cj-3a OEM Leaf Springs??

[corpsman]

i was looking at my rear leaf springs this evening to see what type i need to order when the time comes and there was a different amount of leaves than i had imagined there would be.  there were 6 in the rear.  i haven't yet measured from eye to eye.  according to the little bit of research i have done, i thought there was supposed to be 9 leaves on the rear of a '50 cj-3a.  maybe someone swapped them out for something other than OEM at some point.  that got me to wondering about the front.  my front had 7 leaves.  i was thinking there was supposed to be 8.  if anyone has any input on this, feel free to chime in.

[johnrb3b]

Being a 3B guy, I don't know off the top of my head what the stock springs were, but I do have some advice for you as you consider spring replacement.

The old CJs were all called a 1/4 ton vehicle all the way back to the Army days.
But
If you read the specs, they have a payload of just under 1,000 lbs. That's 1/2 ton by my math.
So
You may correctly expect the rear springs to be rather stiff. An empty Jeep rides llike an empty dump truck.

The suppliers of aftermarket "OEM replacement" springs are following the original specs for the most part. This means you'll have a pretty stiff (see very rough) ride with no load in the back. To prove this to yourself, drive down your favorite bumpy road empty. Then put 500 lbs of sand bags, or something in the back and drive the same road again. Big difference.

I replaced the rear springs on my 3B and have a very bouncy ride. The front springs are fine. When I go over a big bump, the front springs flex as they should and the front end doesn't bounce very much. The rear on the same bump bounces badly - the springs aren't flexing at all - no weight to make them flex.
So
I plan to take the spring packs apart and swap the leaves in the bottom two pairs. That way I keep my spring height and soften them up a lot. I run empty 99% of the time so it'll work for me.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

[Quebec Jeep]

From the 1949 Willys parts manual for CJ2A and CJ3A;

Standard;
Front 8 leaf
Rear 9 leaf

heavy duty option:
Front 10 leaf
Rear 11 leaf

[aboyandhisdog]

And then there's my 3a...11 in the front, 10 in the rear.  The opposite of the "heavy duty option".  And yet is sits level on each corner and drives well (though stiff ride).  No idea what I've got, but it seems to work.

[corpsman]

thanks for all the info.  I will rarely be carrying weight in the cargo area.  I'm wanting something that rides decent on the road, but will flex pretty decent for some moderate trail riding.  any suggestions?