes.

cHeAtEr slicks ? ... I remember way back when - GREENFIELD Tire had a bunch of 7" cheater slicks with the thinnest sidewalls I've ever seen. I bought two sets(should have bought MORE)... they worked like a maggot farmer ... used them on my station wagon bracket racer

But I lost actually TWO TIRES iirc when I damaged the sidewall on a curb and a pot hole...