I am assembling a '32 chassis with a QC and model A rear spring. Any one out there done this ? What did you use to spread that spring out to install it ? I understand there is a tool, but can't find any info on it. I managed to get it together when I mocked up the chassis, but taking it apart was a bitch and I'd rather not scratch up my new paint, etc. putting it together. If anyone has any input I would appreciate it. Thanks.
On my Model A rear spring i've got a fairly long bolt through it holding the leaves together. When I needed to put the spring back on the rear I loosened the bolt to take tension off the pack, installed the main leaf and tightened the bolt back down. When time comes to install the setup in the frame, I'll cut the excess length off the bolt.
yes , there is a tool for stretching the spring . unfortunately , it won't work with a quick change..it get's in the way what i do is disassemble the spring pack , install the main leaf , then stack the rest of the leafs on a long pice of reddy-bolt . then using extra long nuts compress the spring leafs. then use a big C-clamp the hold them together while you pull out the ready bolt and install the center bolt. be real carefull when doing this!! here are pictures of a my spring speader , and a rear i put in
The tool doesn't work if your eyes are reversed too. Use the ready rod approach and save$ If yer skeered of the marsh mellow rod get some 1040 or 4140 ready rod from McMaster
Snyder's Antique sells the tool I believe what I did was put some blocks of wood on top of the axle, then let the spring down on those, then had my bro get in the car to weight it down. This pushed the eyes up to about where they should be to get the shackles in.
ric! Long time man. Do a search for a post byC9, I found it the other day, he built a spring tool that I copied.
Pic is a touch fuzzy. Is that enough detail? I have additional pics. A piece of all thread. Couple of nuts and washers to match. (One is for keeping the tool together when it's hung up.) Couple of 1/4" plates with dull wedge ground on. Length of 1" square tubing. A bit of welding. This spreader handles stock eyes - or eye below main leaf. To use it on reversed eyes - eye above main leaf - requires a couple of simple clamping devices. Or . . . I have pics of a somewhat complex, way less crude reversed eye spreader if you like. I use C clamps and a guide rod (#2 Phillips screwdriver) for assembly and dis-assembly most times, but this tool has come in handy. It wouldn't be difficult to make a similar spring spreader with a raised - and reinforced - center to clear a quick change.
Thanks guys, you've given me some ideas to work with. I'll keep you all posted with the progress. Got the chassis back from painter, still got a long way to go but I am moving ahead, slowly but surely.
Some times if you use that style it the spring wont fit on the car with the spreader on it it hits the rear end I have on that has a bend in the pipe so it will fit It works well.
that is how i did the spring on my T speedster (it has 9 leaves and is still soft..suspension design...)
No special tool required. Assemble the spring. Install it onto the crossmember and tighten U-bolts properly. Use a big C-clamp on each side of the u-bolts to pull the cross member and spring together. Tighten each side up until the spring is the right width. Couldn't be easier. Pete
I dis-assemble the sping most times on my cars, but every once in a while leaving the spring in one piece is handy. Just for the heck of it, here's a pic of a spring spreader that was built to spread reversed eye front springs. Note that it has adjustable height floor pins/stands/bolts, whatever. The end pieces closest to the axle pivot to fit into the "V" on the reversed eye. Lotta work, granted, but the gentleman who made it has a nice machine shop and enjoys projects like this.
- Damn C9, that is a tool. I need a friend with a machine shop and lots of time on his hands. Thanks for the input guys.
Very Nice tool C9, is that pivots were your L and R threaded rods go into??and what's your reason for that? Did you try a solid mount? I'm gonna make one this week and just wondering? if I don't have a reversed eye I take mine apart and just do the main, then stack when shackles are all tighted up.. Thanks Johnquote=C9]I dis-assemble the sping most times on my cars, but every once in a while leaving the spring in one piece is handy. Just for the heck of it, here's a pic of a spring spreader that was built to spread reversed eye front springs. Note that it has adjustable height floor pins/stands/bolts, whatever. The end pieces closest to the axle pivot to fit into the "V" on the reversed eye. Lotta work, granted, but the gentleman who made it has a nice machine shop and enjoys projects like this.[/quote]
I like the idea of using C-clamps against the cross member with the spring in place. I'll have to try that out. Hey Ric, how's it going? How about some pics of your car. I'm sure that we'd all like to see them. I'd be happy to come over to take some pics and post them. Woody
Here's a commercial one made to work over an "A" rear that should also clear a QC. This place (AC&R) makes a number of fairly crude but cheap and useable tools for early Fords: http://www.partsformodelafords.com/store/category.cfm?Category=27&StartRow=11 Here's a SERIOUS one from Vince's Ford site: http://idisk.mac.com/forever4/Public/pages/snaponspringspreader.htm You can also do it with nothing special...just hook up one end of spring, rest other end on something broad and smooth like a big piece of railroad tie, lower car weight on it and put plump friends/toolboxes/cement blocks in trunk until it spreads to right place to get the shackle in. On an actual model A, you put pieces of 2X4 or channel iron on top of axle as slides. Back before the invention of safety, I used to just add a bit of weight to the trunk of my '48, angle cut the ends of a 2X4 to exactly fit into angle behind perch holes in spring, and just set the whole thing aside ready to reinstall. This would still work fine, but now I'd BOLT a pice of chain onto the board looped around each end of spring--I think the 2x4 probably wouldn't even slow noticeably passing through you and the garage wall if this thing cracked or slipped. Probably how most medieval heavy weapons were invented, just someone working on a really old Ford.
Check this guy out...... good prices on tool's and part's; www.mikes-afordable.com Hope this help's. D
Hey Woody, I ,may take you up on photo offer. I am still some what clumsy with the whole computor thing, so for me it is a major undertaking to shoot pics and post them. I dissasembled the chassis from when you saw it so it could be painted, got it back but not happy with color, so it's going back to painter. But in a week or so should have everything back and starting to go back together. Call me when you are back in town, I want to come over and check out your car. Ric Besides I want to come over and check out your car.
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