Rear suspension upgrades. 4 link? Update 5/8

[Dino]

The R/T "6 leaf" setup is the staggered one.
IIRC it's 5 full leafs + one half-leaf on the left, and 5 full leafs + 2 halves on the right.

 

Yep. That's how mine are. Once I have figured out the stance I want, I'll drive over to Eaton Springs and see what they suggest.

[Dino]

I installed the shackles. First hole changed the stance just enough, so I cut off the rest of the shackles and painted them black. That will give me some time to find new springs I like.

I'm not sure if I should install the Addco rear sway bar. The Hellwig bar is installed in a different way and maybe it's a better design.   

[metallicareload99]

Looks good! The conventional wisdom on springs is only as stiff as you need, and softer should provide a nicer ride 
 I agonized over this a while back, and in my "research" probably the softest springs were the Mopar Performance "kit car" springs @ 120 pounds per inch. I would reckon that the stock Charger NON-HD spring is in that range. Mopar XHD "R/T" springs 140 pounds per inch. Hotchkis 160 pounds per inch. Station wagon springs 150 to 160 pounds per inch. And CalTrac split mono are said to be @ least 220 pounds per inch.....

I'm currently using the caltrac split monos after using the XHD and contrary to what I said above I didn't notice any decrease in ride quality in my opinion. Even after increasing spring rate by 80 pounds

[b5blue]

  I use the Addco rear sway bar. I run Mopar R/T rear springs but offset the passenger's side with the 2 hole hanger bracket to level the rear. It puts it close to even. The Addco is the old Mopar Performace part so factory spec. okay and works well in my non-G machine just HD build.

[metallicareload99]

.....

I'm not sure if I should install the Addco rear sway bar. The Hellwig bar is installed in a different way and maybe it's a better design.   

Is one frame mounted vs on axle? Supposedly frame mount is superior, but probably doesn't make much difference in the big scheme

[Dino]

Looks like they're pretty similar actually. Addco (1st pic) is bolted to the bottom of the frame, Hellwig to the side of the frame. Both are clamped onto the axle the same.

[metallicareload99]

Okay, in my mind those are basically the same, but I kinda like how the Addco's links mount better. But I like that the Hellwig looks like it has some adjustability 

[Dino]

I'm not sure what adjustability you're referring to. I thought all were adjustable by moving the bar to axle clamps close together or farther apart?

[Kern Dog]

Can anyone tell me how I know if the leaf springs are sagging? Is there something like a set distance somewhere that I can measure? I'd like to order new springs, but I don't know if I need stock height or not.

My car has Mopar Performance 440-4 speed/Hemi springs. The first picture is with 1 inch lowering blocks and a 28" tire.



Back in 2006, I got a dent in the left fender and sent the car to a body shop. I put some 15 x 7s on it so my aluminum wheels wouldn't get any overspray.



I took measurements from the wheel arches to the ground. I have 25 1/4" in the front and 25 7/8" at the rear, both measured from the ground to the highest point of the wheel opening...near the center.