Wanna do my owm Calvert set up by using to sets of mono leafs. Is there a drill bit that will go thru leafsprings as these do not have a hole for locating pin.
Sound absolutely dumb, but it works - I swear! You can drill spring material with damn near any bit as long as you go slow, and use Elmer's white glue as coolant/lubricant... I didn't believe it either until an old timer friend of mine proved it to me many years ago. Been using that trick ever since!
Yeah, you can drill it with most any bit. Go slow-most home type drill presses won't get slow enough. Spring steel is harder than woodpecker lips, and the hotter it gets the harder it is to cut. If you can't get below 100 rpm buy lots of bits.
Our local mine and mill supply has carbide dril bits for sale. They are not like carbide masonry bits, but they do have actual carbide on the tip and it is sharpened with 2 steps to cut steel. I put them in the drill press, run them slow, and use cutting oil. No problemo.
I use a speed reducer on the drill press like the one in this link. http://www.hougen.com/cutters/sheetmetal/speed_reducer.html
Man...really glad I didn't know how hard they were to drill when I relocated the center pins on two main leafs I wanted to use a couple of months back! I just used oil and slow speed after drilling 1/8" holes first as a locator. Ignorance is bliss! LoL Seriously though...not as bad as you might think.
Sharp bits, slow speed and lot's of lubricant. I just drilled the bumper mounts on my A.D. truck today and they were just as hard. Good luck!
I went to the Back To The Fifties Show several years ago. There was a booth set up there where the guy was selling cases of drill bits. They had a drill press set up and was drilling holes in a leaf spring, with the spring at a angle. I stood and watched him drill at least 4 or 5 holes in that spring with the same bit. I commented about that must have been a special drill bit he was using. He had me pick a drill bit smaller then 1/4" from any set there. I picked up a set, pulled a bit from the set and handed it to him. He chucked up the bit and drilled 2 holes in that same leaf. I took the bit back, put it in the case and bought the set. Best set of drill bits I've ever bought. Not cheap, but they worked well. 5 or 6 years later I was able to locate the company and buy another set of those bits, If I could find them, I'd buy another set today. Unfortunately, I no longer have the name of the company. I have tried many so called wonderful drill sets from several manufacturers and nothing holds a candle to those two sets, regardless of the price tag. Gene
I drilled some leaf springs for my nephews truck and I used my drill press, a cobalt drill(s) and cutting fulid. I drilled at a low speed and I didn't put very much pressure on the drill and I got it done pretty quick. I have to try that elmers glue trick.
I'll second not knowing any better and having an easy go at it. I just put the press on the slowest pulley and popped the hole into it. I always use oil (although the glue sounds interesting).
A old mechanic told me . Slow rpms, steady downward pressure and use turpentine for coolant . If you have access to a Blacksmith Post drill that is the tool to use.
Believe it or not, a concrete bit will cut through spring steel like butter. I recently had to drill a new hole in a set of Calvert monoleafs I picked up cheap so I could shorten them to work on my car. Smoked a half dozen bits using my drill press on the slowest setting with plently of cooling fluid, almost gave up. Then I got on the internet and did a little research, read that a concrete bit would work. Trip to the hardware store later, they blew right through, didn't even have to sneak up on the size. Worth a try.
I see someone at E-town and Carlsile selling bits that appear very good. No smoke and mirror act. They sell bits, seta and give you there card so you cand find them later with a problem or for more. That's a good sign. GEORGE!!
when my friend bought some leaf springs from summit, the center bolt was too far forward. We measured them and drilled the new hole where it should be. I just used a high speed drill on a drill press...no problem at all...just took it slow and it worked just fine.
The reason leaf springs in cars are relatively easy to drill is the Heat Treatment process is done at a fairly high temp. between 700-800 degrees C. This makes the steel a lot easier to drill than say a piece of steel heat treated at 100 degrees C.
The Jalopy Journal
