rolyberkin Posted May 16, 2019 Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 My car is 50 this year, so I am looking at her suspension, I am about to replace the shock absorbers and front springs, should I be replacing the rear leaf spring or refurbishing it by repacing the rubber thrust buttons, is it the kind of thing that needs replacing due to losing it's 'spring' or am I just making work for myself and just leave it alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 16, 2019 Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 it doesnt hurt to strip the leaves and fit new pads . but left alone it will probably be ok anyway that doesnt help much sorry Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 1 minute ago, Pete Lewis said: it doesnt hurt to strip the leaves and fit new pads . but left alone it will probably be ok anyway that doesnt help much sorry Pete Pete I have a slight lean to one side (drivers side), is wear on the rear leaf spring likely to be contributing to this issue? I know I have to jack up the car to look at the front and the rear to see where the problem is but was in the process of replacing the front shocks and springs and rear shocks in any case so was waiting to see if that has a positive affect. KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 16, 2019 Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 leans can come from anywhere , yes jack the front then the rear as centrally as possible so you now which end has the lean can be anything from a anti roll bar , to dropped diff mounts , and all parts in between . theres no simple answer other than its a classic when you find the fault it never cures the problem ...its built in defeat. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 Had a day off yesterday and started to jack my car up from the front to see where the possible lean was, I got the front jacked up and there is a definate lean to the back back drivers side so think the starting point has to be the shocks and play with the rear spring. At that point I got a call from someone who needed my services urgently so had to close the garage door (again!) taking the wheels off tomorrow to go in for powdercoating so will have a look at what the front is doing.:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 Hi what car is this ??? Theres no gas in the rear shockers they sit static , no reason why they would make a lean or affect ride heights Do check the drive shaft thats visible is same length both sides Then is siezed trunnions or back to a saggy spring Dont forget the diff mounts control the body/spring relationships Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 7 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: Hi what car is this ??? Theres no gas in the rear shockers they sit static , no reason why they would make a lean or affect ride heights Do check the drive shaft thats visible is same length both sides Then is siezed trunnions or back to a saggy spring Dont forget the diff mounts control the body/spring relationships Pete Thanks for the advice Pete The car is Spitfire MK3, I will take a look tomorrow at your other pointers tomorrow. KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 A shocker thats seized up wil affect heights , you may just be able to pop the lower eye off the mount to eliminate them There are two drive shafts the later were 1/2" longer , a quick tape measure of the shaft when under will show up any mis match Not uncommon for these to get mixed and not matched can show as wierd camber on one side Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s99sdp Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 I've had the same problem with my late Mk3. I replaced the rear shocks (twice) and the rear spring for what I thought was a decent one and I still have the same issue. I may either refurb the spring I took off or send it to someone who actually knows what they're doing 😂 and then swap it back in and see how that works. I heard someone say that you can put a Mk4 spring in, is that correct? SP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 yes a swing spring + box and associated fittings + brake pipe routes need to clear the large and mobile spring eye pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 Pete may correct me on this but I don't think the spring is directional, so if you have a driver's side sag due to a tired (non-swing) spring it should be possible to turn it round and get a passenger-side sag instead. If you mostly drive one-up then your weight will tend to level the car out 😛 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 19 minutes ago, NonMember said: Pete may correct me on this but I don't think the spring is directional 😛 I bought a brand new Herald Estate rear spring many moons ago and it said 'front' on the top. This would have been an indication of directional fitting except that the lettering was stamped along one edge, so I've no idea if the lettering was to go to the front - in which case it read backwards when viewed from the rear of the car - or if it was fitted so that the lettering read correctly from the rear, in which case it was at the back. I fitted it with the word at the front, even if it was then upside down, and have no idea if it ever made any difference. I usually fit them so that the nuts on the brackets are at the back, to reduce corrosion. The NOS GT6 swing spring I bought didn't say anything at all, so again I fitted it with the bolt heads at the front. For component parts other than leaves (no idea if they do the nylon buttons, though) try this lot: https://www.gbsprings.co.uk/heritage-car-springs/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlubikey Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 32 minutes ago, NonMember said: so if you have a driver's side sag due to a tired (non-swing) spring it should be possible to turn it round and get a passenger-side sag instead. ... or even swap alternate leaves to try and even out any bias! Cheers, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 If the sag is potentially due to the spring would it be best to get the spring refurbished by GB springs? Out of interest I have sent them an enquiry to see the price difference between buying a new spring and having the old one refurbished? If the spring has had a lifetime of weight primarily on one side it would surely not be unreasponable to assume that the leaves may have a memory to that side? The next poll is do I stick with a standard spring or change to a swing spring, heard so many arguments for an against? I have ordered new shocks all round and front springs so whilst everything is apart I am tempted to do it all in one hit and hope that it comes down looking good!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s99sdp Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 Let us know the outcome of the enquiry you sent to GB springs please. SP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said: yes a swing spring + box and associated fittings + brake pipe routes need to clear the large and mobile spring eye pete Pete If you buy a Mk3 spring kit from Rimmers do you still have to re route the brake pipes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 1 minute ago, s99sdp said: Let us know the outcome of the enquiry you sent to GB springs please. SP Will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 Had a lean on my Vitesse, the rear diff mounting holes in the chassis on one side had become elongated. My understanding was that the only reason the rear spring is marked front was to stop the question which way. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 well a mk3 rimmers spring should be a direct swap on a mk3 spit like for like ....thats the expectation the swinger has a much larger and moving curled eye ,this is what will wack the original pipe route on bump and rebound . Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted May 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2019 On 23/05/2019 at 13:29, s99sdp said: Let us know the outcome of the enquiry you sent to GB springs please. SP GB Springs no longer refurbish springs as they states it makes them brittle? New spring from them is £100 inc delivered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s99sdp Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 On 31/05/2019 at 06:23, rolyberkin said: GB Springs no longer refurbish springs as they states it makes them brittle? New spring from them is £100 inc delivered. Have you installed your new spring yet? If so, how does it look now? SP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolyberkin Posted June 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2019 Unfortunately no, too much work and am currently trying to sort out a few pre MOT electrical problems!, will let you know when I have fitted it and post some pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s99sdp Posted November 21, 2019 Report Share Posted November 21, 2019 After 3 months of many attempts to get a reply from GB Springs they've finally got back to me!! Yay!!! I'll get the spring delivered in the next week or so and maybe have it down as a Christmas project to replace that and all the rear end bushes. I clearly don't like having money in my pocket. SP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted November 21, 2019 Report Share Posted November 21, 2019 Keep us updated especially if they're worth dealing with. I can forgive a company that spends more time in the workshop than on the computer if their product is worth the wait. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s99sdp Posted November 21, 2019 Report Share Posted November 21, 2019 He's called it a 'transverse spring', is that correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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