spring connection eye to eye is 4' and the spring is much shorter, it came off of there (cut old shackles with a torch) so, I know it will go back on with the new shackles, just dont know how I'm going to flex or pull the spring over once one side is bolted in. help and thanks.
Yep, my dad ran a shop in the 50s and I still have that setup; it has an extension for doing the longer rear spring.
That spreader will only work with a stock eye, if the eyes have been reversed, it will not work. A trick I have is to seperate the spring pack. You can install the main leaf by hand, then get a long peice of all thread and run it throught the spring bolt hole. run all your leafs down it, then bolt it down tight. once down all the way, put a C clamp on each side of the all thread. Make sure it is secure, then loosen and remove the all thread, and re-install the factory spring bolt. A little hookus-pookus, but it works. Just remember how much force your dealing with, and play SAFE!
actually it will work with a reverse eye with some simple brackets i made , but only works when the spring is behind the rear end the stacking method you described works great too and probably is the answer to his problem
Try this on those reverse eye springs, put a board across the bottom of the hangers. ***emble one side and set the other end of the spring on the same board. Now with your floor jack holding the board that now has both hangers and both ends of the spring on it, run a chain around the bottom of your floor jack and the top of the spring.As you raise the jack, the unattached end of the spring will reach out for the unattached hanger.
put the rear end on its side, put your engine hoist over the down wheel and hook the spring with the hoist, lift it until the spring is stretched enough to bolt it. i know, i know its not safe at all but it has been done. at least it worked for us at 3 in the morning.
Your right, I instantly thought of spring over axle like a Model A, the later ones you can usualy install without a spreader (at least my 41 and 39 worked that way). Not near as mush tention on it. Also, on the spring behind rear end, if the rear end is in the car, I bolt the spring on with the u bolts, and use a floor jack to jack up the each side of the spring to meet the hangers (you have to do this one side at a time obviously) This trick works well, but be cautious of the jack spitting out from under the spring. Again, you can use a C clap or somthing on the spring that acts like a "stop" for the jack to wedge againts. Even more white trash than my first post on this subject, but with some patience and thinking ahead, works very well.
Excellent guys! I appreciate all the input. I will tear down the spring pack and rebuild after the main leaf is in.
Just be careful when you take the leaves apart, I got a real surprise the first time I did that, I had spring leaves flying thru the workshop... could have been nasty.
BE CAREFULL my dad tought me to fear and respect the rear spring on a model A i have and continue to do so even after it slipped off the spring spreader and crushed my finger don't half *** this please make a proper system if you need a drawing or something for you to fabricate one please p.m.me it is not something to **** with.... i will send you some x-rays if you would like tk
^^ hehehehehe, yup, I'm not looking forward to it, mebbe make me a screw type spreader bar to do it w/o spring pack tear down, I dunno yet.
I clamp the spring and then slowly and carefully take it aprt, then i ALWAYS tear the spring down as Chris says to re***emble...I also grease then as they go back together, and Tape them to help keep the clean..
Not arguing with you Cshabang, but if you grease and tape your spring, it can damage them. Grease attracks dirt, and dirt will get up inbetween the leafs and act like sand paper. Thats why Ford steered away from that idea in the 40's. Not that most of us will drive our cars that hard and long, but just some food for thought.
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