Took front axle and leaf sping off Model A. Previous owner had done some strange things to it. When I removed the spring a wooden block or spacer fell out from under the frame where the spring is mounted. Is this normal or just more junk?
W/O a panhard rod, picture your front end taking a right turn, while you (and rest of car) procede merrily straight ahead! Rare species: Ironwood?
no wood, there is supposed to be a strip of any-squeak cloth between the spring and the crossmember. he may have been trying to give the car some height. does it have a dropped axle or reversed eye spring?
New to this, so here is what I saw. Axle was stock, I have had it dropped 3 inches more so total drop is now 4". Reversed Eye Spring? Not sure what that means. The spring is attached in the middle to cross member and the ends are lower than center. Spring attaches to shackle and then to perch. Spring is on top of axle. This seems normal to me? What is reversed eye spring?
if everything is stock, it probably doesn't have a reversed eye spring. the stock spring has the eyelets for the shackles turn down and in. by reversing the main leaf so that the eyelets turn up and in, you gain about an 1" to an 1-1/2" or so of drop. sounds like a sun project though. you should post some pics!
reversed eye spring is just as the words portray.... maybe another way of describing it...mmmm the difference between a number 6 on its back to a #9 on its back..nahh that wont work a reversed eye on the out side end of the spring..opposite of stock anyway the wood has to go..dont put it back it doesnt belong..its death or injury waiting to happen
OK, finally found a stock A spring photo on internet. I understand now! Thanks to all for explaining something so simple. I understand the wood has to go, will figure out how it all goes back together soon. Been below freezing here in GA for days of end!
Make sure, darn sure that the spring center bolt head is seated in the hole in the crossmember and when you tighten the u-bolts the spring base plate is tight against the spring and then add the cotter pins.
Spring base plate, I am missing, guess that is what he put the wood in there for. Hmmmm, anybody got a spare sping base plate?
Starting at the top of the crossmember: Crank bearing, forged steel piece with hole front to back and ears on either side, flat if 28-29 with square u-bolts, half-round if 29-31 with round u-bolts. U-bolts mount over the ears of the crank bearing and down through the holes on front and back flanges of crossmember. Inside crossmember above spring is a 6-8" piece of asphalt-treated woven fabric which has a hole in it for the head of the spring center bolt. This is simply an anti-squeak pad. The spring slips into the crossmember with the pad centered on the bolt head. The bolt head sockets into the hole in the top of the crossmember under the crank bearing. The spring base plate is a forged steel rectangular block with a raised center section that snugs up to the under side of the spring. It has 4 ears with holes that the u-bolts slide through. The base plate has a hole in the center which allows access to the spring center bolt. Slip the base plate into position under the spring and guide the u-bolts through. Add the castellated nuts and evenly tighten them. There are cotter pin holes in the u-bolts. Tighten very tight, there should be no wiggle in the spring but there should be space between the lower edge of the crossmember flanges and the ears of the spring base plate. A stock front Model A spring has either 10 or 12 spring leaves. If any have been removed, or MANY have been removed, it will require a steel plate spacer to be made that goes either above the spring to retain stock height OR under the spring to drop the car a bit. This plate must have an alignment bolt in the top for the crossmember and a hole in bottom for the spring center bolt head if used above the spring, OR tuned over for use beneath the spring and base plate.
Here's the part from Mac's. http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb...~S2UA0ZLMY616722571721f~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000021x And from Snyder's http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/877 I ***ume this is the plate you are talking about. or is it this? http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/876
It's the upper listed Snyders plate - the lower item (on your post) is a guide for crank starting, and I believe Pasadena mentioned it in his overall stackup ***embly.
Wow, Thanks to all for info! Will keep this marked for future reference when I need orginal stuff. Your guys are a wealth of good help.
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