I've never been a member of any forum, and I'm working on my first project.  I have a 1984 GMC 305 4 speed stock 10 bolts.  On a budget I'm planning on using add a leaf in the front and a 2 or 3 inch block in the rear.  My qestion is My front springs ar saggin flat would the add a leaf still be good for my little 2 inches or am I gonna have to buy springs?  

You can add a leaf with proper arch and it will do the trick up front. You will need longer shocks front and rear and you will need to extend bump stops to prevent longer shocks from being ripped from mounts when they reach compression limit before axle does.  

sounds like this is a 1\2 ton and the front spings have a reverse arch to them...I feel the add a leaf to the front wont help out for what you want to do so your best bet would be to get a 2"-4" lift kit for around the 400$ neiborhood...it should come w/2 frt springs,4 longer shocks and blocks for the rear...it may even come with new u bolts.  

keithpapa:
sounds like this is a 1\2 ton and the front spings have a reverse arch to them...I feel the add a leaf to the front wont help out for what you want to do so your best bet would be to get a 2"-4" lift kit for around the 400$ neiborhood...it should come w/2 frt springs,4 longer shocks and blocks for the rear...it may even come with new u bolts.



If you add a leaf of correct type and arch it can easily raise it two inches. Been there, done that...  Many years ago I lift my burb a bit (I returned it to stock several years ago) and all I did was take one leaf out of a stock 2 leaf GM front spring and add it to mine as a third and it gained me about 2 inches and a stiffer ride too.  

Yea, what I've got is the 2 leaf front springs.  I've noticed that a lot of add a leafs are marked 1.5 - 2 inches of lift.  What are the chances I'll get closer to 2 in.  I realize it depends on the truck and stuff I'm sure they are all a little different.  I just don't want to do all this and end up with a 1 inch lift, ya know.  

If you do what I did you will get your two inches because leaf itself is 1/2 thick in center and leafs from 2 leaf setup have a higher arch than leafs in a factory 3 leaf setup so a leaf from a OEM 3 leaf will not give you much lift but one from a 2 leaf will. I never was a fan of aftermarket add-a-leaf setups. I either used leafs for OEM springs or had my own rolled (arched) and cut to custom lengths at a local spring shop to add to stacks.  

I see what sno is saying and its a good idea...BUT at what cost is it to do that when the rig is 25 yrs old and has probably seen many a harsh winter and all the schit from the roads may have made the springs weak especially around the hanger area or quite possibly cracked spring between the ubolts...seen it happen and its happened to my 74 c10 rear springs. just about all the leafs were broke and rusted to hell..so thats why I suggest to replace with new springs so you dont have to worry...safety first! You know I could see doing the leaf add to a pup thats 10 yrs old and havent seen that many winters but at least 25? come on now.  

I have a 79 J20 jeep that has carried a plow pushed snow for many many years and the springs have not sagged or rotted out. Sure the bolts might be frozen in bushing and shackle when you go to remove than but this of little matter because to can always cut bolts off and have new bushing pressed into springs cheaply and replace old ones that are likely tired and worn anyway. And when you do this, grease the shafts of the bolts holding the springs on so they can easily be removed again if need be. You want to grease them with black moly based grease not soap based lithium which can wash out. I ave also found that 90 weight gear oil works well too because it has anti rust additives and does not wash out easily either. NEVER put bolts together dry including Ubolts. Always lube them so you can take them apart later if need be. Also when you add a leaf to stack, plan on cutting off old center bolt in stack and replacing it with a new one that can be had for a few bucks and you can cut to proper length after it is installed. Also make sure that any new bolts you use in spring mounting hardware is grade 5 or better too.