I'm restoring my 1921 leaf springs. They look OK, but have some pitting where they were exposed to the weather. Is it OK to fill the pits with a little body putty? I've read not to paint the springs where they contact each other, and only to use graphite grease. Is that the general consensus?

Thanks,

Phil Jamison
PA

I'd take them to a shop that can make you new ones. They're not that expensive. If you decide that you still want to fill them, I think lead would be better than body putty (nevermind, per Bob's post further on down).

I hereby offer another opinion:

Completely disassemble & clean all leaves. Use "Slip-Plate" Graphite dry film lubricant (special spray paint you can get from your John Deere dealer). Reassemble and use super thin body filler or just repaint the exposed surfaces of the leaves to fill imperfections and sand down to achieve a smooth surface.

The dry lubricant will make your springs work better where it counts...between the leaves.

We disassemble leaf springs, grind away pits if superficial, seal and paint each leaf separately then reassemble the spring pack using appropriate lube and then if necessary for appearance we respray the assembled springs. Luckily we have a local spring shop that can make most any spring we need though if rounded ends are necessary we need to grind those ourselves.

I would think, though, that after 90 years they'll need to be re-arched at the very least. No?

Not so sure using lead is a good reccomendation. Depending on the alloy, the melting point of lead (or solder) is approaching the spring temper temperature of the steel. A slight over heat and you will turn your springy spring into a limp noodle.
Body fill will work fine or the suggestion of new ones is even better...........Bob

Any recommendations for new spring makers? I know of Eaton, but perhaps there is another in Philadelphia/Lancaster area.

Phil Jamison

Jeff (Restorer32)... meet Phil.
"Luckily we have a local spring shop that can make most any spring we need though if rounded ends are necessary we need to grind those ourselves."

I just bought a pair for my 56 Chrysler from ESPO. I picked them up at their place of business near Danville, PA because I wanted to eye ball them. They aren't installed yet so I can't say how the riding height will be but they sure do look good. Leaf ends are both tapered and rounded, the stack is tight, and they have nylon anti sqeak pads just like the originals. The price was about half what they would have been from Kanter, $270 vs $550 and they had them in 3 days. I also saw a pair from Eton. The leaf ends were just chopped off square with no taper..........Bob

Hi Mark,
I tried out the "Slip-Plate" graphite film spray on the
concave side of my painted spring leafs; pretty neat
stuff!
Thanks,
Joe

I would grind them smooth with a disc grinder but not worry about pits, just run over them to smooth them off.

Smooth out the "notch" that forms where the end of one leaf grinds against the next leaf.

Then give them 2 or 3 coats of rust proof paint like Tremclad or Rustoleum.

This type paint seems to stay flexible and works great on springs.

You may still have a little pitting but not real noticable.

If you want to be totally smooth, grind them as above, then sandblast and primer. Sand smooth and paint.

By the way I'm talking about the kind of disc grinder used on bodywork, the flexible kind, not the hard kind used for grinding down welds.

I have also done business with ESPO...nice product, good service...GREAT price.

ESPO has provided me with leaf and coil springs for our '41, '52 and '54 Caddy Convertibles as well as quickly shipping nearly all of the Front-end steering and suspension components to keep us touring.

I find them to be reliable, modestly priced, and very decent to deal with. Their parts are "made in the USA", which is important to me.

There are times you may want to check with Rareparts.com , because they seem to have the original specs to create obsolete parts. More importantly, you can speak with a real engineer who can advise, and save you time and expense, sometimes even telling you what not to buy, and how to clean and adjust parts which likely do not need replacement, based upon their experience.

Marty Roth

1930 Packard 7-Pass Touring
1934 Buick 34-57 Sedan
1941 Cadillac Conv. Coupe
1954 Cadillac Conv. Coupe
1970 Cadillac Conv. Coupe