Leaf Springs

[grey_ghost]

Hi All,

Restoring a 1961 Series 2 LWB Truck Cab.

I believe that I have read that the leaf springs for a Series are stronger/heavier on the drivers side because of the extra weight (driver/diff/petrol tank, etc).

When I installed my leaf springs I found that the passenger side was very difficult to install (at least compared to the drivers side).

Which has now got me thinking - perhaps I have installed the drivers spring on the passenger side? Or perhaps the springs are just stiff?

Q: How can I tell which spring is for which side? Is there an easy indication?

Q: Is the driver side spring actually longer? (I remember when I installed them I checked the lengths and they looked the same to me)

(I installed the leafs so that the nuts on the spring fasteners all faced towards the inside)

As always any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
The Grey Ghost.

[JDNSW]

The left and right springs are identical except for the amount of free camber (bend). The one with the most camber is the driver's side. Springs are symmetrical so can go either way.

I have usually found that problems ininstallation - usually getting the centrebolt into the hole in the axle - are not uncommon; you have to make sure everything is square and even. Leave the shackle bolts loose until vehicle weight is on the springs. Then bounce it a few times or even do a short drive before parking it on a level surface and tightening them.

Difficulty in installing a spring between the front anchorage and shackle (axle not connected to spring ) suggests misaligned chassis. If the axle is attached to the springs, attach both front anchorages before doing either rear shackle, and be prepared to loosen the U-bolts to get things into line, and again, everything must be straight and level.

Hope this helps,

John

[Warb]

When I installed my leaf springs I found that the passenger side was very difficult to install (at least compared to the drivers side).

Could you expand on "difficult"? In what way?

Given that the shackles have several inches of front-rear movement, normally the spring is simply mounted at the non-shackled end and then raised to meet the arc of the shackle. At least that's what I've always done with leaf springs!

If the problem is a left-right misalignment, and assuming that you have the correct shackles in the correct places (the front shackles have built in spacers the larger of which is on the inside of the spring from memory) then as John says it may be that the mounting points on the chassis are out of alignment.

[grey_ghost]

Hi Warb (& John),
After reviewing other posts and feed back I felt I had enough info and confidence to tackle the springs.
Firstly the car was on level axle stands, on level ground - front/back.
All wheels had been removed.
The rear springs fitted very easily.
I checked both front springs from several angles and it looked to me that they seemed identical.
The front driver spring fitted very easily.
The front passenger spring decided to offer a challenge !
At first placement it didn't seem to line up
I used a trolley jack under the diff - so the spring is not under tension/weight.
I attached the front of the spring - no problem.
I attached the shackle pin to the chassis - no problem.
When I tried to attach the rear of the spring to the shackle pin - it was as if the spring was too short. Looking at the distance between the shackle pin and the spring end , I decided that if I could stretch the spring slightly then the bolt would pop in , first try with the jack had it popping out very quickly with no result , second try , and with a more gentle turning of the jack made it almost "easy" to "straighten" the spring to make the bolt effectively slide in.
I know this may seem a little bush mechanic approach but in my opinion it was effective with the intended result.
I used a diamond style car jack - between the spring and the chassis, to push the spring down/out so that the spring eye aligned with the shackle pin.
It worked in the end - but using the jack clearly suggested that something wasn't quite right!
Regards,
The Grey Ghost.

[jerryd]

I've just re fitted my front springs after having them rebuilt, I secured the rear of the springs first, jacked up the axle to take the weight and keep it out of the way and then secured the front of the springs.I then lowered the axle on to the springs, I didn't have any dramas or squashed fingers ;) and was surprised how easy it all went back together.

I'm pretty sure that's how the book said to do it, the driver's side should have approx 6mm more camber than the passenger side to allow for driver etc.

[chazza]

I wonder if the chassis is distorted - have you checked the front for ripples in the chassis walls, or the distance between the holes where the springs mount on each side?

Cheers Charlie

[Warb]

The arc of the shackles should make the length of the spring irrelevant (within reason). A spring an inch shorter will still fit, but with the shackles at a different angle.

When fitting the spring, raise or lower it until the pin fits easily - i.e. the arc of the shackle intersects with the arc of the spring. I'm guessing that you had the spring too high (possibly touching the chassis?), and in that position the shackles are pointing steeply backwards and the spring eye is forward of the shackle eye. Had you lowered the spring (the jack under the diff) the two would have lined up........

Of course it is far easier without the axle fitted, because the axle tends to link the two springs, forcing the second springs position and not allowing it to be easily moved so it intersects with the shackle. With no axle the spring can easily be raised and lowered and the shackle pin slipped in.