Spring question

[Tr3aguy]

OK so I got the springs removed and one has an extra plate on the bottom.....why is that? I was thinking it was to balance out the driver weight but it was on the passenger side of the car. So did they export and just forget we sit on the other side of the car.....I will be cleaning these up so should I put that one back on the driver side??

Also what is the best method for cleanup?

thanks

 

[TR3driver]

You've got it right, it was to help the car sit level with only a driver. But because of the way the springs run under the axle, the spacer lowers the side it is on, so it should be on the passenger side.

IMO you need to disassemble the springs, to clean the dirt and corrosion out from between the leaves. Undo the center bolt and pry the retaining clips open far enough to work out each leaf in turn. I then used one of those cheap angle grinders from HF, with a cupped wire brush, to clean them up. Hopefully you won't find one of these:

As an experiment, I tried inserting some UHMW tape between the leaves to reduce friction. It is really too soon to report on overall results, as I have something strange going on and haven't run it to ground yet. But the ride is very definitely a LOT less harsh than with the old springs (which were almost locked together with crud & corrosion). (I'm thinking that perhaps replacing that broken leaf with a leaf from another spring was probably a bad idea, and am waiting for a pair of new springs to arrive. I'll try the UHMW with them, too.)