> Hello list when restoring a leaf spring(s) as on a tr3,has anyone have
> experience in painting the rear leaf springs? Can they be safely taken
> apart,painted with a good rust paint and re-assembled at home?
I did it myself, years ago, with minimal drama. Used a shop vise to provide
compression while R&R-ing the center bolt but a pair of C-clamps would probably
have worked fine.
> also I see that the thin straps that bundle the
> individual leafs are not even listed by the big three, perhaps just paint the
> entire spring while all together as single unit? leave them alone ie. do not
> paint?
I would definitely suggest disassembling them, to clean up the rust between the
leaves. It will make a huge difference in how the car rides ! I'm not certain
that putting paint in there is the right thing to do ... the leaves have to be
able to move against each other as the suspension moves or you'll be back in
"rides like a truck" mode. It might be better to just clean and grease
thoroughly, then reassemble and only paint the outside of the leaves (if you
have to have that non-original painted look). I even experimented with rollers
between the leaves, which I thought rode really nice, but the rollers fell out
in just a few days. If I ever do them again, I'll put strips of Teflon between
the leaves.
In my case I was able to reuse the original straps, but you could bend new ones
yourself if necessary. Home Depot has strap iron that should work fine, or mail
order from MMC if there's not a Home Depot in your neighborhood.
When I had a local spring shop add a leaf to my motorhome leaf springs, they
made new straps to accommodate the extra thickness. Bent 3 sides out of fairly
heavy strap iron, then used a bolt & spacer for the 4th side. I assume that was
so they didn't have to try to crimp the strap around the assembled leaves.
Randall
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