Leaf Spring Helper

[70 Challenger Lover]

In getting the RT back on the road and taking it out for short test drives, I kept noticing a vibration at the right rear wheel that wasn't there before. I found that the leaf spring helper (I assume that is what it is) was completely loose on the rear portion of the leaf spring. Could this be the vibration?

I'm tempted to remove these but doing so means taking the leaf springs apart and I know one thing will lead to another and I'll wind up redoing the whole rear end of the car when I'd rather not get into that at this time. If I sell the car, the new owner can do whatever they like. The ride height seems great all around.

So is that a leaf spring helper? Aftermarket? Can I tighten it back up and if so, do I just put the clamp as close to the axle tube as possible and clamp it down until there is no space anymore? It seems that if I don't clamp it totally flat, it would just work loose again or the clamp would someday wiggle to the rear of the spring where tension is lower.

[Chryco Psycho]

I assume you are  talking about the clamp that keeps the leaves tight usually just folded over & bent to keep it tight , I have often removed rear ones & used U bolts in the front to tighten the pack more , I doubt it has anything to d with the vibration , just cannot affect it .
What tires are you running ? I have seen BFG with 1/4" step in the tread brand new , that is far more likely

[70 Challenger Lover]

Sorry, I forgot to attach the photo again.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I did just notice that both rear shocks were very loose. They obviously need replacing but for now, I cinched it all down for testing.

[ClarkWGrizwald]

Thats gonna need to be tight for sure. Let the rear sag when you do it. I would actually install new U bolts and new nuts. You may want to run an impact on them and cinch them down. I wouldnt run used rusty ubolts and nuts. asking for disaster. cross threads etc would suck.

[HP2]

Yes, that's a helper leaf and yes it is aftermarket. It also doesn't look like an original R/T spring pack, but that not our point here. The helper is not cinched down correctly. The clamp is upside down, not evenly torqued, and too far forward. Typically the round shank of the clamp fits into the helper curve closest to the leaf, further back on the spring.

However, this would not cause your vibration. Vibration is caused by something turning around and around very rapidly that creates an oscillation.  Things like tire/wheels, bearings, axles, driveshaft.

[oldmoparbuff]

I'll second what Hp2 wrote.
I ran helper springs on my 79 powerwagon.
Clamp is upsidedown and locates all the way to rear, where the helper spring bends down.

Is there a clamp on the front aswell?

[70 Challenger Lover]

Yes, a clamp in front of the axle tube as well. Two on the driver side and two on the passenger side. Not even sure if they were ever needed. With this side loose, the ride height at the back was unchanged. Getting them out looks to be a job for the future owner though. If I keep the car, I'll drop the whole rear assembly, put in new stiffer MP springs with new bushings and rear shocks, probably also change the gear oil. I just want the car safe and drivable for sale.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I've been wondering if this whole assembly is wrong. Images I find online show the helper is typically on the topside of the original leaf, not the bottom like mine. Am I missing something here? The image I posted under my car shows the portion rear of the axle but the other half sticks out almost as far in front of the axle tube too. If I cinch it down at the bends on each end, it seems like it wouldn't work as intended. If anything, it would pull the arch out of my original springs and make the car sit lower, right?

I'm very tempted to remove all clamps and see where the car sits height wise. If it's good, I could just leave it for now without clamps. If I have to disassemble the springs at the axle just to fix this or to remove the helper, I'd just put in new heavy duty springs along with shocks and call it a day.

[HP2]

There are a number of different helper spring configurations out there and they do not all attach in the same way. Here are three different ones right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnD87aRsEmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKuMhsubS-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YZqrcvekY8

Yours appear to be an even older style than all of these and it looks like it runs under the spring pack and on top off the shock mount.  If they do not, I'd certainly try it without them just to see where it sites. You never know if a previous owner used to have some M50s on the back, or hauled  around  bags of concrete, or may of had an overweight sister in law or something that necessitated these on an otherwise decent spring set.

[70 Challenger Lover]

There are a number of different helper spring configurations out there and they do not all attach in the same way. Here are three different ones right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnD87aRsEmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKuMhsubS-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YZqrcvekY8

Yours appear to be an even older style than all of these and it looks like it runs under the spring pack and on top off the shock mount.  If they do not, I'd certainly try it without them just to see where it sites. You never know if a previous owner used to have some M50s on the back, or hauled  around  bags of concrete, or may of had an overweight sister in law or something that necessitated these on an otherwise decent spring set.

Thanks!  I actually disconnected the ends yesterday and the ride height didn't change a bit. Today, I started pulling them out. I could let the new owner do it after I sell it but it just has the appearance of a bandaid trying to cure a bigger problem.

Naturally the original U bolts are being difficult so I ordered a new set of those. Just gonna cut the U bolts, remove the extra pieces, and bolt it all back up the way it should be. If I find that the original springs aren't up to the task, I'll just swap in new springs along with all new bushings and shocks. Don't care to spend any more money than I have to on a car I'm selling but if it don't sell right away, I might as well enjoy driving it around a while.