Re: Front and Rear Spring Rebuild

Posted by Henrik Thostrup, Denmark on August 06, 1998 at 11:08:21

In Reply to: Front and Rear Spring Rebuild
posted by Jay Gienty on August 03, 1998 at 19:52:24

Hi Jay
I’m choked that anybody even think on using fillers on the springs, if you like to use your car it will cracks rapidly, and why do it you must allow the car to look old.
If I had to be a judge I would deduct many points for this, it is super overrestoration.
Model springs do a lot of work and of course they need restoration time to time, it seems like you have done right disassembling them and sandblasting them.
Where there is wearing on the top side of leaf you should grind it away with an angelgrinder, it works even when the wear is deep, I have done it on 3 mm wear and it works, but I believe that the main leaf has become softer, this can be compensated by putting one more leaf in the spring (I made it of an other main leaf cutting ends of).
Many springs are out of shape and must be hammered back in shape, it can be don as a do it yourself job.
Before disassembling clean spring as good as possible, put it on a cardboard, and drawn the contour of spring an positions of leafs.
When cleaned and grindet, hammer onevery leaf so it get higher than on drawings, when done check with before drawing, and spring should be 1½ - 2 cm higher. Don’t use heat (but lot of manpower).
Springs can be done at special shops, or alternative you can by new ones from suppliers - but they are expensive, I find it is cheapest to by a new front spring and renovate the rear one as they are the most expensive.
I have bought my new front springs at Snyders.
Good Luck and as Fred says be careful there are lot of power in that old irons.
Kind regards
Henrik Thostrup
Denmark

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