Ok....Update... Success!! The leaf spring is back where it should be. U-bolts have been replaced and torqued to spec. Here's how I got the spring back in line (actually I see I took this pic before I moved the jack over under the 2nd layer of the spring. It seemed to be separating the 1st and 2nd and it seems strange so I moved it over. Under the 3rd spring doesn't work...has to be 2nd:
The mechanic who said no to the drum lift said this would be fine. The jack is only half-way up here. Had to get that joint up so it was a 45 degree angle. I tried putting the jack closer to the drum but that didn't work. Had to push that joint up. The leaf spring pin and he hole were a little out of line but with the u-bolt nuts loose I put a screwdriver behind the springs and pulled them forward with leverage and it popped into place. I learned in the process that Alpenlite made a mistake on my rig and put 5200 lb u-bolts on a 7K lb axle. ?! The plates too are wrong so it will be hard for me to replace those (since I have learned -- you can only replace one u-bolt at a time!) The suspension guys weren't as freaked out by that as I was. Been on the road 8 years with the wrong u-bolts. phff...
Got all the shocks in. Suspension guy also said to tighten them so they're secure then just a little bit more, not bulging.
Here's the finished work. Boy did I learn a lot. Thanks so much for the help!
