I am not sure what you said, sounds almost convincing, however, I replaced the
spring with a new one and me Spit is decidedly back on center.
Jim
Barry Schwartz wrote:
> >"My Spit (like so many others) has a definite lean toward the driver side of
> >the car.
> ***********************************
> I've read several listers complaining about one corner of the car sitting
> lower than the other over the past few weeks, and the general consensus is
> to blame the Swing Spring. I can't see how the rear spring, in a Spitfire
> with a SWING SPRING, can CAUSE this problem. I feel that this poor spring
> is getting a bad rap, and I believe that it is undeserved. My own opinion
> is it is a very CLEVER and elegant solution, given the constraints at the
> time to solve a potentially serious problem. Overall rear end sag from a
> worn spring, yes and this is evident with any well worn rear spring, but
> side loading is virtually impossible by it's very design. It may not
> counter an exiting leaning/listing condition by something else that is
> causing the lean, and therefore, these vehicles may be more sensitive to
> the problem but there is no roll or side to side loading with a swing
> spring except from the main leaf itself, and that would be a very small
> amount indeed. It's conceivable that a bad main leaf (however unlikely)
> could cause a slight list, but I contend it would be very slight. The
> other spring leaves are, if all is functioning correctly, and in good
> order, FREE to rock about the diff center, and do nothing as far as biasing
> the car on it long axis. You could cut one of the leaves off one side
> (provided it was not the main one) and all it would do is cause the entire
> rear end to sag a little more. The way this spring is designed it CAN'T
> cause a "roll" bias, because the action is "divided" between the two
> wheels. If one were to imagine, for illustrative purposes, that you had no
> front wheels or roll bar on the car. Place a pivot under the front cross
> member directly at its center to support the weight at the front end, but
> allowing it to rock about that pivot. The only thing now keeping the car
> level, with respect to roll, would be the main rear leaf itself, and if
> just that spring leaf was removed, (and all others were to remain in place)
> then it would roll over to one side or the other "pivoting" as it were on
> the center bolt in the spring clamp assy. That's the very premise of this
> design. Now you can see, that the remaining spring leaves do NOTHING to
> cause the car to lean or list in one direction or the other. So I say
> (for what it's worth) if your car is experiencing a tendency to lean to one
> side or another, look elsewhere (possibly the rubber pad p/n 149191 UNDER
> the clamp if you must look at the rear), not at the Swing spring-
>
> Barry Schwartz (San Diego) bschwart@pacbell.net
>
> 72 PI, V6 Spitfire (daily driver)
> 70 GT6+ (when I don't drive the Spit)
> 70 Spitfire (long term project)
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