Rear Spring

[Mulletwagon]

Planning on changing the rear spring on the 31 Tudor. Should I go 8 leafs or 10 leafs ? Does any supplier provide springs made in the good old USA ?

[alexiskai]

Bert's and Snyder's both sell US-made 10-leaf rear springs

[Mulletwagon]

Not getting much insight. How many leafs were originally on the rear springs of the Tudors. I can count at least six on mine but more are shielded by the frame shrouding retaining the spring. Thinking there is probably no noticeable ride difference between an 8 or 10 leaf unit. Watcha think ?

[Curtis in MA]

Check out A-Springs.com in Ct.
I think 10 for the heavier cars and 8 for the coupes and roadsters.

[Joe K]

Tom Wesenberg has brought us Marco's "Spring Chart" before. The link is https://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62383 but unfortunately the picture is blurry being sourced at one of the no longer functionable photo hosting sites.

Still, Tom gives us the description of the Model A springs and their application.

A is for body style 55A, 130A, 140, 295A (10 leaf)
Tudor, Delux Delivery, Town Cars

B is for body style 35A,B; 45A,B; 49A; 50A,B; 68A,B; 190A (8 leaf)
Phaeton, Coupes, Fourdor Steelback, Vicky

C is for body style 40A,B (7 leaf)
Roadster

D is for body style 60A,B,C; 130A,B; 155A,B,C,D; 165A,B,C,D; 170A,B;255A (10 leaf)
Fordor Leatherback, Delux Delivery, Town Sedan (Murray & Briggs), Fordor (Murray & Briggs)

E is for body style 76A,B; 78A,B; 79A,B; 82A,B; 85A,B; 150A,B; 225A (10 leaf)
Pickup, Panel Delivery

Thanks Marco for all the time you spend to do research and post valuable information!

As I was about to say, there are THREE 10-leaf spring variants out there, and it would appear that the Tudor was originally a 10 leaf.

Not to say that you might not go to an 8.

BUT - you may find a distinct difference between the three 10-leaf versions - I know for fact that the truck spring is QUITE stiff - as befits it's non-complaining majority load.

And - unless you find the part number with the applicable end-letter stamped into the spring clamp, it may not be possible to tell one from another without getting serious about measuring the spring, understanding it's make-up (including leaf thicknesses) and determining positively which it is. Not an easy task - but made easier by buying new and selecting your number from the vendor offerings.

Most retailers now sell quality rear springs - at least for the rear. There are still a couple of JC Whitney type front springs out there in retail land (i.e. converted trailer springs) so be careful of that.

The head and shoulders source for springs (where most retailers source them now) is www.a-springs.com

Joe K

[Mulletwagon]

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Joe K - You da man !!
Thanx

[Patrick L.]

I would think it has, or came, with a10 leaf, but, I think it would depend on what type of ride you're looking for. Do you want a soft or firm ride ? Do you have rear passengers often ?

[Mulletwagon]

Going with a 10-leaf. More concerned with ride height and zero lean than comfort. Only backseat riders are the grandkids - comfort not an issue.

[ursus]

Originally Posted by Mulletwagon

Going with a 10-leaf. More concerned with ride height and zero lean than comfort. Only backseat riders are the grandkids - comfort not an issue.

Good idea! Henry Ford put 10 leaves under the rear of the Tudor for a reason.

[Joe K]

We'll need to find you a complete chart then, so you'll be able to measure up what you see and get the CORRECT 10-Leaf.

Right now Marco Tahtaras' most excellent site www.abarnyard.com (the original site for a long while) seem inaccessible.

I'm not finding the chart anywhere else online. I know I posted it once minus the descriptive given by Tom, but I'm not even finding that.

Joe K

Edit: I found the complete colored spring chart on an attachment by wrndln

Can be found at https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174402

Note that the cross-hatching and colors shown on the RH side of the chart indicates "cross sections" of the various leaf elements. A 10 leaf spring can be made up of "weaker" (thinner) spring leaves (A) or thicker leaves. (E particularly but D more so than A)

[CT Jack]

The resource for Model A springs is Travis Cook at www.a-springs.com. Travis supplies most of the parts dealers.

[WTSHNN]

Originally Posted by CT Jack

The resource for Model A springs is Travis Cook at www.a-springs.com. Travis supplies most of the parts dealers.

Seconding Travis. Very knowledgable. I bought a full set of his bronze bushings at Hershey for my phaeton project.

-Tim