Installing a Model A Rear End / Need Advice

[Rob Doe]

Is it uncommon to have to use a lever / crow bar to guide the rear spring into the cross member when initially lifting the unit to reattach the spring?

When lifting our coupes rear end, as the spring reaches the u-bolts it contacts the edge of the end of the bolt, which is outside the ~ 1/2" flange on the x-member and a couple inches down. The u-bolt has been pushed upward as far as it will go. The spring is fully shackled to axle housings at both perches and the nuts and bars of the shackles are finger tight.

I first suspected that the rear end had slipped rearward at the u-joint, but that was not the case, I can pull the unit rearward and then push it forward to hear a klunk sound when it hits the forward limit of the u-joint. I've checked the clearances top, bottom, and sides of the torque tubes front bell where it encapsulates the inner u-joint cover. It looks close and correct all round. The rear end is still about 5" from the fully installed height so the bell is sloped downward, but appears to have close and equal clearances. I believe I could bolt up the clam shells, but it's not time to do so according to the red book.

The spring appears to be straight to the naked eye, vertically perpendicular to the torque tube, but the spring is the remnants of the incorrect 10 leaf spring that was removed to rebuild the rear end. Leaves 7 and 9 were removed to make it an 8 leaf spring for a coupe as per Marco Tahtaras spring diagram. The spring was stripped to bare metal and painted with slip plate.