alsfarms

Is anyone else to the point of dealing with frame/suspension and spring issues as you build your speedsters? Share your learning here for all our benefit. Al

Hello Dave and Jan, Could you take a look at the picture I posted of an EBAY back cab panel and share your thoughts on it being a Dodge Bros. Screenside cab back panel. Thanks, Al

Hello Dave, could you look at the above attached picture of an EBAY back cab panel and tell me if you think it may be Dodge Brothers? This panel is back on EBAY again. Al

This picture is of the other side of the car and shows the original main leaf spring that was installed at the Locomobile factory in 1909. The end is forged and not rolled like most typical springs. I need to drill and install the spring alignment clips when I do the actual assembly. Al

Here is a picture of one of the damaged and repaired sometime long ago, front springs. The main leaf is not correct. Al

Here is a picture of my new purchased duplicate springs. They rounded the ends and tapered them, they look nice. Al

Here is a picture of the, virgin from the Locmombile factory in 1909, front spring set from the other side of my car. This spring is damaged on the other end and requires replacement also. Note the forged front end of the spring that forms the fitment into the front frame horn, it does not have a typical rolled formed eye like most springs. Locomobile must have thought this design was deluxe when they engineered the car! (I am not so sure about that!) Also note the "riveted on" spring stack alignment clip. I will need to drill and install these same alignment clips when I assemble the springs to the axles and frame, coming soon! Al

Hello Gary, Are your spring shackle bolts grade 8 or grade 5? I should give Eaton spring a call and see what dimension the bronze bushing they have come in. I would probably want a blank or one with a pilot hole only. Do you have your axles/springs all set up and assembled? A few postings up you will see the shackle bolts with provisions for greasing, very similar to what you have built for your Indy Studebaker, but in my case, more appropriate for this brass era automobile. I built my shackle bolts out of 4140 so I can toughen then with heat treatment but not make then brittle before installation. I have included the yellow brass cover that will be very similar to a "pinch top" fitting as found in 1909. Al

Here is one of my original replacement front springs that was broken some time....long ago.... Others of the spring stack are also broken. The whole spring set needed to be replaced. Pay attention to the eye. It is a replacement and does not match the absolute original main leave shown next.

Here is a close-up of the nice job the spring shop did to built these springs for me. Al

I thought I would follow up with a few additional pictures for springs. This is a picture showing the profile of one of the new front spring sets purchased a few years ago. They have a matching taper and end profile to the originals. Al

Hello Joe, Your thoughts echo exactly my thoughts to make a significant improvement to the main leaf eyes. I am certain that I could ream the existing eye holes just larger than what it is now and I agree, would not need to make a "perfect" ID. I would probably use a good grade bushing bronze, pre-drilling a pilot hole only, before pushing back in place. (That way I would minimize any additional distortion). Lastly I would drill/ream to fit my new machined shackle pins. I would then be able to sleep nights with out the spring eye dilemma bugging me! I am trying to not over engineer this issue, but I simply can't live with it the way it is! Al

Hello Mike, You hit the nail right on the head, regarding this problem! I am so happy with the rest of the new made spring stacks that I am just swallowing hard on the problem with the eyes. The issue does bug me to the point that I will remove the existing bushing, ream oversize and build a custom bushing to push back in. I will probably have a pilot hole only to start with, so I don't distort the bushing when pushing it in place. Then I will finish the ID of the hole to match my new machined shackle bolts after the new bushing is in place. Al

Here is a picture of one of the main leaf end eyes. I am very happy with the rest of the spring stack as they have nice tapers and rounded as the originals. However, I am not that pleased with the "out of round" bushing. I had thought of having yet another main leaf built for each of the four corners. After more study, I think I will push out these bushings, then ream the hole over-sided (without impairing the strength of the spring) then machining some new custom deluxe homemade "round" steel bushings to push in and fit properly my new shackle pins.

Here is one of many of the chassis and suspension grease fittings that I have machined. These will have the same "pinch top" design brass grease caps. I made these caps to be able to bottom out on the threads before hitting the head of the grease zerk. That way they will not rattle off while I am driving down the road.

This is a restored rear spring rear shackle, with a new pin installed.

This is the inside of the brass grease cap that shows extra room for the grease zerk.

This shows the machined and threaded end of the shackle bolt that will thread on the grease cap and have provision for a typical modern grease fitting. I did this to assure that I get things greased and keep it clean! I need to clean and heat treat all the 4140 parts to toughen them up before I put them into service.

Here is a picture of one of my new machined 4140 shackle bolts , along with the yellow brass grease cap. I am not quite finished with the cap. It will be configured like the typical "pinch top" design.

Here is a picture of the exact duplicate spring shackles I machined out. The left shows the outside and the right shows the inside. Al

The original main spring design has a nice tight eye in each with a steel bushing to carry the shackle bolt, but worn out severely. (The old springs are stacked with a bunch of other Locomobile parts that I can't easily get to at the moment). Here is a picture of an eye on one of the new main leafs for this car as built by a shop several years ago. The eye is not real round, according to what the bushing looks like. This is the same configuration as was the factory original spring. I think I can remove the bushing and ream to an oversize that will not marginalize the eye of the spring then install a new "Round" OD and ID custom bushing. If I keep the thing greased, I should never need to replace the bushings in my lifetime. Al

Hello Al, This rear shackle, as seen above, is not mounted to the car in the typical fashion. The large hole on the bottom rides on a solid "bar" that runs across the back of the car with one of these shackles on each end. That cross bar just fits in the larger hole at the bottom. The open end o the shackle is up and that is where the eye of the spring will be. The spring eye should be bushed for a 1/2" shackle bolt. Al

Upon close inspection of the main spring leaf eyes, they are certainly not perfect! I was almost to the point of having another set of main leafs built. However, I decided that I can probably push out the existing deformed steel bushings, ream the spring eyes out 1/16" then machine some custom deluxe homemade steel bushings with a good fit in the spring eye and provide a proper fit on the new shackle bolts I have built. My isn't this hobby fun! I will try to post a few pictures of the progress on the chassis and suspension of the Locomobile tomorrow, (while I continue to sort out the fuel delivery system). Al

This picture is of the original rebuilt rear spring shackle, one for each rear spring. New Oilite bronze bushing is installed. Locomobile engineered a very robust shakle piece here. Al

Here is the inside of one of the many grease caps I have mostly built. I will finish the top to appear like the typical "pinch top" grease caps that is found on our brass era cars. I have machined room in there for the head of the modern grease fitting and allow this cap to be snugged down tight by hand so they will not rattle off when going down the road. these will be finished smooth and polished to a high luster. These caps are all yellow brass. Al