Re-arch spring

[Fibber Mcgee]

I'm taking my rear spring to get it re-arched next week because the rearend sits low. The guy at the shop said they should be able to find specs to re-arch to but just in case does any know what they are for a 41 Tudor.

[Ed Solari]

Eaton spring in detroit (eatonsprings.com) may be any excellent source for info but they may want to do the re-arching themselves

[19Fordy]

Do you think the "re-arched" spring will gradually settle back to it's softer state? Perhaps a new main leaf would be better in the long run.

[Fibber Mcgee]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Do you think the "re-arched" spring will gradually settle back to it's softer state? Perhaps a new main leaf would be better in the long run.

That is something they said they may have to do. If you replace main leaf do you still re-arch others? All I know is I want the car to sit level.

[jack in san diego]

Hey Fibber: Are your shackles longer than stock? If so, that lowers the car. That is easiest thing to check. Good luck

[19Fordy]

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Originally Posted by Fibber Mcgee

That is something they said they may have to do. If you replace main leaf do you still re-arch others? All I know is I want the car to sit level.

I don't know if you have to re-arch the others, but if the whole job gets too expensive buy a new spring. I think they go for about $125. Plus there may be some for sale in the classified. Trouble is the high cost of shipping these days. I think the torque on the big spring 'U" clamp nuts is 80ft. lbs.

[Tim Armstrong]

Just take your spring apart and place it over an old starter or generator case and start pressing it with a hydraulic press. Do that about every 5 to 7 inches. Be sure to mark the ends on the floor for comparison of the original to the finished product. It works and saves money.

[Fibber Mcgee]

The shackles are stock so that's not it. I was quoted $75 if they dont have to replace any thing so if it works it's not to expensive ,the new ones I'm seeing are $500 and if I get a used one how do you know if its good?

[Fe26]

There are two ways to re-arch springs; hot and cold.
If the spring shop says it will do it to original specs then it is most likely they will do the reset hot, after that it is tempered. This restores your spring to an almost as new state. The spring won't be 'soft' it will be as new. The only difference is the spring will not last another sixty or seventy years before you need to have it reset again, this is due to metal fatigue.

If it's done cold they will mark the spring about every two inches with chalk, then using a cradle made of round bars about six inches apart they will hit or press the spring which is laying over the cradle with another round bar which is placed on top of the spring. The amount of deflection is very small and quickly adds up, care must be taken when near the top of the spring to use lighter force especially near the hole in the centre as this area will deform easily. If using the cold method the force must be equal on all the marks except say the top six marks which should be about half the force. If haphazard or unequal force is used the risk is high that an uneven curve will develop making for more work.

To my mind seventy five dollars for a reset is very good value. I was charging sixty dollars twenty years ago. I would also recommend a new main spring, and yes Fibber the other leaves must also be done.

[Fibber Mcgee]

Originally Posted by Fe26

There are two ways to re-arch springs; hot and cold.
If the spring shop says it will do it to original specs then it is most likely they will do the reset hot, after that it is tempered. This restores your spring to an almost as new state. The spring won't be 'soft' it will be as new. The only difference is the spring will not last another sixty or seventy years before you need to have it reset again, this is due to metal fatigue.

If it's done cold they will mark the spring about every two inches with chalk, then using a cradle made of round bars about six inches apart they will hit or press the spring which is laying over the cradle with another round bar which is placed on top of the spring. The amount of deflection is very small and quickly adds up, care must be taken when near the top of the spring to use lighter force especially near the hole in the centre as this area will deform easily. If using the cold method the force must be equal on all the marks except say the top six marks which should be about half the force. If haphazard or unequal force is used the risk is high that an uneven curve will develop making for more work.

To my mind seventy five dollars for a reset is very good value. I was charging sixty dollars twenty years ago. I would also recommend a new main spring, and yes Fibber the other leaves must also be done.

Thanks, this is a spring shop that's been around for years so hopefully they know their stuff.

[BILL WZOREK]

I have asked on here before and could not get a for sure answer.
May be you know or if you don't mind could ask your spring shop.
For every inch that the spring is re-arched will that raise the car the same # of inches ?

THANKS

[gerrald meacham]

i re-arch my springs and have reversed the eye also pretty easy i do it cold have had good luck.

[Fibber Mcgee]

Originally Posted by BILL WZOREK

I have asked on here before and could not get a for sure answer.
May be you know or if you don't mind could ask your spring shop.
For every inch that the spring is re-arched will that raise the car the same # of inches ?

THANKS

I'm going to try to ask questions when I take it up there, I'll see if I can find out anything.

[Fe26]

Originally Posted by BILL WZOREK

I have asked on here before and could not get a for sure answer.
May be you know or if you don't mind could ask your spring shop.
For every inch that the spring is re-arched will that raise the car the same # of inches ?

THANKS

Almost but not quite would be my guess. There are too many variables to give you a precise answer Bill. The most obvious is; the spring will settle as the weight of the car is transferred to it. How much this settling measures is determined by the springs themselves and this is determined on the grade and quality of spring steel, and also the Tempering process. Spring steel has a wide tempering temperature range. One Springsmith might temper at one end of the scale and another at the other end, and the difference will be noticable as a hard ride or a softer ride plus the harder spring will cause the vehicle to sit higher.

It is possible to have a wide variety of tensions or spring by the use of differing temperatures during the Tempering process. This even comes down to the temperature of the Quenching Oil. A spring shop will have slightly softer springs at the end of the day than at the beginning, due to the quench oil being hottter than at the start of the day.

We used to try to keep the oil cool by running cold water around the outside of the tank and stirring the oil, but the fact remained, if a lot of work was going through that tank then the oil got hot, and that affected the job.

The amount of deflection would be small but enough that I can not give you a precise answer. This is a case where the only way to know for sure is for someone to follow the process from go to whoa and document everything along the way. Grade of steel, setting, (soft and hard) tempering, installation in the car and comparing before and after measurements with two different springs. That's a lot of time and effort for what may be a 1/4 or 1/2 inch or so of deflection.

One way to find out part of the story is if Fibber takes before and after measurements, and asks the spring shop how much reset they gave the spring. Even then the results won't be conclusive as I think Fibber is intending of having a new main spring made.

[BILL WZOREK]

Thanks

What I am trying to do is find out for when I start on the 53 I would rather not have to
remove / install / remove / install / remove [You get the picture] to get the ride height that I want.