springs

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Barracuda Freak
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Ok, I bought a rotisserie today, and will have it this weekend, so, the rear end I put in the car will come back out, get disassembled and powder coated, but I have a dilemma when it comes to the leaf springs.

As far as I know, the leaf springs are original to the car, but seem ok(never drove it on the road).

Should I just go ahead and get them powder coated and use the old springs, or should I go ahead and treat myself to a new set of leaf springs for the car. I've already decided to buy new torsion bars for the front.

Also, never bought leafs, so what do I look for????????

Any and all help will be appreciated

FF
 
Rick, though I'd love to see your whole front and rear suspension show up :-D, I can't in good conscience recommend that you powder coat your leaf springs too.

There are reasons they don't appear on my website's Price List.

To do them properly, you would have necessary bare spots because coating or paint cannot be placed between the leaves or on the center bolt -- it will wear off due to inter-leaf friction after 3 or 4 years.

Once the coating starts to wear off (whether it's paint or powder), the springs will start to get loose and may even become dangerous. Even though powder coating is only a few mils thick, it adds up to a few thousandths of an inch when dealing with multiple parts like leaf springs. Since they're weight-bearing, eventually leaf movement will occur and/or cause the center bolt to shear.

Further, since leaf springs are annealed steel, the curing temp required to melt the powder is extremely close to the annealing temp used when the springs are made. Most of my cosmetic powder coatings cure at 400 degrees or a bit more; because of the Delrin liners between the leaves, leaf springs should not be heated to anything higher than 350.

Chances are great that you'll find a place in Pittsburgh that will fully coat them for a very attractive price, but I can pretty much guarantee you that they won't be done right: rust will start popping through if you drive the car, your Delrin liners will be gone (melted away in the cure and not replaced), and the leaves will move over time ... I'd hate to think what could happen due to a center bolt shear in the middle of the highway while driving your beloved baby.

I already know this isn't what you wanted to hear ... but I do hope you'll discover over time that I'm an honest woman who's much more concerned with your personal safety and a job you're happy with than I am in taking your money.
 
Cudachick...what a great post. I just love honest people!
 
Leanna, thanks for the info, plenty of great information in your post that the layman does not know, and now I do, and, while I will be buying new leafs for the car, they will not be powder coated.

Thanks for the tech info, you know yer stuff!!!!!!

FF
 
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