Rear Springs - packing plates

[Andy Bennett]

Oh, and if anyone wonders about the value of replacing old springs, here are my before and after pictures. Ride, handling etc transformed.
       

[Old Dave]

Thank you all for your comments and insights.   As is often the case I am left scratching my head (wife says it is old age!)

To summarise.

Young master Edge and his boss designed in a packing piece front and back.

These packing pieces (BR19 at the front, and either BR63 or BR81 at the back) are shown on the 1932/33 parts list. Relevant pages in the OP.

Both A7 Workshop and A7 Components have stocked the rear packing in recentish years. David Cochrane still has them listed as out of stock.

The attached schematic diagram (I don't know where that came from - old age again) clearly shows the packing piece front and rear.

Doug Woodrow's indispensable A7 manual mentions the packing pieces both in dismantling and assembly paragraphs of section J.

I will just after to see how the new springs measure up, and see what packing is in the other side when (If) I get it off.

The next decision then will be do I paint and grease the springs   -   I have had Yes and No answers from long standing A7 owners already.



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Thanks for all the input - happy fettling.

Dave

[Malcolm Parker]

I have never painted rear springs but I do lobber the ends with grease before fitting them into the chassis, it must help if ever they are to come out again.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I:

- paint the springs.

- cover the ends that go into the chassis with Copperslip or Waxoyl.

- avoid greasing the leaves (unless I cover them completely with large shrink wrap or leather gators), because road grit sticks to the grease and then acts a grinding paste, this makes indentations on the top of the leaves, weakens them and shortens useful life.

[Old Dave]

That seems good advice Ruairidh thank you - and I have a large tin of waxoyl dying to used. Thanks to Malcolm on that score as well.

Is it good practice to replace the the u-bolts?? (if you can get them) I would have to cut the floor above them to get them out. When the car had a major rebuild in the 70's I can just hear the guys saying "might as well weld them over, their never coming out in my lifetime!!!" - selfish b.........s

[Ruairidh Dunford]

It is not normally necessary to replace these, unless they are broken or damaged.

We do have a small stock of properly forged U bolts left - if you end up requiring any.

[Andy Bennett]

Old Dave: there aren't many things I can chip in about but do also check the bushes and 'pegs'. 
For some reason my old springs only had one half of the bushes installed so the pins twisted in the spring and wore away the spring edge and damaged the pegs. For my new springs I had new bushed fitted and reamed and new 'pegs' to make sure all was good. I used existing U bolts mainly because I didn't want to cut away the floor to get them out, but I did replace the main bolt as it needs to be removed to get the spring out anyway and the threads on mine were poor.
   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Are these the rear springs, Andy?

[Andy Bennett]

Yes, a zoomed out picture below, with of course Ian's new spring with nice new bush on top. Interesting that unladen the old spring maintains the shape of the new spring but they have clearly lost their strength from the visible flattening under the weight of the car. The general condition also looked fine, it was just the sag which led me to replace them.

   

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Normally, rear springs are fitted with two Top Hat style bushes, like this: https://www.theaustinsevenworkshop.com/p...ing-bushes

With the type you have fitted the axle will be able to move side to side - likely to wear the pin and the bush, unless you also fitted side packing washers to overcome this.