Joe Curry wrote:
> Edward Hamilton wrote:
>
> > In removing the road spring for general cleaning and overhaul I find
> > that it had been in the vehicle backwards (according to the Haynes
> > manual). The manual states that the machined edge of the main spring
> > should face the rear of the vehicle. Is there really a front/back to
> > this spring? -- visually, I cannot determine any difference. Is the
> > general opinion that I install it the way that it came out (worked fine)
> > or reverse it in accordance to the manual? If I reverse it now, what
> > will that do to the camber or wheel alignment -- if anything?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Ed Hamilton
>
> Ed,
>
> This is a real "Head Scratcher". I examined the Haynes Manual, then both an
> early spring and a late "swing-spring". Here's what I can come up with.
>
> The only difference that is obvious in either side of the early spring
> assembly is the direction of the clamping bolts that hold the springs
> together. The nuts are on the "front" side of the spring.
>
> On the swing-spring, three of the clamps point one way and the other points
> the opposite. Unless some dpo did some work on the spring, it must not make
> a difference on the late model springs.
>
> Apparantly the "front" marking is only on the early spring, as I can find no
> such markings on the Swing-spring even though the Haynes manual says that
> the spring clips have "front" stamped on them. The only thing that the book
> says that is apparant, is that there is a ground edge in the center of the
> main leaf. This is where the leaf mounts into the recess in the
> differential. That may be the determining factor. I could tell by the line
> of rust which way the spring was mounted and the ground edge was in fact in
> the rear. In that position, three of the four nuts on the clips were facing
> forward. I'll turn the other around when I rebuild it.
>
> One other possibility (albeit quite a stretch) is that perhaps Triumph made
> the driver side stouter than the other to compensate for the weight of the
> driver. I had previously thought that this may be a method to compensate
> for the driver side sag that appears in some of these cars. Simply reverse
> the spring and the sag on the other side will be compensated for by the
> driver's weight. Oh well, just a thought.
>
> If anybody has some additional insight into this, please let me know as
> well.
>
> Regards,
> Joe Curry
Joe,
I agree completely with your comments. None of the four leaf clamps have
anything stamped on them. Albeit the nut/bolt in the leaf clamp assembly could
have been changed at any time, all of the nuts (in my case) were facing the rear
of the vehicle. Additionally, at the risk of being redundant, the machined edge
of the main spring was facing forward. This may very well be what you suggest
-- the spring was reversed, at some point in time, to compensate for a driver
side sag. So.....replace as it was (backwards), or neigh.
Regards,
Ed
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