Just been there, done that. Some things just bug the hell out of you, donıt
they? When I replaced my spring, rather than work myself into a frenzy chasing
down a new pad (the old one was very chewed up), I just made one -- out of a
furniture floor protector. It has the same thickness and flexibility of the
original, though it doesnıt have the raised rubber post on its top-center,
which fits into the hole of the center housing ... Iım counting on the internal
pressures to hold it in place. I cut it carefully (w/tin snips), however,
making it fit snugly into the two metal ridges that hold it inside the center
housing.
One caveat -- I havenıt driven the car on it yet! That happens this weekend
for the first time in a month and a half -- so Iım not sure how it will
perform. If it gets out of whack, Iım going to be rather unhappy, but thatıs a
chance I took when I put it in. Call me a madman ... I JUST MIGHT BE ONE.
---
Martin Secrest
74 Spitfire 1500
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PS: When you do go to replace the leaf spring, make SURE that the bottom leaf
is centered! Youıll notice a round nub projecting from the bottom of the main
leaf. This fits into a hole on top of the diff. If your bottom leaf isnıt
centered against all the others, there will be no way for you to bolt it down,
since the center housing will be ... off center! I learned this the hard way.
To determine if the bottom leaf is centered, eyeball the bottom nub against
the bolt that runs horizontally through the bottom of the center housing,
slaken the spring clamps, and line the two up against each other. You can
stick a big screwdriver into one end of the spring and CAREFULLY pry to slide
the bottom leaf laterally. You will also want to leave the horizontal bolt in
the center housing slack when you do go to bolt up your spring with its four
diff studs, so there will be some play in the center housing, allowing you line
up the stud holes. Use an awl or some such to get the first bolt through, and
the another
, etc.
Hope I didnıt just confuse be-geezers out of you. Good luck. The spring is
more difficult than you might think!
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