rear springs

[les]

I'm wondering if it's possible to drill holes into a leaf of the springs, I suppose I could just try but has anyone done this please?

[bmcecosse]

I've not tried les - but can't see a big problem. They are not 'hard' - just tempered!

[les]

Thanks Roy, I guess you're right. I want to fit proper straps around the leaves to replace the 'packing case' strapping, that appears to be acceptable these days !

[bmcecosse]

The packing strap looked fine to me - you must have time hanging on your hands......

[les]

You must be looking at something else, I can assure you the thin straps, possibly 10thou thick are a joke, 3 from my springs have snapped and fallen off. Originally they were 1/8th inch thick, bent into a U shape and held together at the top with a nut and bolt passing through a spacer. This is what I am reproducing. You need time on your hands these days to be able to make inferior spares useable.

[bmcecosse]

Ah right - I only saw new straps fitted - and assumed they were 'indestructible' type!

[philthehill]

Les
To answer your question as to whether you can drill a Minor rear spring - YOU CAN & YOU CANNOT!
As an experiment I got an NOS bottom leaf (marked MOWOG Pt No:ACA5066) from a Traveller rear spring and drilled a 1/4" hole through it using my pillar drill.
I did use a brand new unused (expensive) Dormer HSS drill for the above hole
Just tried to drill another hole in the spring using the same drill and had to give up. It hit a hard spot 3/4 of the way through and would go no further I had used cutting fluid from the start of drilling but still no go!
So be careful if you do start to drill a hole and it hits a hard spot. You may end up ruining the spring leaf.
It appears that the ease of drilling a Minor rear spring depends upon where the hard spots are (a bit like drilling bed iron).
Just tried a third hole with a lesser quality HSS 7mm drill and it would not even mark the surface.
The leaf was spare as I only use the top 6 leaves of a traveller 7 leaf spring on the rear of my minor.
Phil

[les]

Thanks Phil for your experiences, I have found a couple of hard spots but as I'm only drilling a blind hole in the leaves, I have managed a depth of 5/32nd of an inch. I will be drilling and tapping a hole in the bottom of the U straps and using a set screw, letting it protrude 1/8th so as to register in the blind hole on assembly. This is intended to stop the straps moving.

[silloyd]

If it's hard then use a Cobalt drill rather than HSS. You'll be amazed at the different cutting ability of Cobalt drills.

[les]

Here's a photo of the strapping that now passes as a leaf retainer, quite a joke I thought, it's a piece of packing case wire around a piece or rubber ! I've replaced with the 'old' style.

[M25VAN]

Very smart job you've done there. Nice and substantial.

[philthehill]

Less
I agree with M25VAN - a nice job all round.
Phil

[les]

Thanks, I had to do something---I couldn't live with those mickey mouse straps. I hope I'm wrong but suspect they are the 'norm' now.