Rear leaf spring

[Pdv]

Took the spring apart and cleaned all the rust and years of dirt and oil etc only to

 Find when clean that the top leaf has an F stamped on it.

Asked a very knowledgeable person about this and they said that the replacement ones do not have an F on them and did not know why the originals did.

Not doubting this person opinion as he must have fitted loads over the years.

Just wondered  if anyone had any thoughts experience of this.

Thanks

Steve 

[NonMember]

Original factory rear springs for Heralds and derivatives were, indeed, marked "FRONT" or similar. Nobody seems to know why, as the spring is symmetrical. Possibly it was just to avoid apprentices and new hires asking how they could tell which way round to fit it.

[JohnD]

The "FRONT" stamp on springs was a later addition.    You are quite right that the springs are symmetrical and could go on either way, but I think this was a production measure, so that the guy fitting the spring didn't try one way and then the other, if it didn't slot on at once.     Any production line is very sensitive to unpredictable delays, and even that short hiatus could ricochet back up the line and cause snarl ups.

John

[PeteH]

There apears to be no logic in it. But the thinking could be along the lines, is that it reduces the possibilty of being reversed If removed, "spring" steel has a tendency to like it`s set position(s) and with age, will protest to the point of breakage if made to conform to a new setting.

Pete

[Pete Lewis]

yes it was added so that  50 years later we could all have to ask why   !!!!

being from a production background the clue to aid the operator is the best we have 

in mass production a lot of simple tasks have a simple reason   its knowing why is the challenge 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

They also marked springs 'front' but put the word along the rear edge, too. Does that mean you read it as it looks, so the other edge is the front, or is the word 'front' closest to the actual front, but read from the 'front' of the car so that it's the right way up?

 

 

[Pete Lewis]

Im realy pleased triumph never wrote a sex manual  !!!!!

Pete

[Peter Truman]

I had the same issue with my Vitesse and after long personnel deliberation decided on front at the front ie read upside down from the rear.

As the car is lower on the right rear I reckon I was right ie one up big driver only  for most of its working life.

Hey it’s an argument for the way I installed it?

[Pdv]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies, some good ones, the reply from Pete h makes sense, but yes why?.

Thanks

Steve

 

 

 

[GFL]

Just to add to this debate, if you look at all the original Parts/Workshop Manual sketches for the Triumph Herald/Spitfire Swing axle & Roto-flex type rear suspension, it shows the majority of the bolts that make up the rear suspension with the heads facing forwards and the nuts facing rearwards, this includes the bolt heads on the 'U' clamps of the rear spring.

I don't know if there is a practical or engineering reason for this, can anyone offer any comments? 

Regards

Gary  

[JohnD]

You'll notice that in the drawing, all the bolts on the spring shackles are shown installed, rather than 'exploded', and with the heads forward, as you say.   So, the nuts and washers are behind the spring - and need not be drawn!

It's labour saving!

[Colin Lindsay]

Just read online in another Triumph forum that back in the day springs were 'weighted' to the driver's side to prevent sag on that particular side, where the driver was in the vehicle much more than any passengers who would balance the weight.

If that was the case then the driver's side would have to be identifiable for fitment. It seems this practice eventually died out resulting in springs having the same weighting or strengthening on both sides, but some still display the word 'front'.

Wonder if that's true?

[Pete Lewis]

an arrow would be more useful  read from anyside the pointy bit is > 

its common for front springs to be packed to compensate for the road camber not heard of that for a transverse rear or front spring 

same as the ideas the small dia anti roll bar has a pre made set in it   which is not the way to change a lean but can make one .

but in the corridor of myths its a good idea    we need a section for  IF ONLY WE KNEW  

Pete

[PeteH]

Front to rear, would not appear to be crtical, except that with the majority people Right Handed, Fitting the bolt with the left hand and fastening the nut with the right hand, would be "natural". However fitting bolts from above and "Nutting" Below, has a purpose, should the nut be lost, the bolt remains in place and is not lost as well. In many cases that would prevent an immediate danger. Loss of full control for example.

Pete

[JohnD]

In the US, a n optional dealer mod, was a spacer under the left front spring.   This was allegedly to compensate for the fuel tank and the driver being on the same side.   But cruel me thinks that the size of some US buyers may have prompted the mod too?

[Don Cook]

My spring...just to add to the confusion!

[GFL]

1 hour ago, Don Cook said:

My spring...just to add to the confusion!

Don

I think that spring was made on April the 1st? 😁

[Pete Lewis]

well Don is approaching the subject on TWO fronts   Ha !

 

[DerekS]

In engineering it is good practice, if at all possible, to orientate bolts so that if the nut comes off, then the bolt is still in place ( hopefully  ) ie top to bottom or front to back.

Derek

[JohnD]

This is clearly a Quantum spring; it is in both positions at once!

[PeteH]

44 minutes ago, JohnD said:

This is clearly a Quantum spring; it is in both positions at once!

Back to the Karma Sutra Again?.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Never fight a spring on two fronts. 

[Peter Truman]

Interestingly the Front Stamp has been imprinted with force the spring leaf appears to have bulged out locally where stamped.

Being right handed I put the bolts in rear to front so I can tap them in eg suspension bush bolts when aligning. But a Triumph publicity shot of the Vitesse Mk2 chassis painted multi colours to highlight components show the bolts front to rear. I ain't changing them!!

[Colin Lindsay]

The shackle bolts on the spring can't be changed (can't see them in that pic), being already fitted, so they're the ones I usually put with nuts to the rear and take the orientation of the spring by the way they're facing. All the others are owner's choice but I always put the nut to the rear.

 

[dougbgt6]

15 hours ago, JohnD said:

This is clearly a Quantum spring; it is in both positions at once!

So it's not broken until you look?

The petrol tank and driver on opposite sides doesn't work on a GT6. 

And don't lets get started on the left handed debate!

Douig