Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

I'm still worrying the issue of lubing 39-41 springs. It seems to me that Slip Plate can replace Ford M #4682. Several of us use it to good success. We don't find Slip Plate in a tube container to be injected by a grease gun. We find if we jack up the vehicle on the frame and let the wheels hang, the springs open enough to allow Slip Plate to be sprayed between the spring leaves. Even better if brake cleaner is first sprayed between the leave to remove rust and dirt. I am suspicious of how well lube can be pushed up thru the "Extender" to the spring bolt and oozes along the depressed groove in the spring leave?

I'm also hearing that if the springs are serviced well, the car noticeably rides a lot smoother.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Clem, What you say about using SLIP PLATE makes sense, especially if used as part of regular maintenance. Trouble with grease is that it hardens up over time and doesn't flow, inhibiting lubrication. I don't think this happens with SLIP PLATE.
https://www.amazon.com/Slip-Plate-Pl.../dp/B005ESITFQ

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

I have used Slip Plate on one set of springs that the stuff is oozing nicely out of the sides of the spring stack. I continue to hear that grease hardens: Meaning it mixes with road dirt? I would seem to me that for us driving our oldies, we would not get much dirt in the springs. So a one- time cleaning during restoration would last forever?

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Don't think the center bolt lube point every worked very well. The center of the leaves don't move that much, it is the leaf tip that needs the lube the most. And even with the grooves in the leaves it is difficult for any lubricate pumped into the center to get out to the tips.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

This is exactly right. Pushing through the center bolt zerk, the lube only travels as far as the nearest escape route, never reaching the leaf tips. The spring needs to be disassembled, the wear spots from the tips ground smooth, and leaves slathered with Slip Plate.
"It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it."

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Once regular grease is injected it will block the passages, the spring lube was thin oil with talc, the original had a trace of ground asbestos, Had a car that was low mileage and had only had spring lube not grease, that car the lube got to the tips, had a 46 that was greased that one just leaked spring lube in the center area and the tips stayed rusty

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

thanks for the conformation.


I am a previous owner of a 29 Packard. She had the Beiseu(Sp.?) lube system. 32 fittings were tubed together and each line had a filter at the end. Several sizes filter's were used. Anyways, some filters/fittings got lubed and some never.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

In my simple mind and opinion, the closest current material to the original M 4682 is simply fifth wheel grease that is used on ,guess what, fifth wheels on semi swivel plates. This material is designed for almost no flow, high contact load and very low speed. This meets all the requirements of the original material. A couple of other fun facts is that it is super cheap and available at all big truck parts stores. It sets on the counter in a display box of 2 ounce packets. Truckers just throw the packet onto the plate. If you study the chemistry and tribolgy of this application , this is the current substitute. I I am not a fan of a slip-plate dry material as it has no viscosity and is therfore super thin. Good for smoth surfaces. We are trying to separate two very rough surfaces. Your milage will vary.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Floyd, you're the man. I was thinking Slip Plate was just a brand name for Fifth Wheel lube. This stuff (Fifth Wheel) is greasy, sloppy, sticky black goo that does the trick.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

The more flexible the springs are the better your shocks need to be ,A dry spring has a damping effect , but I guess you already new that ,

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

I'm learning so much! Thanks

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

What Ted alludes to above is my understanding. I was taught springs need the friction imposed between each leaf in order to work as they are supposed to.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

I started this thread in part, because the springs on my fully restored 40 Merc squawk. They have the tin covering. How do I lube them? I have the special nipple and nut extender on the spring bolt. As was said, that system is not very good.

My 39 Ford pickup has the same system but there is no tin covering. I have the pickup jacked up with the rear hanging on the springs. I have sprayed the slightly opened spring leaves with brake cleaner and blasted some crud away with compressed air. I'm ready to lube the leaves with something. I'm liking what I hear about Fifth Wheel.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Ford intended for the springs to be lubricated, it is part of the routine lubrication and listed in the charts. Ford also specified the use of spring lubricant, which they sold.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Yes, I know of ford's specified spring lube. What other automobiles have lubricated springs?

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

Clem I use fifth wheel grease on my 39 pkp. Front and back , but I had the springs completely off of the truck and apart . On the 47 I jacked the it up by the frame and forced it onto the leafs with a puddy knife . It worked better on the 39 . Sunshine

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

I've been using motorcycle chain lube. Spray it onto the leaves and after it penetrates wipe off the excess with mineral spirits. Seems to work very well.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

None that I am aware of, LOL. But then not many transverse springs either.

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

From my experience ,If the springs are lubed and the shocks are not that great serious axl tramp can occur on corrugated roads even to the point of braking a axle ,

Re: Use of Slip plate to lube springs
 

So true. A leaf spring is really a constant strength (stress) plate of roughly diamond shape and cut into strips and stacked together to make practical sized assembly for use. It is nothing more than that. Now with the strips stacked together we get some form of friction between the slightly sliding plates. This provides a bit of damping (hysteresis) to the assembly which is going to be needed somewhere in a spring mass assembly. This small amount is acknowledged in the design of the real damping device that we call shock absorber. The lube that is added is to prevent squeaks and to provide a constant amount of friction over the life of the assembly. The lube is not there to eliminate the friction, only to try to keep it constant in spite of rain, salt , rust and corrosion trying to change the characteristics over time. As Ted alludes to above, in time without maintaining the lube of the springs (probably no one did it anyway ,even with the wrapped deluxe models), the friction level rises, increasing damping. At the same time the shocks are wearing and their damping rate is decreasing. The spring increase in damping factor however is not enough to fully offset the loss in the shocks, but given a spring surface ugly and rough enough, it certainly helps.
We have a spring-mass-damper system on all cars and they should sing in harmony and in the same key.
This is why I am fully opposed to the teflon spring insets besides the fact that they look stupid.
Every time my '32 stops on a dime, I say "thanks Ted"