Projects '34 front frame C notch question...

31Vicky,
***uming 3" between axle & spring bottom, and a reversed-eye spring, how big of a gap was there between the leaf spring and the notch, after you c-notched the rails?
(sorry for hijacking your thread, Brian)

 

Gary, I think I covered that earlier. If this doesn't answer your question try rephrase it

 

Duuuh! Sorry guys- carry on please.

 

No worries Gary! [emoji6]

 

I don't know and I can't answer for the parts but the spring is to long if it were measured dead flat. I see time and time again guys here get a spring that's too long, it rides too high, is too stiff so they take leaves out and the shackles bind into the perches as flattens and softens.
I can speculate that a supplier has bad info on getting stuff to the market.

 

I think you've answered my question. Taking this another step, I took the stock spring apart, 31" eye to eye "relaxed" as is the new one. Completely flattened, it's 32 5/8" on centers. The shackles, level with the reverse eye spring in, no weight, are 31 3/8". Looking at Posies catalog they have '34 front springs that are 31 1/2, 31, 30, and 29" in length. If mine now is 30" relaxed, 31 3/8 (+ - depending on my poor measurement) installed, is the 31" the wrong spring? Should I have a 30 and flatten (on the bench) it to install , that seems like it'd be better. A 29 " would it be to short to get on the shackles, fully flat. Compressing the original lengthens it 1 5/8", so it seems a 30 would be plenty long, flat, to mount.

 

I see where your headed that's good.
Their eye to eye measures are irrelevant without an arch included or stated as dead flat. Means nothing

Let your spring up to 1-1/2 ish in the center. Measure the eye to eye there. See what it is note the difference from 32-5/8

 

Thanks. I had no idea buggy spring suspensions were so complicated. ;-)

 

Lmao
They aren't, really.
until you take conventional main stream leaf spring knowledge and try to apply that into a ford buggy spring set up.

 

Which is exactly what I was doing. ;-) The spring being too long compressed makes sense now, especially after taking the original one apart and compressing it. I want the car to look "right", I want it ride and handle reasonably well, and I don't want to make things more complicated than they need to be. Which is why I ask dumb questions (for somebody who's been building cars for 40+ years), and why I'm glad there are guys on the HAMB willing to tolerate life's persistent questions. (Garrison Keiler fans will get that...)

 

After sleeping on this, I've decided the only way I'll be happy is to raise the center of the crossmember and modify the radiator. Which fits with my shop motto of, "We build it twice, to make it nice." Let the cutting and (re)building commence...

 

that's a big step back at this stage and you're still going to need a shorter spring, the right spring before you cut anything.

 

Get back to this mock up without the spring, put a 3 " block between the axle and crossmember. See what that looks like to you? That will be all in just getting the right spring in reversed eye. No re fab or radiator work. Maybe shock mounts ???

Better pics would help guess too

 

LOL, it's all about the re-do! The headlight stands that came with are shock mounts, (impossible to see in the dark photo), but I have short F100 style uppers too, and planned using the little tabs that go under the perch bolts for lowers. I feel like I'm overthinking this...

 

Thinking don't cost too much, think it thru with some paper and pencils, Maybe some Oreos and Popsicle sticks too.
Might end up to be just shorter shocks.

Find the problem and don't treat the symptoms.

 

Well, I suc***bed to peer pressure and raised the center of the front crossmember 11/16", which still (barely) leaves room for the lower radiator hose to clear. May take a little soap... I also listened to everybody's advice about the mono-leaf spring, and I'm not using it, and am instead going to get a Posies duo-leaf, 30" eye to eye spring. That'll have to be compressed slightly to get it in the shackles, as I did with the rear spring, and as everyone indicates is the correct way. So, let's hope I'm finally on my way. Now, to roll the ch***is outside and sand blast all the nooks, cranny's and corners I can't get the grinder into...