Technical I know it's wrong, but how wrong is it?

I modified the main spring of leaf spring cars twice with what I found was good long term results. Now on the Hamb, I learn that opinions can have a bit of acrimony while wielding that broad brush. At the time, 1960, my peers and I would break down the spring and carefully bend back the eyes ***isted by heat, in a sense emulating reversing the eyes. The second leaf would be cut short to avoid binding. Other leaves would be omitted to soften the overall package, while keeping the shackle angle right. I had few thoughts of catastrophic failure because there was no binding with the other leaves and normal function was preserved. The more primitive approach only has the use of a torch in common. We now report very little of this garage technique cause we enjoy ready access to modified components. I'll dare to call my way traditional. Good Luck: Fred A