Front spring worn out?

[Lucas1923t]

I'm trying to get the suspension on this car squared away and have a few "Rookie" questions. I was looking at the front end and noticed that the spring looks worn out. It's almost flat across the top. The spring is mounted above the axle and it if I stand on it I can get the spring to bottom out on top of the axle. I'm guessing its worn out?? I was looking at springs in the speedway catalog and it's really hard to figure out which spring I need. I would like the front to be up alittle higher but I don't want to go to high. They have 1", 2" and 3" below a stock spring, but since this one is worn out I'm not sure what stock is...... Welcome to the world of hot rodding LOL...... I guess I'm just looking for some suggestions on fixing this.

Also do I really need the front stablizer?? It looks ugly and I don't see many of these with them.
Thanks again for your help!!!

 

[RocknT]

Mine is the same way flat,, looking for a front spring but mine is a off size ,,
34" eye to eye..?

 

[LumenAl]

Speedway has an excellent guide how to figure out what spring you need... This works for tube or I-beam axle...

 

[RocknT]

Al that is the chart I used to get my measurement , I jacked up the frame till shackles where level like in step 3 and measured from eye to eye and got 34 3/4 ,,

 

[LumenAl]

Al that is the chart I used to get my measurement , I jacked up the frame till shackles where level like in step 3 and measured from eye to eye and got 34 3/4 ,,

man oh man... that is not off the shelf for sure... Someone must of had a spring from something and made your front axle to suit it... There are places that will build you springs to your spec, but I'm sure it will be more than Mr. Roadster or like... Have you checked around your area? I talked to a place in Seattle that all I had to do was bring my T by and they'd build me a new spring (rear) but I decided I really didn't need a new one... I just cleaned it up and reused it... one of the few parts I kept!

Maybe someone reading this may know what leaf spring has a 34-3/4 inch eye to eye... is it standard or revered eye?

 

[oldtman]

It looks like someone took out the 3 or 4 shorter leaves, the spring ended up stressed in the middle and started to sag . I would try to find the missing leaves for center support. If you want it lower you can reverse the eyes,, there have been a few posts on other sites on how to do it with a press or jack. spring shops can re-arch the leaves you have ..In the old days we laid the spring across 2 short pieces of railroad track and beat the middle working it back and forth until it matched the chalk line drawn on the floor.

 

[Todd]

It's a little hard for me to tell for sure, But it looks like the spring is from the rear of a donor car. Although the good news is it looks like a Model A axle with stock perches. That would be a shelf item, not a special made piece.

 

[Youngster]

Rockn T , your front axle assembly is from a '35 to '40 ford. the spring in front of the axle is why you can't find the spring you are looking for. there are spring available from posies with reversed eyes and slider buttons.

Lucas1923T, your front spring should be 31" eye to eye. my suggestion would be to get the reversed eye spring, a new set of shackles and spring perches from speedway. you can also lose the dampener. onece the car is completed you can play with the adjustments and it won't be needed.

Ron

 

[Lucas1923t]

Thanks for alll the help guys!!

I took the spring out tonight.... I found that the spring perch has a 1/2" hole instead of a 3/4" hole.... Must be the original perch???

I think I will do just what Youngster said... I will buy a new spring, shackles and perches. That should clean up the front end. How hard do the perches come out? Looks like they have been in awhile...... I think the only thing I need to figure out is if I need a spring that is 1" or 2" below stock. Any suggestions?

Now I just gotta get the rear end of this car headed in the right direction.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[RocknT]

Thanks Youngster
That's more than I knew,,I had not seen the spring in front ,,Thanks for the info .

 

[Ted Brown]

Well if the pics were a bit better and showed more of how things are hooked up.. like from looking straight down on it... springs really don't get wore out, they tend to get lazy now and then, I myself use pretty flat springs, example, corvette rear, I like the low look, the spring will work both flat or arched to raise it up. The mount will probably do the thing you want, and make sure you have next to nothing under the spring, that will hit your axle when moving through a dip in the road, and never use a shock as a stop for travel, (either up or down) always use a rubber bumper, it can be hidden with a little thought...