| Harry1011 | -- 04-28-2012 @ 1:20 PM |
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Just got my front spring back from being re-ached. Anyone know the eye to eye measurement. This looks over ached. Thanks, Harry
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| supereal | -- 04-28-2012 @ 1:58 PM |
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Harry: The standard front spring for your '40 pickup is an 11 leaf unit. Re-arched springs almost always seem to be too short to fit the shackles. You will need to spread the spring. It can be done with a "port-a-power" tool, usually available from a rental place, or you can jack up one end of the spring at a time, after the center U clip is installed, until the shackle pins will fit the eyes. We use a floor jack for that purpose. Just be careful. Springs store a lot of energy, and can be dangerous until they are secured.
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| Stroker | -- 04-28-2012 @ 4:12 PM |
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Harry and Super: I need to get my 38 wagon front spring re-arched. Who's the best? Right now, I've got a Hellwig stabilizer on it which my dad installed in the 40's. This was a popular Ford "crutch", but it limits spring travel somewhat. Now's a good time for me to do this, as I have all the front-end sheet metal off. While the spring is off, I plan upon replacing the bushings in the hangers, as they have become petrified, and "offset".
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| Harry1011 | -- 04-28-2012 @ 8:27 PM |
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Thanks for the info and help. I have a porta-power and will try installing the spring tomorrow. As for Stroker, we have two good spring shops in Northern NH. Check with your parts supply. They usually know of any spring shops in your area. Harry
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| alanwoodieman | -- 04-29-2012 @ 7:21 PM |
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look for a big truck suspension shop in your area, most likely they can help, if not they should be able to send you to the right place
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| TomO | -- 05-01-2012 @ 7:00 AM |
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Stroker, have you looked for a replacement spring? There may be some NOS Ford springs around and very likely some period aftermarket springs. Re-arching the springs usually does not restore the ride as well as a new spring will. Mike Dennis had a large supply of NOS springs in the 1990s when I contacted him for one for my car. Tom
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| Stroker | -- 05-01-2012 @ 7:07 AM |
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Tom: I'll check that out. My problem with going with a truck shop is that neither they nor I would have a clue as to what the original arch should be. Thanks for the info! Dan
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| supereal | -- 05-01-2012 @ 11:26 AM |
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Dan: I'd opt for a new spring. Most old ones have wear pockets, and plenty of metal fatigue. Since you live close, you could try Chassis Engineering at West Branch. Last time I was there, they had racks of springs.
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| kubes40 | -- 05-01-2012 @ 1:06 PM |
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I side strongly with the folks that suggest you find a new spring. Re-arced springs even when done correctly will not keep their "lift" as new one would. Remember the steel is old, has become brittle and is fatigued. there is no way around that. NOS springs can be had. Easier yet is finding NOS main leaves.
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| Stroker | -- 05-01-2012 @ 4:04 PM |
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Super & Kube: I checked the site in West Branch, and it appears that for less that $150 bucks, my troubles could be solved. For some reason, it seems like dad always had front spring issues on his 38 wagon. His solution was a Helwig "stabilizer", which basically put the spring in a "bind" by drawing the eyes together via an auxiliary s-shaped, 2-part main leaf that was adjusted with horizontal U-bolts that acted to pull the eyes together. Interesting piece, and after driving this car off and on since the mid-50's, I will attest that it worked. I have kept this "crutch", as it is a period correct accessory, and will probably re-install it on my new front spring just to fake out those who have never seen one. Dan
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| supereal | -- 05-02-2012 @ 10:17 AM |
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I've seen a lot of spring "boosters" that were sold as aftermarket cures for weak or overloaded springs. They usually consisted of a strong coil spring connected to ends of the vehicle spring with curved brackets that just slipped on. Then the eye bolts that went to each end of the coil spring were cinched up. I even found one on a scale model of a '40 pickup from Danbury Mint in my collection. Lots of these "crutches" were sold by Western Auto and other plces to help keep the vehicles running during the war when new ones were unavailable. Another is the breather tube that carried blowby under the car so the smoke was not choking the driver.
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| TomO | -- 05-03-2012 @ 8:40 AM |
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Stroker, check out the NOS Ford parts suppliers for a NOS Ford spring. It will give you a better ride than the aftermarket springs. Tom
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| supereal | -- 05-03-2012 @ 10:25 AM |
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I once had a garage just a half block from Chassis Engineering where I kept my '47 convertible. The guys from CE would come over to measure parts of the chassis to be sure they were identical to the original. They are sticklers for accuracy, and do a nationwide business, mostly with the street rodders.Their website is www.chassisengineeringinc.com
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| trjford8 | -- 05-04-2012 @ 8:44 AM |
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Stroker, I use a lot of Chassis Engineering products on my old Fords. They produce great products, but they are not original. There would definitely be a difference between their springs and the original equipment. If you are not concerned about originality I would use the CE spring. If you want to be original then look for a NOS spring. Check your club roster for Louis Cote' in Nevada. I suspect he would have a NOS spring.
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| Stroker | -- 05-04-2012 @ 4:56 PM |
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All: Thank You for the great input. I will probably seek a NOS spring, but I'd like to know what the original spec's were, as I think Station Wagons were different than say, coupes.
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| TomO | -- 05-05-2012 @ 8:10 AM |
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Stroker, I cannot give you the spring specs, but can tell you that the front spring was the same for all body styles of the 85 HP chassis. There were 2 front springs available for the 38 cars, P/N 78-5310-C, which is an 11 leaf spring and 78-5310-D which is a 12 leaf spring for extremely rough roads. The rear spring for the SW is a 14 leaf spring P/N 78-5560-D. Tom
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