Front spring set up

[Mr. Fixit]

Hi all,

I have the front completely assembled and wonder if the springs and shackles are set correctly. Should there be any preload on the spring? When the shackles are tightened against the bat wings, should they be horizontal, or pitched downwards and inwards towarsds center? In essence, when the shackles are tightened, they stretch the spring eliminating some of the arc and making the spring longer, correct? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks..

 

[2old2fast]

I suppose theoretically the shackles" should" be horizontal or close to it [spring in tension] again ,theoretically that keeps the front axle more centered to the frame. However to achieve this you would have to use a spring spreader to mechanically spread the spring, I don't believe most of us have done this. So, in answer to your ? if your shackles are at about 45* tilted IN at the bottom ,you should be good to go!! That's how mine are & most others I've seen. seems to work fine.


dave

 

[Mr. Fixit]

I suppose theoretically the shackles" should" be horizontal or close to it [spring in tension] again ,theoretically that keeps the front axle more centered to the frame. However to achieve this you would have to use a spring spreader to mechanically spread the spring, I don't believe most of us have done this. So, in answer to your ? if your shackles are at about 45* tilted IN at the bottom ,you should be good to go!! That's how mine are & most others I've seen. seems to work fine.


dave

Thanks Dave. What brought my attention to it is that one seemed to be more angled than the other so I placed my digital protractor on the studs of the shackles and found one to be 31 degrees and the other at 38 degrees. I am assuming that this will be self correcting and ever changing on the road, but I am not sure of this...

 

[Lee_in_KC]

Do you have a front panhard bar?

 

[Mr. Fixit]

Do you have a front panhard bar?

No I don't..

 

[Ted Brown]

Yes a spring spreader is most always needed to hook up the shackles to the spring (that is arched) and the hanger to be correctly spread, so when all the weight is finally on your completed car, ready to drive, then the shackle angle should then be no more than a 45 degree angle... The shackles should be free to move in all directions, including fore and aft by about 1/4", the shorter the radius rods the more sliding clearance is needed, to keep the spring from binding, which will cause failure, sooner than later... I have seen some that had the shackles completely tight to both the hangers and the spring, not correct in the least...