Re: Rear spring spreader
The subject of the rear spring comes up often on this forum and from some of the responses posted it becomes apparent there are still people in the Model A hobby that do not believe the rear spring is lethal.
I have been overhauling rear axle assemblies for about 35 years and have heard first hand several horror stories. Believe me the rear spring on a Model A Ford can be lethal and it deserves proper respect.
The attached article describes the proper way a rear spring should be handled.
Also attached is a photo of a broken shackle. Some of you may be aware that several of us are in the process of restoring a 1930 Tudor for my 14-year old grandson. We began the process in early March 2020 when we acquired the car. One the first thing we did was pull the rear end for restoration. When we removed the left shackle we found one of the shackle bolts broken in half. Had we pulled the rear end with the spring attached the unrestrained spring could have easily taken flight and injured anyone in its path.
The question may be asked, how does a shackle bolt get broken? My theory is that whoever last installed the shackles tightened the nuts down tight. The nuts should be pulled down tight to ensure the shackle is fully seated, then the nuts should be backed off a turn before inserting the cotter pins. The purpose is to allow the shackles to pivot when going over a bump, otherwise they could be twisted off, which I believe is what happened.
Tom Endy
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