Spring Maintaince Questions

I am getting ready to install the 5 degree shims I got from McRuff, (really nice work BTW) and I have removed the center bolts in each of the front spring packs, destroying the 50+ year bolts in the process----no surprise there.

Question 1, is do I have to use a special spring bolt to replace the old ones, or will an Allen work just as well? I am suggesting an Allen due to the head shape being very close to the factory bolt.

Question 2, the individual spring leaves have a center grove in them, and they are full of rust/dust/corrosion. I plan on wire brushing the leaves before re-stacking the springs, anything else I should do to them?

Thanks in advance.

 

There is a special bolt for this (you've got the name: "spring center bolt"). Your local Napa should have them. I kinda suspect that the Allen head cap screw won't fit into the pocket in the axle ... maybe it will. AFAIK the spring center bolts are just bolts with the smaller head and threaded for most of the length. This is meant to help you draw the pack together before it's installed and fully squished by the u-bolts.

I don't see any reason not to use the cap screw if you can make it work.

I'd paint them. The Jeep mechanics I worked with would lube the leaves with them on the car, but that's controversial. You could put thin teflon or delrin between them, which might help them to flex.

 

Thanks Tim, the Allen head will fit in the pocket of the axle spring perch just fine, so that is a non issue.

Lube being controversial------ yep, that is what I thought. Grease will make them flex well, made the ride a bit softer, and grab onto dirt and crud so that in a season they will be back like they are now.

Wonder if spray teflon based lube would work??? I suspect it needs to be something dry that will not attract/hold dust, sand and dirt ETC.

 

Perhaps a wax based chain lube would work. It's what we use when in the dunes and the sand does not stick to the chain.

 

The center bolts are of a special strength specifically for springs, neither too soft nor too hard to cause shearing issues. I'd put in the right bolts. The hollow head design of a cap screw style bolt creates a weak spot at the head.
Regarding the leaves, I'd wire wheel them then paint them with a quality paint. There is supposed to be a paint with dry Teflon in the paint that is said to work good on leaf springs but I haven't tried it. Iirc it was available at tractor supply places

 

Thanks Nick.

Sent you a PM

 

the only document I have that mentions spring lubrication is a 1919 copy of "The gasoline Automobile" it says that there are special grooves in the springs that with the use of a special lub cup you can force grease into the srings to lub them, Do you suppose thats the reason the older jeep springs have a groove down the center?

 

So in my travels you can lube or not lube do not think it will make much of a difference. For example if it is raining out the springs are wet, they flex better because of this, will also wash off whatever you put on them too. Obviously opposite effect when not raining. This is a controversal topic, some people think that oils weaken springs. I think style,thickness,length and how many that are in the pack are all considerations when chosing what you want out of the ride. I have had the teflons strips, they wear out and then what, back to square one. My two cents, clean them up, primer them,paint them, put a bolt in them that is supposed to be there and run it. Just a thought:v6:

 

IMO teflon is too soft for this application - I'd use delrin instead. It is a much tougher plastic. http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/117/3559/=en4jgd Not very expensive.

 

hmmm
makes sense doesnt it?

 

The leaf spring packs need to be lubricated between all individual leafs.
The top two lubricants for extreme high pressure lubrication are graphite and molybdenum.
From the factory all Jeep leaf springs were treated with graphite.
Graphite is also my top choice.
Powdered graphite can be mixed into the paint.

 

I tried inserting plastic sheet between the ends of my leaves. What I didn't take into account is how doing this makes the pack a bit thicker. I was not able to reassemble them , as the stack no longer fit in the 'retainers'.

What I did end up doing was drilling a 1/16" hole in the end of each leaf & injected grease, using a needle tip on the grease gun. That seemed to work pretty well, but it only lasted a few thousand miles before it needed a re-applicaiton.