Rear springs

[rwilliamson36]

Hi I am very new to the Austin ruby world, so I was wondering if anyone could advise me my ruby is sitting about an inch lower on the drivers side at the back some said it looks like a week spring, could this be right and where could I find a rear spring, do I need to replace the two at the same time. thanks for any advice

[Parazine]

Normally, it's false economy to replace one spring, the replacement will have different characteristics to the original and may upset the handling.
You can try Vintage Austin Services (Ian Dunford) for replacements but it may be advisable to do a few quick checks first:


Are the rear spring "U" bolts still in one piece?
Is there a gap between the bottom of the spring and the chassis, indicating loose fittings?
Is there any tightness in the rear dampers, causing one side of the car to "hold down" ?
Are the springs visibly worn?
Are the springs of different types, indicating that, perhaps a previous owner has replaced just one?



If these points still leave you "leaning", a pair of replacement springs may be your best option but I warn you, they can be extremely difficult to dislodge from the chassis after all these years!

[rwilliamson36]

Thank you for your time and help this a lot to check before I start replacing p.s is it a common thing to have to change a spring or springs if they are not broken.

[Biddlecombe]

Check the shock absorbers first, it could just be loose or worn discs.

[Parazine]

Thank you for your time and help this a lot to check before I start replacing p.s is it a common thing to have to change a spring or springs if they are not broken.

Yes, quite common. I had to do a pair on my Top Hat (see thread "Restoring a Top Hat") because one was weak. They don't usually break in the same way that modern cars do, where the spring is made with only a small overload factor.....

[Reckless Rat]

A long time ago, during my RP restoration I noticed that te car was lop- sided, lower at the rear on the driver's side. I diagnosed a weak rear spring and invested in a pair of new ones with all the attendant fun of replacement only to discover that the car was still lop- sided when it was all back together. A strip and re- furb of both rear shockers did the trick, so be careful that you don't " pay to learn"

Do the easy stuff first.

[Renaud]

Ha ha! Très amusant mon ami!

---

I mean, make a Scot pay to learn...

["Slack Alice" Simon]

If you do have to replace the springs - they can be almost impossible to get out because they are jammed in solid by 80 years worth of dirt.

I do mean solid.

On a chassis I had once, it took a sledgehammer and a couple of replacement bits of steel flat bar to get them out.   Replacements, because I had hit them so much they had become useless.

You cannot sensibly do that from under a car.


The advice is to slacken off the U bolts and the centre bolts holding the springs, and drive around for a while.

A while in my case was a week or two.

The springs came out with no trouble at all after that.

[Ian Dunford]

I do have a new pair of Ruby rear springs in stock,and would be happy to give advice on how to get the old ones out if required.
Ian Dunford
07758 714744

[Bob Culver]

To separate any influence from the front springs jack the front on a narrow packing placed to lift exactly in centre of front axle, or better the front chassis.
Are any leaves broken? Sometimes find broken leaves have been replaced with a different gauge