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Old 07-29-2025, 05:19 PM   #2
Joe K
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Cow Hampshire
Posts: 4,607
Default Re: Front leaf spring

Standard Model A front spring has 10 leaves.

Clamp/bracket is on the 5th from bottom, and there is a dimple/hole there to catch the dimple pressed into the bracket.

A drawing of the spring is part of a previous post. Thanks to Brentwood Bob a difficult to read version is attached to https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...t=front+spring

The drawing shows the construction details. You will note that the spring widths are all the same for all leaves, except for the uppermost which has the top corners "eased" to fit the frame cross member. But the various leaves are of at least two thicknesses - I'll leave the drawing for you to determine what exactly you have from Bob's drawing.

Note also that "aftermarket" springs have been around. I myself played with a front spring bought from JC Whitney "back in the day" which had only eight leaves and which was surprisingly "stiffer" than the original front spring - or any others I have bought subsequently.

I have joked about this JC Whitney spring and called it a "trailer spring" - which might have been its original design/marketplace.

A similar observation from "Model A Front Springs" seen available on Ebay, both standard and "reverse eye." The tendency seems to go thicker on the leaves in economy, with less of them.

Also keep in mind that Ford offered "12 leaf" front springs "for use on automobiles subject to severe service."

Also keep in mind that Ford regularly supplied "12 leaf" front springs in the 1-3/4 automobile width for AA trucks produced in the span 1928-October 1929, possibly longer. These may or may not be the 12 leaf spring used on the automobiles and share only the top-most leaf with the 10 leaf car spring. See https://aafords.com/aa-chassis/aa-53...131-1927-1929/ for details/thicknesses of Truck front springs.

After October 1929 Ford offered a 1-3/4 "car width" 18 leaf spring as a service upgrade to those earlier trucks/owners wishing to confirm an "upgrade" in capacity.

I'm telling you about these others as you may have "bits and pieces" of "other" springs.

The 1930s through the late 50s were a "busy" Model A time, with a lot of "this fits so why not use it" attitude. What they substituted MAY have been an improvement - or possibly not.


Joe K
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Last edited by Joe K; 07-29-2025 at 06:25 PM.
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