OK plain and simple longer leaf springs ride smoother all things being equal(number of springs, shackle length, spring thickness, spring width, etc) If you shorten the front of the spring you will probably have to shorten the rear of the spring the same amount. That should be about 8" right? Sounds too radical to me. I would look for another option. What about an IFS setup? Nicer ride. Custom bumper to hide the front spring mounts? Four bar set up with coil overs? Modified three link? Just throwing out ideas here. Removing the leafs should not present too much of a danger, just don't get carried away. A friend of mine ended up with a "mono" spring on his 92 Nissan truck. Rode real soft and sat REAL low. Broke the spring squealing the tires. Just remove the leaves from the bottom up, leave the main leaf and give it some company. You might try disassembling the spring and greasing betwen the leaves with marine grease, helped my Scout. Keep Rodding.