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Re: Swing spring / camber compensator

To: spitfires@autox.team.net, Gosling_Richard_B@perkins.com
Subject: Re: Swing spring / camber compensator
From: "Nolan Penney" <npenney@mde.state.md.us>
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 09:21:31 -0400
The swing spring is not a completely true swing spring.  One leaf is still 
attached rigidly to the top of the differential.  If it were a true swing 
spring, then the spring could not cause any body lean.  However, since the one 
leaf is still attached, that leaf can cause body lean.  Being just one leaf 
doing the whole job, it is quite subject to fatigue, and, the fatigue shows up 
very visibly.  If it were multiple leafs, this would be muted by the additional 
leaves.  As you've surmised, many of the cars with a sag problem actually have 
another problem entirely, often in the front suspension.  However, the problem 
can be masked (not fixed) by simply jacking the drivers side rear with the air 
shocks.

The camber compensator works by resisting both wheels going down together.  If 
you jack the rear end of a spitfire up in the air, the cross spring pushes the 
wheels down, and you get that pigeon toed look.  A camber compensator is a 
swing spring mounted upside down under the differential.  It resists allowing 
the wheels to come down together into that pigeon toed look.  This pigeon toed 
look is disasterous in handling, and has names like jacking, tuck in and such.  




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