My old 1972 Land Rover's springs have gone flat. I was going to order a new set but, $160 shipping charge killed the deal . I can get them reached at Tulsa Spring for around $360. Has anyone every done this and how were the results ?
I have rearched my own leafs many times.
My Uncle showed me how to do it many years ago. He was a racer from way back when racers built and drove their own cars.
He raced against the King Richard and the others that made NASCAR great.
It is actually pretty simple really. Simple but a little work.
The way he told me.
First thing you do is lay the leaf on it's side in the dirt then trace alongside it so you know the arch you are beginning with.
You now have a trace in the dirt that matches the spring shape.
Dig a hole in the yard like a big mixing bowl size maybe 18" across.
lay the leaf spring into the hole... the sides should hold the leaf up and the bottom of the hole should be about 8" below the leaf.
Now get on your big boy pants and grab a sledge hammer.
Hit that leaf spring right in the center of the hole.
It will bounce up a little so watch it.
Collect the leaf back up and straddle the hole again and hit it again .. and again and again.
Now you need to move the leaf .. do not hit it in the center the entire time move about 4" to the right and then work your way along the spring.. then go left... etc etc.
Here is what is happening.
As you hit that spring the Molecules jump around and you retain the spring aspect of the steel and the toughness of it.
If you have ever hammered on steel and feel it you will feel it get hot.. that is the Molecules jumping around.
if you bend the spring with a bending force you will make it soft and it will be flatter than when you began just after a couple bounces in service.
Now that you Pounded on that spring about 20 times go back to the line you drew in the dirt.
Place the newly formed leaf next to the line and notice how much arch you added to it.
You can add quite a bit in a short time.
My 78 nova got that treatment. as did my current 57 chevy and my 47 dodge truck.
DO IT!!
Now there is always the salvage yard. Which i visit or craigslist.
You can get the correct width spring or close works also and rearch it.
I actually like to have a selection of leafs.. as I like to move my leafs forward on the spring pack.
In other words i shift the leafs forward so I have at least 2 heavy ones under the front spring eye or within an inch of the front.
I then clamp the front 1/2 of the spring pack.. this keeps the main leaf from wrapping up.. which causes wheel hop.
You can add longer leafs where short ones are to increase load carrying capacity.
Those super short ones are not anything but a spacer to get ride height correct.
Enjoy.
I like Leaf springs.
My Uncle showed me how to do it many years ago. He was a racer from way back when racers built and drove their own cars.
He raced against the King Richard and the others that made NASCAR great.
It is actually pretty simple really. Simple but a little work.
The way he told me.
First thing you do is lay the leaf on it's side in the dirt then trace alongside it so you know the arch you are beginning with.
You now have a trace in the dirt that matches the spring shape.
Dig a hole in the yard like a big mixing bowl size maybe 18" across.
lay the leaf spring into the hole... the sides should hold the leaf up and the bottom of the hole should be about 8" below the leaf.
Now get on your big boy pants and grab a sledge hammer.
Hit that leaf spring right in the center of the hole.
It will bounce up a little so watch it.
Collect the leaf back up and straddle the hole again and hit it again .. and again and again.
Now you need to move the leaf .. do not hit it in the center the entire time move about 4" to the right and then work your way along the spring.. then go left... etc etc.
Here is what is happening.
As you hit that spring the Molecules jump around and you retain the spring aspect of the steel and the toughness of it.
If you have ever hammered on steel and feel it you will feel it get hot.. that is the Molecules jumping around.
if you bend the spring with a bending force you will make it soft and it will be flatter than when you began just after a couple bounces in service.
Now that you Pounded on that spring about 20 times go back to the line you drew in the dirt.
Place the newly formed leaf next to the line and notice how much arch you added to it.
You can add quite a bit in a short time.
My 78 nova got that treatment. as did my current 57 chevy and my 47 dodge truck.
DO IT!!
Now there is always the salvage yard. Which i visit or craigslist.
You can get the correct width spring or close works also and rearch it.
I actually like to have a selection of leafs.. as I like to move my leafs forward on the spring pack.
In other words i shift the leafs forward so I have at least 2 heavy ones under the front spring eye or within an inch of the front.
I then clamp the front 1/2 of the spring pack.. this keeps the main leaf from wrapping up.. which causes wheel hop.
You can add longer leafs where short ones are to increase load carrying capacity.
Those super short ones are not anything but a spacer to get ride height correct.
Enjoy.
I like Leaf springs.
There used to be a place in OKC that made (and, IIRC, refurbished) springs. I know my dad got some springs from them a few times, but that was a long time ago. They were south of downtown, I think, somewhere near Shields. I can ask him if he remembers their name, if you’d like.
I think Blumenthals used too?
He doesn’t remember the name, but it wasn’t Blumenthal’s, it had “Spring” in the name, and was on Reno near downtown. I think the last time he bought springs there was back in the ‘90s or early 2000s, so who knows if they’re even still in business.
Must be something in the water. I’m gonna have Tulsa auto spring order me some tomorrow. I’ve pretty much got the ones on my truck mashed flat and it’s on the overloads with just the empty trailer hooked up. I’m betting some will have cracks when I pull em out. My truck came with 2800lb springs (that’s per side) and I’m gonna upgrade to 3500’s. It wasn’t gonna cost but $30 difference
so it was an easy choice.
We’ve bought upgrade springs from them before and had trailer axles straightened. Them is good folks.
so it was an easy choice.
We’ve bought upgrade springs from them before and had trailer axles straightened. Them is good folks.
Thanks everyone. I guess I'll have to see if City Spring is still open.
Now that you mention it, that name sounds familiar, so I'd bet you're right.
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