michael.warshaw Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 after some searching on the site i still dont know the answer do rear leaf springs go bad? my car doesnt sag, but do 65 year old leaf springs need to be replaced? if they do need to be replcaced are nos ones available or do you just go to the local spring shop and have them make you new ones. Quote
aero3113 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 I went to a local spring shop and they re-arched them and added a leaf to each. Quote
michael.warshaw Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Posted October 27, 2009 how much did that run mr aero. Quote
TodFitch Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 after some searching on the site i still dont know the answer do rear leaf springs go bad? my car doesnt sag, but do 65 year old leaf springs need to be replaced?if they do need to be replcaced are nos ones available or do you just go to the local spring shop and have them make you new ones. Springs should not go bad from just sitting lightly loaded (vehicle weight). So if your height is correct your springs are probably okay. Might need cleaning up. And the wear parts of the shackles might need attention. But the springs themselves are pretty reliable things as long as you don't overload them. Quote
aero3113 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 At the same time I had them install new front springs that I had and also mount and balance my new white wall tires. I think the total was around $400 maybe less for all the work. Not sure the exact cost for the leaf springs. Quote
michael.warshaw Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Posted October 27, 2009 oh sounds good maybe ill just sand blast the springs, were they painted or natural? Quote
aero3113 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 (edited) The ones I received from ESPO springs were black. Here are some before and after pics. I had to get this work done so my WWW tires would fit. Before After Before After Before Before After Edited October 28, 2009 by aero3113 Quote
Captain Neon Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 More than likely, you need new shocks. Your ride height probably has more to do with that than your springs. Quote
aero3113 Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 I replaced the shocks also on mine. I got them from www.rockauto.com Quote
michael.warshaw Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Posted October 28, 2009 im talking about the leaf springs, i wanted to know if the rear leafs have to be replaced. Quote
baldbusdriver Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 if your car is sitting at or close to the correct ride height, then no replacement isnt needed. you can just give them a good cleaning and paint em up how you want and should be good to go. it they are looking kinda flat or even bending backwards then its time to refurbish or replace. the steel use it springs is pretty tough stuff. as long as there's no damage or warping on them then all is good. Quote
michael.warshaw Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Posted October 28, 2009 were they balck or natural metal in color. Quote
baldbusdriver Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 to be honest I dont know what color they were from the factory. was waaay before my time. I do know that my car has a covering over the springs, kinda like aluminun siding, so I cant see if there is anything color on them. but most other cars I've had in the past have been painted black, so to me it seems to be a reasonable quess that they were black on the earlier mopars as well. even if they were natural, it seems like a good idea to have some sort of protection to keep the corrosion to a minimum, in my opinion. Quote
Normspeed Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 Seems like there used to be link to the Plymouth Owners Club where they had a list of original colors, for judging purposes at shows. Quote
greg g Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) I have to disagree about the shocks being what determins ride height, Unless they are air shocks or adjustable coil overs or have helper springs on them. The springs and their resistance to the load they carry are what determins ride height speaking of an unladen vehical, adding wieght will lower the ride height as the springs try to resist it. The shock absorbers are better understood as refered to on European terms as dampers. they are there only to resist the movement of the springs once it has been introduced to the suspension. Afer all if you can maually collapse a brand new shock how can it resist the 800 to 1000 lbs or more placed on it by a corner of the car or truck. Leaf springs if not broken can be retempered and re-arched, restoring or increasing the ride height of the vehicle. Coils once sagged are pretty much non serviceable. Edited October 28, 2009 by greg g Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 Mine appeared to be unpainted metal. They were coming apart and didn't have much of an arch to them and I replaced them. I got mine from Espo also (also known as Springs n' Things). I don't recall how much they were. You can find them online and I believe they list prices. They came unpainted and I painted them black just to keep the rust off. Here they are: I would definitely replace the shocks, though. Even if the springs themselves are fine, you might want to replace the bushings. Boy, if you want to get dirty, that's a job for you. Quote
Niel Hoback Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 Paint your springs or you will have this happen 60 years from now. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 There you go, Michael. When you're 100 years old and you bend down to look under your car (IF you can bend over to look under your car), you don't want to see something like that. It seems to me that the springs on some of these old cars have very little to no arch in them. The ones aero pictured were practically flat. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 I wonder if that's from overloading or just from age. Quote
baldbusdriver Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 I would sat those spring are a lowridin'. hey, I just noticed that posies has springs for mopars, supposed to lower 3 inches without using blocks. looks like they have lowered spindles too. sorry bout the hijack for a sec, just another option I just found. Quote
Niel Hoback Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 It's from age and overloading. I use a roof rack and a small trailer and try to keep the weight down if I can. Quote
greg g Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) I believe that the spring wrap visible in the picture above is one of the reasons that our springs deteriorated. They held in any moisture that got in there. And if the cars were stored outside over damp ground it got worse. Hate to say it, Niel, but it looks like there may one or more broken leaves under that wrap. Another problem as it was not easy to visually inspect them under the wraping. Arches usually don't have angles. Edited October 29, 2009 by greg g Quote
james curl Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 Mine like most P-15s that I've seen are metal wrapped. I do not know how you could replace it after you removed it to paint the springs. I just painted the entire underside of my car black. Quote
Frank Elder Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 It's in the manual on how to remove and reinstall the wrap. Quote
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