Bare with the Newbie... I am trying to clean-up my leaf springs, and I am stuck. I have gotten them completely disassembled, down to the last two leafs, the main leaf and the "#2 leaf". For the life of me I can't figure out how to get the C-clip that holds these two leafs togther off. It looks as though the clip has a pin that goes through the smaller leaf, but not the main leaf. I have tried what I can think of, with my limited tools, grind the pin head down, and try to drill it out, but I think I am doing more damage and not making any progress. Any suggestions? Should I just cut the C-clip off and get a replacement? Are these kinds of clips common? Below is what the leaf looks like...before and after my mangled attempt to get it out. Thanks in advance.
My solution, right or wrong, was to heat the tabs below the main leaf to cherry red and bend them away from the main leaf to allow disassembly. Dave
+1 what he said i have done many leaf springs i always heat them to get apart and then just hammer back down when i re-install never had a problem
It's like a sliding clamp to bolster the strength of the main leaf. Just heat'em up and bend'em back out of the way. You can either replace them or reuse them by heating and putting'em back on the opposite of how they came off.
Leave the rivet in. Use a chisle and big hammer to bend the tabs enough to seperate the leafs. on reassembly hammer them back.
If you bend them without heat you will be replacing them. Don't ask how I know, but I'm looking for some myself.
The spring clamps on my F1 were riveted in also and I drilled them out and welded the head of a bolt into the clamp in its place. The spring clamps keep the leaves of the spring from moving sideways and creating a fan effect. I don't think you need to worry about putting a rivet back in just weld a bit of a bolt so that the clamp stays in place and won't slide down the leaf.
I've done a few. Did a bunch for my brother in his shop, rearching springs, don't remember ever breaking one. Since then I've done for myself on; 1979 all on Int Scout, rearched, 1995 all on '31 Chevy, 2006 1929 Chevy, 2008 another 29 chevy, 2008 that 29 Nash hot rod in my avitar, none of them broke. My good luck I guess. Don't have to look too far, easy enough to make out of soft iron bar stock they sell at Lowe's hardware.
I also beat the tabs out with the chisle and hammer and beat them back closed when I'm done. All the newer stuff is just mild steel strap. I have in the past used large hose clamps (think radiator hose clamps), all they do is keep the springs in allignment and hold the spring leafs together for extra support. You can pick up replacement parts at most spring shops for a couple bucks each. The replacement piecec have a "U" shapped bar and a little flat piece with loops that goes under the leaf. The U bar goes goes over the leafs and the ends fit through the loops on the bottom piece, then you just bend the remaining U bar ends back to hold things tight. Back when I was racing, we would put a hose clamp at the front (ahead of the rear axle) end of each leaf, made effective poor guys traction bars. Gene
Ur gonna get a few different options on here, if your not sure take it to a local spring shop and have them put it back together for you, it shouldn't cost hardly anything.
On my old Chevy springs, after I took out the center bolt, I could just slide the other springs out of the clamps...
I tried that, but perhaps not hard enough. I'll give it another try. If that doesn't work I am gonna try and heat them and bend them out. I am also going to weld in a piece of bolt/stock in the whole I tried to drill out. As much as a messed with it with the grinder and drill, I still wasn't able to get the clip off, so I am thinking that the leaf is still sound. I just need to fill in the pin are with some material. Thanks fellas for helping out a FNG.
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