In a message dated 98-10-27 23:08:14 EST, malcox@napanet.net writes:
<< They seem to be dry, with rust between leafs. Is this bad?, should
there be inter-leaf lubrication, if so what lubricant. Does inter leaf
friction have any bearing on the effectiveness of the shocks? >>
In order for leaf springs to be effective they must be consistant. Rusty ones
have unpredictable friction between the leaves and this affects they way they
react to loading and unloading. It would make sense to take them apart, clean
and lightly oil them between the leaves. This will make them predictable. It
also makes a mess!
Consistant spring action will allow your shocks to control axle movement
better. All of this assumes that the spring rates are or ever were correct for
the car and it's intended use. Leaf springs tend to be pretty forgiving and
the need to change spring rates is not as critical as with other types. There
are gains to be had if you choose to get into this area, but frankly I don't
see the value for most vintage racers.
You can have new ones made up if the old ones are too bad. Most big cities
have a place that does truck springs and the cost isn't that much. However,
they will not have any idea about spring rates, etc. You will have to specify
thickness of leaves and just see what happens.
I would just clean and paint them, make sure that they give you the ride
height you want (use shims or blocks to raise/lower it and equalize it from
side to side). A little oil won't hurt and make sure the pivot bolt is free
and the sliding saddle allows free movement. Oil or grease it.
Not rocket stuff, just common sense. Good luck.
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