Rear leaf springs

[asbomog]

I have to replace the rear spring hangers on both sides of a '67 two-door. What is the simplest way of getting the springs back in ??

Is there a 'spring clamp' ?

Help !!

[Multiphonikks]

Hi

I know the Porter Restoration manual advocates some special manouver to put the springs back - but I've never used it. When we did the springs on Hebe we just jiggled it about a while

If I remember correctly we put the two ends of the leaf spring in before putting the U bolts on. Whatever you do make sure you tighten up the bolts in turn on the system a small bit for each bolt (a bit like doing up your wheel nuts). If you tighen just one up and then try to tighten the others up you'll find it hard! Keep them all loose first and get the thing in place!

Have you taken off the old springs? Whatever you do get all-new brackets etc. It'll save the greif of horrors like my back axle (we'd not bothered to replace the flat locating plates which go between the spring and the U bolt rubbers.

I'd advocate looking at the video we did but last time I did that we got told off for using an angle grinder

[chickenjohn]

I have to replace the rear spring hangers on both sides of a '67 two-door. What is the simplest way of getting the springs back in ??

Is there a 'spring clamp' ?

Help !!

Hi, ASbo, do you mean replace the spring hanger plates and the rear chassis members, where the leaf spring is bolted to the body? If, so take lots of measurements before cutting anything away back to front and laterally. This is quite a big job! ESM do a nice replacement rear chassis member for about £20.

I did this on my car and the simplest way of getting the springs to line up with the mounting points is to jack them up and bolt them back in place. Do one side at a time and the other side will hold the axle sufficiently in the right place to help lining up the side you are about to re-connect. I bolted the front of the spring back up first. Then bolted the little shackle plates to the rear of the spring and offered the top holes of the shackle plates to
the shackle pin that I fitted to the new chassis member (with the bushes pushed in and lubricated with a drop of washing up liquid).

Use new bushes throughout and do one side at a time so you've got something to measure/compare to.

good luck.

[chickenjohn]

No need for any spring compressor as when the car is jacked off the ground and supported (via several axle stands under large pieces of timber under the rear of the body) the springs will hang down and not be under tension. The rear leaft springs onle become tensioned when the car is back on its wheels.

[bmcecosse]

Why would you replace the hangers ? These are thick lumps of steel that can't possibly have rusted significantly. Assuming it's the rubber bushes in the spring 'eye' that is being replaced- these are easy to do - although the front's are just a bit more difficult. Best to have the whole spring disconnected, then do the front bushes first -the back just falls into place.