Lubricating Leaf Springs

[Lin]

I have just taken some leaf springs apart to paint. In the past I have put Teflon tape between leaves but I don’t have any handy. Would it be appropriate to put a light bead of grease between the leaves before reassembling?
Thanks!
Lin

 

[red57]

Hi Lin,
I would be afraid grease would attract grit. As far as I determined the originals had Zink strips between the top 4 leaves (3 strips), but I could not find any vendors selling correct Zink lined springs, so I bought some sheet and sheared to width and installed in the new springs I bought - I haven't driven the car yet so not sure they are as quiet as I hope.

Dave

 

[Michael Oritt]

Hi Lin--

If you cannot find a resource I suggest you start here: > Home - Annapolis Rigging <
I live about an hour south and usually am in Annapolis every week or so--let me know if I can help.

 

[Lin]

Thanks Dave and Mike,
Mike, once you reminded me about the Annapolis Rigging, I remembered that you had recommended them to me years ago. I went to the garage and dug into my tape/adhesive drawer and sure enough I found the Teflon tape and as an extra bonus there is enough of it for this job. Thanks for the memories…

Dave, I agree with your comment about grease attracting grit, and I am in Florida where there is plenty of sand and grit!
Lin

 

[Keoke]

Thanks Dave and Mike,
Mike, once you reminded me about the Annapolis Rigging, I remembered that you had recommended them to me years ago. I went to the garage and dug into my tape/adhesive drawer and sure enough I found the Teflon tape and as an extra bonus there is enough of it for this job. Thanks for the memories…

Dave, I agree with your comment about grease attracting grit, and I am in Florida where there is plenty of sand and grit!
Lin

LIN I always used Coppa Slip worked great

 

[Donald1107]

Let me ask you experts about my 1959 TR3A leaf springs. They are the originals, probably never been cleaned and probably do not have any lubricating strips between the leaves. The car was undercoated before I bought it in 1987, which was apparently on the leaf springs. Questions: should I do more than just thoroughly wire brush them all over (to clean them up)? They don’t squeak, so I’m not sure they need lubrication, but perhaps WD40? What would you recommend short of disassembling them?

 

[Bob_Spidell]

WD40 is a lousy lubricant as it wasn't developed for that purpose (it is, however, excellent for preventing water contamination on your nuclear warheads). Nothing thin enough to squeeze between the leaves is going to last very long, but I've had good results using silicone spray lubricant (it's excellent for 'fixing' squeeky door hinges, for instance).

 

[Healey Nut]

How about a dry spray graphite lube ?

 

[Donald1107]

Thank you both. I know that WD40 is not a lubricant, but I was under the impression that 1959 leaf spring technology did not use any lubricant. And I’m told that grease will just attract dirt. The dry graphite sounds like a good idea; has anyone used it? I plan to wire brush the leaf springs thoroughly, and perhaps spray the sides and shackles if the springs with the graphite.

 

[Donald1107]

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Thank you both. I know that WD40 is not a lubricant, but I was under the impression that 1959 leaf spring technology did not use any lubricant. And I’m told that grease will just attract dirt. The dry graphite sounds like a good idea; has anyone used it? I plan to wire brush the leaf springs thoroughly, and perhaps spray the sides and shackles if the springs with the graphite.

My '56 BN2/100M's springs had zinc strips between the leaves (I'm pretty sure no one had them apart before my dad did). I've always assumed they were there to provide 'lubrication.'

 

[Michael Oritt]

I wonder if this product would work? The manufacturer claims that is 99.44/100 % pure zinc:

ZincArmor 3" Zinc Strip 50 ft Prevent Algae, Moss, Fungus & Mildew CB-07-E1

sales@rotometals.com

www.rotometals.com

 

[Donald1107]

This looks like something that you would have to disassemble the leaf stack and put between the leaves. I don’t think that I am at that point. My springs don’t squeak, but are very dirty, at least on the outside. Face it, they are 63 years old; never been disassembled as far as I know. At least by me, and I’ve owned it for 36 years, 32 of those idle in a garage.
Thanks for the idea, though.

Previous photo was a front wheel. Here you can see the spring on the back wheel when I painted the wheel well.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I think it would (but might have to be cut down lengthwise to not stick out). IMO graphite, if not in liquid form, wouldn't penetrate much between the leaves.

FWIW: > Cleaning and checking leaf springs <

 

[Donald1107]

Yes, you are probably right; the zinc strips are 3” wide. But I’m not prepared to completely disassemble the springs … yet.

The car’s odometer reads 23,700 miles. I have put about 10,000 miles on it after I got it running when I bought it in 1987. I suppose it could have turned over 100,000 before I bought it (between 1959 and 1987), but it was in pretty sorry condition when I acquired it. Believe it or not, I drive it home in 1987, and it boiled over twice. I found no (I.e. zero) compression in all four cylinders. When I dropped the pistons, they had NO rings. Some idiot must have just thrown it together for sale, and failed to put in rings. It had many other problems that I repaired to make it suitable for my commune car in Los Angeles 1989-1991. I quit driving it when I had to replace the fuel filter monthly. Moved it with me to Virginia, where it sat in my garage for 30 years. 2021 was the year I revitalized it, and use it as my golf car (not cart). It has won awards in two of three antique car shows last year (no competition). But it does look nice on top; very ugly underneath.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

re: "... Believe it or not, I drive it home in 1987, and it boiled over twice. ..."

No one here is going to have any trouble believing that

 

[dougie]

I've used this for years on my exposed chassis components to lubricate and prevent surface rust.

Lps Premier Rust Inhibitor, Platinum Grade, H2, Aerosol Can, 11 oz, Brown 00316 | Zoro

Order Lps Premier Rust Inhibitor, Platinum Grade, H2, Aerosol Can, 11 oz, Brown, 00316 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

 

[Bob_Spidell]

A big second on LPS 3. I bought a gallon of it years ago, and applied it to some spots on my BJ8's chassis where the paint flaked off. The exposed metal stayed shiny and rust-free (and that car is an 'all-weather' car). Boeshield works well too, but I think the LPS is a bit more tenacious.

 

[Donald1107]

Fantastic advice! Thank you.

 

[kodpkd]

Has anyone used
Cold Galvanizing Spray Paint to paint the leaf springs? After drying it leaves kind of a slippery surface.