Looking for front spring experience, 1930 Roadster

Karl Wolf

Karl Wolf

Well-known member
My 1930 Roadster rides on a very stiff front spring. Not original, 7 leaves.
1933-4 front axle, 1932 wishbone, 1930 frame and cross member. Flathead V8, this is pictured on my posts.
I would choose to make the ride softer.
It weighs 1250 pounds on the front axle. The whole car is 2450 lb.

Seeking experience, advice. Looking to buy new or used.
I need a spring that is 31 1/2" eye to eye, on center.

Thanks, Karl
 
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How many leaves do you have? Stock Model A was 10 or twelve leaves.

A 5310-A Spring assy (front) -10 leaf 1 Pass,Comm 28-31

I have a reversed eye Posie's spring on my full fendered '32 roadster. It has 7 leaves.

Assuming 10 leaves; I would keep the main and second longest, remove the next, skip one, remove the next 1 or 2. Removing the shortest spring leaves reduces capacity but doesn't do much of anything for normal riding. It may take a couple of changes to tune it.
 
Looking at this original, may be better to remove the 2nd longest instead of the 3rd, skip the next, etc. like above.

MTk4MzYyNw.jpg
 
It could also be that the shocks are too stiff on compression
I just put a new spring on my A and the ride got better because it doesn’t bottom out anymore—- taking leaves out could cause negative effects— the V8 weighs more than stock A engine
 
Years ago there was an article in Rod and Custom magazine about installing Teflon ribbon between each spring leaf to reduce friction and soften the ride. Being in my teens, I was impressed enough to do so....it certainly softens the ride, but as there is next to no friction between the leaves, there is much increased sideways sway upon cornering....I think some aftermarket springs like Posies, have teflon buttons at the ends of each leaf. Having only 7 leaves in your front spring, I'd have thought, would be quite a soft ride. Can you disconnect the front shocks and take it for a test drive? As Kurt states, it could well be your shocks.
 
I wouldn't remove too many leaves, or the car will lean a lot on turns. You don't have any sway bars like on later year cars.
 
Sorry, didn't read your post carefully where you said you already have a reduced number of leaves to 7. Leaf spring liner will help and good shocks since you'll be removing friction between the leaves.

https://tinyurl.com/36rm4aey
 
Make sure the shackles aren’t hitting the axle or bottoming out on compression. I’ve seen a couplr of shackles hit the axle or bottoming.
 
Back in the 80s my buddy Jon work for a street rod builder in LA by the name of Dick McGoo. He put a polly of some sort between the layers in all of his show winning cars before theyever hit the street. When I asked about it as I had never seen it done before He said , they ride and drive like a truck from the factory and a luxury car after softer spring and teflon spring linners are used. And that's has been my way of doing leafsprings ever since. I have never had any issues with it yet. The liner material has improved over the years and so has the ride. My 41 pickup is the best example of doing this to date. Tim
 
I also used the Teflon liner. I use the one that has a lip on the edges and have had good luck with it.
 
Just a nerd note here. Teflon is not very abrasion resistant. The first old article, probably R&C said to get a sheet of polyethylene and use it for liners. I still have part of a sheet I bought many, many years ago. The best is HDPE, high density polyethylene. I still have the same PE between my '40 leaves and after 55 years, it has not worn at all!

By trade I was a mechanical engineer and company specialist for piping, materials, liners and applications. Coal mining operations often run black HDPE piping above/on the ground. When I would get the occasional request for what to use, I recommended it. It expands a lot and is somewhat restrained by running it between alternating posts/pylons hammered into the ground. The constant expansion and contraction over loose gravel and what have you at a site, does NOTHING to the abrasion resistant HDPE. I keep pieces of it by my vice, actually used a couple strips this morning. Shampoo bottles, HDPE, #2 plastics group, are a great source and nice and thick.
 
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I’ve used window vertical blind material , cheap , has lasted over 8 yrs ( Florida heat ) no cracking or problems yet . For the total cost of $14 I had enough to do 3-4 springs . Most were 1 3/4 but 1 was 2 1/4 rear
 
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