40 rear & model A Spring question?

I searched for an answer, found pics that look like they did this but no info.

Can I use a '40 ford rear, flip the bells so the spring hanger arms are in front and use a model A rear spring mounted in front of the axle?

Are the A and '40 spring the same width?

This is for a modified.

thanks

 

The springs are not the same width, the A spring will need to be stretched farther than the '40, but it will fit and work just fine on the '40 rear no matter which way the perches are facing.

 

Cool thanks. Can I stretch the spring wide enough, with a regular spreader? Is it possible to spread it enough if the eyes are reversed?

 

That's the setup that I'm running.

Mount the main spring, don't need a stretcher, then pull the rest of the springs onto the main leaf with a piece of all thread.

Rich

 

Awesome, thanks.

 

Sorry to hijack, but it is related. Gonna run a QC rear in my 40, need to run an A crossmember and spring. As I will have to stretch the main spring I guess this will lowwer the car over a standard A install, any idea how much? Thanks, hope you don't mind katatonic mike..

 

This is bad advice if you didn't replace the all-thread with the original or replacement
type bolt!

 

just read this on another A spring post:

If you already have the 4-bar set up, I'd just run that, unless you want to switch to ladders. Either will work with a model A spring. A '40 spring will take up less room inside the car because it is shorter. I usually just take springs off the top of a model A, I'm running 6 leafs in my coupe now.
A Model A spring requires the shackle perches be 49.25in apart, while a '40 only requires 42.5in. These are both center to center of the axle perches.

So guess it will raise the back on a 40 then....