Ron Hamilton wrote:
>
> My personal reflection about that small rubber button with a square on
> to is that it was there to keep the individual leaves from slapping
> together. I replaced mine with a glued in rubber button of same size and
> thickness.
>
> Ron
>
> Mark Coffin wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > After disassembling one of my rear springs for restoration,
> > I'm curious about the little square pads of material
> > between the leafs. They appear to have been made of cloth,
> > or similar material. Are these really necessary or is it
> > OK to reassemble the springs without them? What is their
> > purpose?
> >
> > If not, what kind of material should I use. I was thinking
> > of maybe thin rubber sheet?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > Mark Coffin
> > SRL311-04425
On most cars these are there to help control friction as the leaves
slide on one another. If you ever take leaf springs apart and these
items are gone you can make your ride a lot more comfortable by
installing interleaving of either teflon or some polyethylene type
plastic. If the car has allowances for buttons like this you can do it
that way, if not you can cut strips as wide and long as the leaves and
install full length interleaves. Either way the inserts will act as
bearing surfaces for the leaves to slide on and reduce the severe
"stiction" inherent in leaf springs. It won't alter the dynamic spring
rate much but it will alter the amount of force required to get the
springs moving by a bunch. The car will feel softer sprung even though
the actual spring rate won't be changed. The car will be easier to
control and will maintain better contact between the tires and the road.
--
Marc Sayer
Editor/Publisher
Z Car & Classic Datsun Magazine
http://zcarmag.com
Voice 541-726-6001
Fax 541-746-0863/726-6001
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