Rear Spring Installation

[Joe/Ct]

I recently did some work on my drive train and did so by removing the rear end, spring and all. I removed the spring to make some repairs, and have mated the spring to the rear end. I am now in the process of re-installing, but am having some difficulty. The spring fits into the channel and I am ably to tighten the nuts to the original u-bolts, but I am unable to do so enough to insert the cotter pins. I have checked to ensure that the spring bolt is in the frame hole, but still no joy. Any suggestions? As a side note, others have recommended that I should have left the spring in and just removed the rear end at the shackles, but I am beyond that. One option is to remove the spring from the rear end, install just the spring, and then install the rear end with the spring already installed.

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by Joe/Ct

I recently did some work on my drive train and did so by removing the rear end, spring and all. I removed the spring to make some repairs, and have mated the spring to the rear end. I am now in the process of re-installing, but am having some difficulty. The spring fits into the channel and I am ably to tighten the nuts to the original u-bolts, but I am unable to do so enough to insert the cotter pins. I have checked to ensure that the spring bolt is in the frame hole, but still no joy. Any suggestions? As a side note, others have recommended that I should have left the spring in and just removed the rear end at the shackles, but I am beyond that. One option is to remove the spring from the rear end, install just the spring, and then install the rear end with the spring already installed.

I should note that this was on our 1928 roadster, and we did use one of the safe spring removers.

[Tacoma Bob]

MMMM Perhaps lower the car with wheels installed. The weight with the car on the ground may the difference.

[Russ/40]

Did you change or remove the top spring leaf?

[1930-Pickup]

Are you using the spring clamps for the 7 leaf spring?
Different leaf counts require different clamps.

[Tom Endy]

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Make sure that the square head on the center bolt is correctly located inside the square hole in the frame section. Be careful with a rear spring attached to a rear axle assembly outside of the car under tension. If the head of the center bolt pops off It can be lethal.

Tom Endy

[Patrick L.]

Have you added an extra leaf ?
Is the center bolt tight ?
Is the square of the center bolt head protruding thru the crossmember hole ?

[katy]

The spring fits into the channel and I am ably to tighten the nuts to the original u-bolts, but I am unable to do so enough to insert the cotter pins.

How much are they out? Got a picture?

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by Russ/40

Did you change or remove the top spring leaf?

No I did not. The only work that I did was in the torque tube. The springs, u-bolts and nuts were as original.

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by 1930-Pickup

Are you using the spring clamps for the 7 leaf spring?
Different leaf counts require different clamps.

I changes nothing on the spring.

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

Make sure that the square head on the center bolt is correctly located inside the square hole in the frame section. Be careful with a rear spring attached to a rear axle assembly outside of the car under tension. If the head of the center bolt pops off It can be lethal.

Tom Endy

Yes, the square head is in the square hole.

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by katy

How much are they out? Got a picture?

I am out by 1/4" all 4 bolts....

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by Patrick L.

Have you added an extra leaf ?
Is the center bolt tight ?
Is the square of the center bolt head protruding thru the crossmember hole ?

I changed nothing on the spring and, yes, the center bolt is tight...

[katy]

Maybe you have the spring clips upside down?

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by Joe/Ct

I am out by 1/4" all 4 bolts....

Just about the thickness of the square head of the bolt not aligned with the square hole in the cross member. It's happened to me.

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by katy

Maybe you have the spring clips upside down?

I don't think so...do you have a pic how they are to be installed?

[Bob C]

Are the tabs on the u-bolts in the holes on the cross member?

[Joe/Ct]

Originally Posted by Bob C

Are the tabs on the u-bolts in the holes on the cross member?

Yup. I am using the spring clips that were originally on the car. All I did was remove the drive train, including the spring. I then removed the spring from the axles to make it easy to repair the drive shaft. I reinstalled the spring, inserted in the vehicle and used the original spring clips. Unfortunately, I was unable to tighten the nuts enough to insert the cotter pins.

Note that Andrews recommends removing the the rear end with the spring attached while some of the guys at the shop suggest leaving the spring on the vehicle and removing the shackles.

[rocket1]

Just a thought as the spring flexes it wears a groove into the leaf below it,if you have no weight on the spring while trying to tighten the spring clips possibly the leaves are resting on the unworn or high spots,lower the back of the car to the ground and or have a couple of people sit in the back and then see if you can tighten those nuts the xtra 1/4 inch.

[rotorwrench]

It usually is easier to remove the rear axle with the spring installed but it also depends on what else is disassembled during the whole repair process. Removing the spring from the rear axle is not normally a big deal but it would be easy to reinstall it 180 degrees from where it was originally and that might have changed the fit just enough so that things aren't seating like they were before. A person needs to confirm that the spring is seated all the way and that those U-bolts are also seated as they should be.

If the spring was not disassembled then it should not affect fit other than the way it seats into the cross member.