Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

EFV-8 Club Forum / 1940 Ford Discussion / Lubrication of leaf springs

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion << previous || next >>

Posted By Discussion Topic: Lubrication of leaf springs     deuce_roadster 04-19-2013 @ 5:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 Good decision!! Just enjoy that beauty! I would guess 100% of those on this forum would love to have a car all done and ready to go like that one. Last thing I would do is start taking it apart! robert993 04-19-2013 @ 2:06 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 33 Joined: Sep 2010 Thanks everyone for your help. I have lubed all the other Zerk fittings except for the U-joint, and have ordered John Deere corn head grease for that. Will leave the springs alone. kubes40 04-18-2013 @ 7:13 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3577 Joined: Oct 2009 If you are planning on driving this car on a limited basis, I am with others that suggest you just drive it without lubricating the spring. Removing the covers does take special equipment as the Deuce has advised. Even with the proper equipment, it's quite a task to do correctly. IF you decide you must lube these springs, I would strongly advise you to get a fluid similar to the old STP OIL TREATMENT. Grease will not get very far within the grooves of the spring. Certainly not anywhere near the ends where most wear occurs. Furthermore, it (grease) will serve more to clog what little path there is for lubricant. The authentic lubricant was similar to a VERY thick oil. I am not certain of the chemistry but it flowed. Albeit slowly, but it did flow. I always disassemble original springs (NOS) that I use in my restorations. Although they are NOS, the lubricant is dried out on every one I have ever utilized. After cleaning and powder finishing each leaf, I spread a thin coat of fifth wheel lubricant on them. Stroker 04-18-2013 @ 4:20 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 It would be useful to get Kube involved in this discussion. I certainly agree with everything previously posted, and I'd like to add that given the level of undercarriage restoration, and the condition of the spring covers, the mileage driven since restoration, the springs are most likely very well lubricated, as is everything else. Spring liners eliminate the need for periodic maintenance, but they also change the "spring rate", as the original leaf design actually relied upon a degree of inter-leaf friction to help dampen oscillations. Prior to the advent of shock absorbers, (1928 in the case of Fords),this was the only dampening present. The coil spring (which has no internal damping) was only practicable after the invention of shock absorbers. I'd say check all your fluid levels and drive it. deuce_roadster 04-18-2013 @ 3:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 Just grease the springs like Ford did!! It would be a shame to ruin the covers that are on there by taking them off. Do you know what it costs to redo the covers? You can't just take them off and put them back on without special fixtures and tools. I had Kube do the front and rear for my 40 wagon, you can check with him on current prices. The fact that the spring has new covers means they have probably been rebuilt and only need lubrication. If you insist on taking the spring apart and putting liners in, maybe you can find someone who would trade you an uncovered spring or used one for the one you have. (I have a 40 convertible that needs a newly covered spring and would certainly trade you for the one in my car that has beat up covers. PM me if you are interested.) robert993 04-18-2013 @ 2:10 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 33 Joined: Sep 2010 Thanks for your comments. The car was restored 30 years ago and has only been driven 48 miles on and off showfields. I plan to drive the car as well as show it, and want to ensure there is no mechanical wear due to inadequate lubrication. Any excess grease and dirt underneath will be cleaned off before I show it. I may disassemble the springs next winter and line them with teflon tape. supereal 04-17-2013 @ 7:50 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Gorgeous car, to say the least. Seeing springs with the covers is rare today. I'm not a big fan of filling the springs with grease via the tie bolt fitting, as it usually makes an unsightly mess that attracts dirt. The common practice is to disassemble the springs, grind out the wear pockets, and lube the leaves prior to reassembly, or install leaf liners. In your case, because you intend to show the car, unless the springs are noisy, I wouldn't worry about greasing the spring. It is too clean to make a mess. alanwoodieman 04-17-2013 @ 4:27 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 873 Joined: Oct 2009 originally the Ford grease specifications were a grease with polishing component added- I use silicon chassis grease and using an air operated grease gun pumped about half of tube in the first time on my 40 wagon, then a couple of shot each year-seems to work just fine robert993 04-17-2013 @ 3:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 33 Joined: Sep 2010 I recently purchased a '40 convertible which has been used for show only, and am thoroughly lubricating the car before driving it. The front and rear leaf springs have grease fittings at the center of the bottom leafs, as shown in the picture. Can anyone please advise: 1) Will regular chassis grease work, and 2) how do you tell the correct amount of grease to install? Note the springs have metal spring covers.

<< previous || next >>

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

EFV-8 Club Forum Home | Back to Home Page | Contact the Webmaster

Copyright © 2009 - EFV-8.org
Powered by < CF FORUM > v.2.1