Softer ride

Acadia John

Acadia John

Junior Member
Can I get a softer ride in my Model A if I remove some of the leaves in the rear spring? The body is a wooden speedster body so the car is very light in the rear.
 
Yes you can. Somewhere on the 'net someone has documented the available spring options for the Model A to include leaf lengths, thickness, numbers of leaves. I've checked Marco and Vince's site and neither of these have it.

IIRC, there are not that many combinations of leaves. Perhaps 10 of which all were used on the pickups and station wagons (and possibly other bodies) Perhaps as little as seven for roadsters. But Ford didn't make special leaves for special applications - he just used the 12 or so available leaves of current production and left out the one that he didn't want.

The springs were a fairly engineered product. Most of the modern spring producers do NOT follow exactly Ford's blueprints instead producing springs with leaves all the same thickness and with no appreciable taper. They may look roughly like Ford springs, they may act similar to Ford springs, but they're not Ford springs. The difference is subtle, but there.

I think it is DeAngelis' tome "The Model A Ford As Henry Built It" which gives some information on the springs. It is possible to go from a truck/station wagon spring to something of less capacity by leaving out leaves IIRC.

Gosh I wish I could find that online information on springs for you...

Joe K
 
You should start with a roadster spring. I have run with as few as 4 leaves on a speedster and it was still more than stiff enough. You will need to weld some steel blocks into your spring clamps to make up the difference in stack height, or add some shortened leaves on the bottom so the stack will be thick enough for the clamps to clamp. You can remove leaves from the front also.
www.olympic-speedsters.com
 
Not to discredit Joe K, but I believe the roadster spring leaves were formed with quite a bit less arch than a sedan or PU. In other words, a 10-leaf spring with three leaves removed is still taller than a seven-leaf roadster spring. I believe MikesAfordable catalog shows all the relative specs and heights.
 
Not to discredit Joe K, but I believe the roadster spring leaves were formed with quite a bit less arch than a sedan or PU.
Click to expand...

You may be correct. And no offense taken. I think Ford started with about 12 leaf options of which 10 (probably the 10 stiffest) were used on the truck. The roadster may have used the other two in the lesser (longer?) positions.

I was surprised (and pleased) by the apparent economy of Ford in planning his spring options around a limited leaf variation.

I have considered going to a lesser spring in my truck. WHEN do I really ever use it as a truck? And while not a jolt - it is stiff on the ride.

I was also surprised by the differences in leaf thicknesses reported in the literature. My J.C. Whitney replacement spring leaves were all the same thickness and bread and butter by comparison.

Joe K
 
I took a couple leaves out of the rear spring on my Roadster Pickup. Really helped the ride. I still haul things in it too and no problem there.

Dave
 
Here is Marco's spring chart that he's posted several times over the years. I also copied the key to the chart, but I can't find it right now.
 

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Thank you Tom. This what I had hoped was posted at Marco's Barnyard - but alas.

Is there color code missing for the various spring applications? Oops. You mention a "key." Well, light green is likely the truck since it passes through all 10 leaf options.

Joe K
 
A, the blue one, goes thru 10 leaves as well................
Click to expand...

Note the thickness of the leaves the line passes through. Other than the top beveled leaf there were three cross section thicknesses used. Shown on the diagram as clear tint, red tint, blue tint.

The light green goes through all the blue tint (heavy) cross sections.

This what I mean about the Ford spring being an "engineered" product.

Joe K
 
Jim Huseby said:
Not to discredit Joe K, but I believe the roadster spring leaves were formed with quite a bit less arch than a sedan or PU. In other words, a 10-leaf spring with three leaves removed is still taller than a seven-leaf roadster spring. I believe MikesAfordable catalog shows all the relative specs and heights.
Click to expand...
I believe the arch is the same, but with less or more leaves, depending on application, the arch is altered. The more leaves that are added, the taller the arch. When they are disassembled, the main leaf does not have as much arch.
 
Acadia John said:
Can I get a softer ride in my Model A if I remove some of the leaves in the rear spring? The body is a wooden speedster body so the car is very light in the rear.
Click to expand...

The direct answer to your question is, yes.
That being said, you might scale weigh the rear end of your speedster. Go to a reputable spring shop with your weight number. They have computer access or manuals with "ALL" vehicle spring specifications. They should be able to direct you to your goal.
 
You can also help the ride by tapering the bottoms of each leaf end and smoothing out any gouges on the top sides. Spray the bottom of each leaf with Slip-Plate. I am going to an 8 leaf on my Delivery, but have a 7 leaf set back incase I still think it is too stiff of a ride. Rod
 
Hi Jim Huseby. I know you sent me a message however I have not figured out how to open it. My apologies! Thank you all for the information. This Sportster/Speedster actually belongs to a friend who does not feel as comfortable on a computer. I am going to try to include a photo however it may not work.
 
This attachment is a picture of the Fisher Sportster/Speedster referred to in the softer ride thread Thanks everybody!
 

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