Lahti35 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 (edited) Looking for a 6 leaf pre '23 spring for the front of the car. The bushings can be worn but not into the spring itself. No spring shop I have contacted has been able make me leafs with the correct eye shape to support the bushings in the eyes, both that said they could failed. Pm me if you have a spring, or even just the main leaf. Thanks! Edited September 9 by Lahti35 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 5 hours ago, Lahti35 said: Looking for a set of pre '23 top spring leaves with eyes for the front of the car. The bushings can be worn but not into the spring itself. I just need the top leaf x2. No spring shop I have contacted can make me leafs with the correct eye shape to support the bushings in the eyes, the one that said they could failed. Pm me if you have those leaves, my 1920 roadster is stuck on jack stands until I can get some good leafs. Thanks! Have you tried Eaton-Detroit Spring? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 (edited) 21 hours ago, keiser31 said: Have you tried Eaton-Detroit Spring? They were one of the folks I talked too, another company did the work (ironically, ED said they were good folks which they were but something happened on this job). Eaton Detroit just said to send them down and were kinda slow on response, didn't exactly inspire confidence but I did send them pics of the original eye to see if they could replicate it. The issue is that the bushings in the eyes are thin, they cannot support the weight of the car by themselves. The spring eye needs to make a circle supporting 100% of the bushing where the spring curls around and touches itself. This is the exact area where there is no support unless the leaf is tapered and rolled onto itself. The weight of the car will just deform any bushing not supported. The other company tried but fell short by heating the eye and bending it. I wonder if these were made by pushing the steeling into a die to curl them over tight, the originals are nearly seamless. Would have been interesting to see them made. Edited July 19 by Lahti35 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 You can see the difference between the original at the top and the new on on the bottom. The old ones have a nice tight wrap with no gap, which is important as that spot where the leaf wraps around is exactly where the weight of the car rests. The new ones are not made correctly, they have a huge gap there. The bushing itself cannot support the car without the spring steel backing it. A previous owner rebushed one worn eye and the bushing went all egg shaped, probably why they didn't do the others. This original eye is the best of the lot, the others are worse! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayG Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 (edited) Can the original be drilled and steel sleeved then bushed? Edited July 20 by JayG (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 I wonder if a guy could make a piece to fill that gap. Did you send this photo to the place that built the replacements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 On 7/20/2024 at 7:10 AM, JayG said: Can the original be drilled and steel sleeved then bushed? It may be possible, I hate to weaken them but it's not totally off the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 20 hours ago, JACK M said: I wonder if a guy could make a piece to fill that gap. Did you send this photo to the place that built the replacements? I briefly thought about some JB weld but I don't think it would last with any flexing going on. I sent a nice letter to the spring shop with pics outlining the issues but haven't heard back yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 (edited) I was thinking more like a shaped piece of steel, possibly hammered in there. Maybe even a dowel or the likes. I am an old dirt racer, we try lots of cobbles. LOL Edited July 22 by JACK M (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gregush Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 I wonder if slow cure JB wouldn't work fine for the amount these cars would be driven? I used it on the stub shaft on one side of my 20 because the nut came loose and allowed the whole rear hub assembly to rock a bit grooving the stub shaft. Last time I checked it was doing ok. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutdown Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 (edited) Find a blacksmith who knows what he is doing. That bottom spring is a ballsup. They should have worked out the correct shape before bending the end [ which is normally softened prior to bending around the correct sized mandrel.] It is possible for them to open up the eye a bit, grind the shape, and reshape the bend. It may shorten the effective length a tiny amount but could be ok. How bad is the original spring you have. Picture!!. You could probably get away with ramiing JB weld ito the gap on the original depending on how bad it is. its not like the car is going to do 1000's of miles eh. Edited July 23 by cutdown (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minibago Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 In Australia a tour is usually a three day or more event with 100 miles a day of driving a common occurrence. I feel a proper repair or replacement should be recommended. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 I got a refund from the company, all done with them. I sent a picture to Eaton and they say they can make the tight wrapped eye. I sent measurements to an early Dodge parts dealer last night that has a pile of springs, he just needed to know what to look for. I would rather stay away from anything but a correct fix, I think I'll get there. Too bad it's the long way around the barn more often than not these days! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted September 8 Author Share Posted September 8 The search continues! The new set was no good, yet again bad eyes and a very poor bushing fit. Looking for earlier that '23 main front leaf springs. The main leaf on the earlier cars is thicker than the rest of the pack. I'll get some measurements tomorrow... I'll try Romar again as well as Myers but I thought I'd revive this thread also... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted September 9 Author Share Posted September 9 Still looking! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gregush Posted September 10 Share Posted September 10 Dodge Brothers front spring 1919-1923 pair | eBay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lahti35 Posted September 10 Author Share Posted September 10 11 hours ago, Mark Gregush said: Dodge Brothers front spring 1919-1923 pair | eBay I talked with him yesterday. Unfortunately, these are a 7 leaf spring I need the 6 leaf unit. The main leaf on the 6 leaf unit is thicker than the rest, on the 7 leaf spring they appear to be all the same thickness. Thanks for the heads up though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now