Rear buggy spring spreading

Hello any tips on how best to spread a buggy spring ? Posies spring tells me that there needs to be 46 inches between perches but the unmounted spring measures 40 inches eye to eye. Therefore its gotta stretch a total of 6 inches, which sounds like a lot to me. Anybody done this?

 

3 inches from each side doesn`t sound like too much.........just use a good spreader!

 

Just remember that the shackles are 3" of that 6..You might want to tell us the application you are working with

 

I made a tool out of a chain binder to spread my spring.

 

Technical Re-visiting The very cheesy $1.79 Spring tool

 

Year matters...but anyway, ultimate cheapskate way: Lower car onto 2 jackstands or improvised blocks supporting ends of spring. As relaxed ends of spring touch down position stands in such a way that there is surface allowing spring ends to slither outward while still supported. Lower car until all weight of body and ch***is is on spring ends, raisr rear axle to right neighborhood with jacks. If spring needs to spread more, open up the trunk and start stacking fat friends, former girlfriends, heavy toolboxes, etc. in there till all is right to slide in shackles.

PS...since you're gonna be under there during all this, be sure there is something thicker than you under there to catch the car if anything slips.

 

Thanks for the feedback, here's what im working on : model A frame, stock rear crossmember , Posies narrowed model A spring ,with a spring-over mount onto 1938 Ford banjo axle (a la Tardel book)

 

Hince----the fat ex girlfriend

 

OK...Model A is hardest since spring is above the axle. Ford simply supplied a skid for each end of spring, essentially a piece of channel iron like so [ that sat on top of each axle housing as the slide surface for spring. They then PULLED crossmember down to force spring to spread with a huge clamp gizmo, but you can do it with weight as above. Set car on spring down on two channel irons, stack weight on there till it spreads enough.
Fat ex is perfect for your safety stop...she won't scratch the paint on yopur frame if it slips off.

 

I use a portapower. works good with the pointed ends.

 

How about with reversed eyes? I want a spreader tool so I can mount it to a bare frame, with no weight to press it down.

 

I took my spring apart and pulled the main leaf out by hand and hooked it up. Then ran a long screwdriver through the hole and put all my leaves back on with a large C clamp and then put the spring bolt back in. Worked for me.

 

But on an A the porta power can't fit where needed without fairly elaborate extensions added.

 

This works real well, I have seen it done that way then you just shove the rear under the car and bolt the spring up to the cross member.

 

This is what I built to use on quickchanges, haven't tried it with a spring on top. I sometimes do as Chaddilac said, stretch the main leaf, and use 5/16 ready rod and clamps to stack the spring, then install the center bolt. The tube is inch and one half .120 DOM (very strong), the adjusters are 1" thread.

 

EXACTLY!!!----Works everytime!!!

 

I do it just like Chaddillac and the others, I just dis***emble the spring, stretch the main leave out by hand (it goes real easy) then use a long bolt to hold all the leaves in alignment, and use a combination of two large C clamps and the center bolt to draw the leaves back together.

Once you have the leaves mostly tightened down you can insert the correct center bolt and tighten down to the final torque.

Don

 

I also took my apart. Than I took a threaded rod w/a nut on it stacked the springs, another nut and tighten (trick found here somewhere). Clamped the springs,removed rod and put bolt in. Done. Fast and easy.

 

Remember when your spread the complete spring, it is very dangerous !! Just using the main leaf is much easier,lighter and SAFER !!

 

The only problem with the all thread is that it is about grade two and if the spring really has to be drawn a long way under great tension it can snap. I have used all thread as a secondary means of keeping the holes aligned, but also used C clamps on either side of the hole to do the main tightening.

Don

 

I have never had that method fail ever,.... But for the rear spring I usually use barrel nuts.

 

Industrial supply places have more serious all thread than the Home Depot stuff...it would still be cheap as ch***is tools go.

 

I used to buy the better grade of all thread, they called it B-7.

 

I built this for my Posie A Spring, and it can work on a stock or reversed eye.
Be sure to build it very strong there, is a scarry amount of pressure in one of those springs.

 

Hey EVERYBODY, great reading, i too use the screwdriver

Im building a model A fenderless coupe, 49 ****er rearend. What i need to know is, what spring should i use? what width is that spring? what length shackles to use and the best perch, eye to eye width.

In other words how far should i stretch my spring?

 

Spring stretchers are still around or make one,,HRP

The entire length is 33" long when the threaded rod is inside the pipe and is 1 1/2" OD and the ID is 1"

The threaded rod slips down inside the pipe and is 3/4" and has a 2" x 2" x 3/8" plate welded to each piece,,they are set at 45 degrees.

 

put a C-clamp on each spring end to give the spreader something to push against.