I just received my kit from Ricks first Gen to rebuild my rear leafs. I took my springs apart and cleaned them up. Then I ordered a kit from Ricks and it came with the incorrect plastic pads that go between the springs.

There was a sticker on the box that said the pads were correct but the tabs that hold them in the springs are wrong and have to be cut off and glued on. That SUCKS IMO.

Also how do you brad the end of the clamp pins to keep them in?

Also, what can I use to properly squeeze the clamps?

Anyone else done this? Or am I the first?

I figure that this is a job for a Spring Shop to do b/c they should have the needed machine and/or tools to do this properly!!

And I'm in the same boat b/c I added two leaf's to my 3-leaf mono replacements to stiffen them AND now have to figure out a way to clamp them so that the "slider pads" stay in place too.

I'm probably going to make up several bar clamps and do it the old-fashioned way b/c the nearest good spring shop for me to use is in KCMO..

pdq67

Well, I got my clamps and pins in today and they look pretty good. I have a welding table that is solid steel. So I sat the pins on the table and heated them cherry red with a torch. Then I placed the spring with the clamp already in place down over the pin. I placed a ballpeen hammer on the top of the pin while hitting it with a good size shop hammer.

You have to move quick or the pin will cool down, you could heat it again but I didn't like the idea of heating my springs.

I ground the plastic pad spacers so they will fit in the grooves. I didn't grind the tabs completely off though, Just enough so they will sit flat on top of the spring.

Now I need to come up with something to glue them in with. I think I will try using C-clamps to tighten my springs up when I bend my clamps.