front spring with flathead V8 is flat

J

johndob1929

Junior Member
hi guys - i put a 1950 flathead V8 in my 30' coupe (chassis is a 29'). the front transverse spring has little or no arch in it now with the heavier flathead. is this ok to run like that ? is there another taller spring out there that i need to find that will give me some arch back ? should i take the spring to a spring shop and get a leaf or two added ? any suggestions would be very helpful. thansk - john
 
Ford had that problem in 32, when they introduced the V8 into a chassis with the same spring as a Model A. They changed to a 12 leaf spring later in the year. You can get 12 leaf springs, but finding longer U bolts will take some investigation and or ingenuity, but they're out there too. You might try a spring shop and have a custom made.
 
Any good spring shop will be able to add two leafs for you, and provide the longer U bolts. Don't be surprised if they find some cracked leafs when they take your set apart. Using 80 year old spring metal is iffy at best. Especially when you introduce additional load.
 
The Model A engine weighs 475, the '49-'53 flathead V8 is 569. With approx. 100 .lbs additional you shouldn't sag a great deal more. Buy a new 10-leaf. If you don't like the way your car sits, you'll probably only need to add 1 more leaf. There is a bit more weight added for the larger ******, albeit not a huge amount.
 
thanks for the suggestions. where can i find a 10 leaf spring ? (macks, mikes....?) are they made for 28-31 or am i looking for a 32 spring ? thanks again
 
Posies, advertises in Street Rodder, also has a web site I believe. Has stock, w/sliders, reversed eye, custom.
Paul in CT
 
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