Thread: Springs Question?

The leaf separation either side of the axle doesn't look great to me.

Thnaks, That's what I thought as well .... I was thinking of replacing them with Parabolics anyway, but am interested in finding out what could have caused it

Springs are suffering badly from rust, which has expanded and separated the leaves. Not very common in this country but very common in the UK and other places they put salt on roads (or right on the coast).

It is possible that the springs may be salvageable by disassembling them and wire brushing, painting, lubricating and reassembling, but they do look fairly far gone.

John

Thanks John, my thought exactly, it looks like parabolics are the way to go now ???????

Largely depends on how your finances vs spare time go. If finances are tight, trying to save these springs may be worthwhile, even if you need to get them reset.

The alternatives would be new aftermarket springs, some good (or at least better) second hand ones, or parabolics.

The problem with aftermarket ones is that the thickness metal used in the original springs is not available, so new springs will not be equivalent. The problem with second hand ones is you can't really tell how good they are, although at least with springs you can see everything, so better than many other second hand parts.

Parabolics (I have not used them) should be in some respects better than the originals, but as they have virtually no frictional damping, they need to have different, matched, dampers. Some of the cheaper ones have been reported to have broken, and a broken leaf on one of these is much more of a problem than a broken leaf on a conventional spring. Some also are set to a lower spring rate, and in the absence of any sway bars, this may result in (more) body roll and leaning with slightly out of even loads. Most people who have fitted them seem to like them.

John

While your all thinking about springs I have some really crook ones on the front of my series and a new set for the rear that are just as buggered.

Can I run parabolics on the front and the standard spring pack on the rear without any dramas?

I am up for new shocks all round anyway so I can match those to the springs front and rear.

Thanks

I don't see any reason why not. The only catch could be that many parabolics give a small lift, so you could end up a bit tail down - or level rather than tail up when unloaded.

John

You have to work out what you're going to be doing with the restored vehicle. If it's general use with a bit of off road, you might be surprised how well your springs come back after a bit of err...spring cleaning. Do as John has suggested as well as a light grind where the leaves will have worn a ridge on the adjacent leaf. A fair bit of effort but not many$$$

If you planning to do the Gun Barrel, you might be up for replacement stuff.