Greetings All,
As I've been lurking on the list, looking for tidbits that will help in
my Lotus Eleven Replica project, I've noticed several dramas from time
to time connected with Spridget leaf springs... people willing to go to
almost any lengths to modify/replace/reengineer their rear suspensions.
While it's true that the leaf spring is pretty old technology, they can
be massaged to give results almost as good as coil springs.
Back in the early days of racing, people found that the internal
friction of a leaf spring (and thus the way it acted on the suspension)
varied according to how dirty, wet, greasy, etc. the springs were. Some
smart person figured out that if you do the following:
1) Disasssemble the springs into their separate leaves.
2) Wire brush all the rust, dirt, road apple residue, etc. off the
leaves until they are very clean.
3) Apply a liberal coating of grease to all surfaces.
4) Reassemble the springs.
5) And this is important: Wrap a layer or two of the very best
electrical tape you can find around the whole assembly (think, "Mummy").
In the very old days, they used to make a leather boot that fit around
the spring.
6) Install on your vehicle and marvel at how civilized and compliant
your suspension has become!
Of course, if your shocks are marginal, they won't be assisted by as
much internal damping of the spring, and you'll probably have to
replace/upgrade them.
I did this on a Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato Double Bubble Coupe (the car is
much smaller than the name...) with a transverse front leaf spring and
it absolutely transformed the handling!
--
Dave Grandeffo
http://kettlemorainemotorsports.com
Southern Wisconsin, USA
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