In case anyone wants to know the safest way to take a leaf spring apart, here is how I do it:

After the spring is free from the center perch, put two large C clamps on either side of the center bolt and clamp down tightly and make sure they are on straight.

When you are sure they are capable of holding the spring, gently remove the center bolt and replace it with a similar bolt of good grade quaility, except you want this bolt to be about 8 inches long, and have threads for all but maybe 2 inches of the bolt. Put a washer under the head of the bolt and under the nut, to act as a bearing surface while you are loosening and tightening the bolt.

Tighten the bolt down until it is holding the leaves like the original bolt did.

Now, the idea is to use the center bolt to slowly release the tension on the leaves, but I do it in conjunction with loosening the two clamps at the same time. I loosen a little on the two clamps, then loosen the center bolt. Then I keep repeating this process until the leaves are totally loose and exhibit no tension. At this point you can remove the clamps and the center bolt and take all the leaves off of the main leaf.

Once those are gone, the main leaf is easy to remove from the spring shackles, as there is no tension to it at all.

Putting the spring back together is the reverse of this process. With the long center bolt and the two C clamps, you have a better chance of not having the C clamps slip sideways and kiss you in the face.

I have used ALL-THREAD in place of the center bolt too, but you have to go as big as possible, and make sure it is a good quality so it won't break under the load of tightening it up. If you do a couple of turns on the bolt and a couple on the clamps in sequence, you minimize the strain on any of the tools you are using to remove the leaves.

Once you go about 4 inches or so, the spring becomes harmless.

Hope this will help someone out.

Don