car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

My car leans to the drivers side. There are no shocks currently. If i stand on the drivers side rear bumper it sinks maybe 2 in and doesnt come back up. I jump on the passenger side and it comes back up but still low on drivers side. The car sat on flat tires on the half the wheels for maybe 20 years. Is there a way to fix this without replacing the springs?

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

also really leans on right turns.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

My 29 Tudor leaned on the driver's side also. After I removed the rear end and reinstalled it all was fine and level. I'd first try loosening the 2 U bolt nuts on the left rear spring, then tighten the right two nuts and see if that will level the car. Also squirt lots of oil between each spring leaf, so it can work easier.

My car rode like a lumber wagon and had bone dry springs. After I oiled them it rode quite nice.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

ok that sounds easy enough. Thanks Tom.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

If Tom's suggestion doesn't work, a friend of mine disassembled both springs and rotated every other leaf around and reassembled the spring stacks and that fixed the left side sag

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

I loosened the spring u-bolts front and rear and pushed up real hard on the drivers side, like real hard then tightened the clamp nuts. Worked good.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

I don't care how many times this gets said; be sure to use a spring spreader when taking the rear spring out and a clamp(s) when disassembling spring.

You could remove the spring and turn it around, then blame the sag on someone else! LOL :)

You could try the take apart and turn every other leaf also a good clean and lube. Turning leafs or re-arcing the leafs may only be a stop gap, the leafs do get tired and worn out from age.
As reported by others in the past, I would suggest getting shocks even the tube type. They make the car easier and safer to drive. They also will help keep the car level.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

You might have a broken or missing rear center "square head" spring bolt. The spring assembly can and will shift in the cross member without the square bold head inserted into the cross member. Try removing the four U-bolt nuts, drop the rear end enough to see if this is your problem. It can be difficult to get the square head bolt re-seated into the cross member. I have found the easiest way to get the square head bolt inserted into the cross member is to put the spring assembly into the cross member, place a jack stand under each side of the rear axle, and then with the weight of the car resting on the springs rock the rear of the car until it drops into place.

Another cause of your problem could be badly worn spring shackle bolts and bushings.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

I agree, all good points to check listed above. On my AA I've found many broken center tie bolts both front and rear.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

I had this same problem with my coupe. I "changed" the grease in the spring hangers by pumping lots of grease into them, squishing a lot of the old grease out. Then I squirted a lot of oil on the spring leaves as Tom said above. I forced the leaves apart slightly by driving a putty knife blade between the leaves so oil could seep in. This did not completely eliminate the problem, but it improved it greatly.

W. Michael

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

Once you are happy that the spring is OK, lubricated and located correctly and it still has a slight lean, you can add a wedge of steel between the cross member and spring.

Re: car leans can the springs be fixed?
 

I have the same left side lean on the tudor. A couple years ago I purchased an new front spring, lubed it and installed it. Then I disassembled the rear, smoothed the grooves, lubed, alternately turned around each leaf, then reinstalled. I still had about the same left side lean. Last weekend when I installed a rebuilt differential, I removed the spring again and turned it the other way. That helped a little also, but there is still a lean. I concluded that maybe the geometry of the frame has changed over the years