Since i got my truck in july, driving on bumpy road has been really rough and bouncy, but i thought it was just the way that truck rode. now im thinking differently it seems kind of insane.

so i did some looking around and noticed that the carriers? (which the leaf springs hang from) are pinned right up against the frame on both sides on the front suspension. should they be hanging freely and not always up against the frame?

 

do you mean the shakles? If so then your springs are worn out.

 

i think so. heres a photo

 

The bushings are worn out. Press them out of the springs/shackles and press new ones in.

 

I would get new front springs and new bushings.

skyjacker makes a 2" front lift spring which levels it with the rear of the truck.

These 2 things would make a huge difference i bet

 

the bushings worth replacing without replacing the leaf springs?
My springs aren't inverted they are just about flat though

 

I know with the old chevies you can get 1/2'' longer shackles to take care of this problem. It is much more pronounced with lift springs as they are actually longer and elongate when flexed which pushes the shackle into the frame. Might try that first.

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/hdshackles.htm

 

On that note, i added all greasable bolts on the spring eyes front/back to my old lifted chevy and it made a suprising amount of difference in the ride. I dont see much about this kind of stuff with the dodges, maybe just a strength issue?

 

Bushings should be cheap to replace yourself. From what I remember should be 8-12 dollars each. Maybe a bit more, it's been a few years now.
Getting the old ones out will cost some beer and a few cuss words along with a BFH and maybe a torch.

 

ya ... that's an understatement if they are anything like mine were. I took them to a spring shop and they even took a while to get them out.

 

Will shackles resting up against the frame cause any other damage since the frame is receiving the blows that they normally would be taking?

 

I'm sure over time it will.

 

I am going to put 1/2 longer shackles this winter in my '85 crew with a 5 year old 6 inch Skyjacker springs as the are close to the frame and contact when going over a big bump.
The bushings are still in great shape in my leaf packs

 

my leafs were the exact same way. its from the reverse sag on the springs. get a 2 inch leveling kit (new leaf) from BD suspension for 125 bucks for leafs and all hardware and it fixed it

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how reverse arch pushes the shackle against the frame...

The spring is the longest when flat, so at that point the shackle would be at the furthest aft spot in travel.

The more squashed/inverted (or lifted) they get from neutral, the shorter they get (effective length eye to eye) bringing the shackle back away from hitting the frame...