Mcveigh's rear leaf springs

[Alex L.]

I bought some rear springs from mcveigh's. They have more leafs than my original springs, which makes me wonder if they will lift my rear end at all?

I have already removed the smallest leaf but am wondering if I should remove one more?

Can anyone answer my question?

[Lou]

Sounds like they sent you a set of heavy Duty springs, I would put them in and see how they ride before I would remove any leafs.

[RICH MUISE]

If they sent you '57 springs, they should fit. I had noticed in Mcveigh's ads all of the '57 springs he offered were 6 leaf. Mine has 4, and I was going to check with them when I ordered to see if they had the 4's available....or I may do as Lou suggested and try the 6's, and just remove a leaf or two if I don't like it. I definetly don't want a stiff ride, but some of the guys have said they had gone to the heavier springs with no negative results. Lou had posted a while back that some came with 5 or 7 springs, but I believe most had 4 or 6. Wagons, retracs, and converts. had the ones with more leafs. Rich

[Lou]

The cars I saw with 5 and 7 leaf springs were cars built in the Northeast. Ford may have put heaver springs in them because the roads here in the NE were really in such poor shape. (not that local roads are any better today)

[Alex L.]

i wasn't worried about them fitting, i just didn't want my rear end to have a "monster truck" style stance.

[RICH MUISE]

sorry I misread your initial post....where you said "lift" I somehow read "fit".

[RICH MUISE]

aLEX...LET US KNOW WHICH WAY YOU PUT THEM IN AND HOW YOU LIKED IT. dID YOU GET NEW SHACKLES AND BOLTS FROM MCVEIGH'S ALSO?

[Alex L.]

I got new shackles but i did not get new bolts. i didn't think about it, so i am currently looking for them locally. I think they are 12mm.

[RICH MUISE]

Alex, the stock '57 bolts would not have been metric..mine's still assembled until I get the rear member built to the specs I want, so I don't have one I can look at. 
Hmmm...got me wondering...Canadian Fords weren't built with metric bolts were they? I can imagine the mass of confusion that would have caused!
Rich

[Alex L.]

i know that the factory bolts would be sae, but i measured the bolt hole in the front mount which is currently pressed into the spring and it came out at 11.96mm

[Lou]

That is 15/32 or a clearance hole for a 5/16 bolt.

[Alex L.]

Clearance hole? That is not a term i am familiar with.

[Lgcustom]

The hole in your spring mount has 1/32 clearance so that the 5/16 diameter bolt will slide in without an interference fit. Metric sizes were not in common useage on North American Ford products until about 1979.

[Lgcustom]

Correction!! I should have done the math before i jumped in here. Your hole is 15/32" as stated. The bolt will be 7/16".

[Alex L.]

i just got an email from mcveigh's, 7/16th is correct. I should have just emailed them to begin with.