Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-02-16
SUGGESTIONS FOR
CARE Of SPRINGS
Paying Bit Of Attention to Your
Auto Springs Will Protect the
Working Parts Of the Gar
and Give Added Comfort.

The ordinary amount of work that
II thrown upon the spring suspension
of an automobile is entirely out of
proportion to the slight care that is
generally given it. The shocks of cob
blestones. ruts and thank you ma
ans" multiplied thousands Of times
by momentum and repeated inces-
sanity throughout every mile of
travel, must all be met by the springs.
cushioned and transmitted to the car
occupants and mechanism in the form
of harmless fluctuations.
The proper care of springs is a very
simple matter. and the slight effort
involved will be repaid many times by
the added comfort derived, to say
nothing of the added protection to all
the working parts of the car.
When Buick cars leave the factory,
the springs are all properly fabricated,
and particular attention is given to
the springs in manufacture to see that
every leaf and shackle and bolt is
built to give smooth action and long
wear.
Some extra attention should be
given to the springs during the break
ing in process, just as it is advisable
TO let the motor wear in carefully I'M
til 1t finds itself"-say during the
first five hundred or one thousand
miles.
The weight of the car and passen-
gers upon the springs will soon cause
the springs to take what is known as
a permanent set-that is, the slight
elongation which is natural to steel
will take place and the springs will
lower small fraction of an inch. AL
lowance for this set" is of course
made in manufacture. AS a result OF
the elongation, the spring clips (see
illustration) will naturally loosen a
trifle, and for this reason they are
fastened in place with hexagon bolts
and nuts SO they may be frightened.
KEEP CLIPS TIGHT.
1t is essential to the life of the
springs that the spring clips be kept
tight at all times, in order that the
spring leaves may be held tightly to-
gether. The reason for this Is that if
the leaves are not held firmly in place
there is a possibility of one or more
Of them breaking if an unusually Sc
we're bump is encountered. Spring
leaves do not break on the descent,
but always on the rebound; and it is
during this phase of their action that
the leaves must hold together in order
to divide up the shock So the clips
should be watched frequently during
the first hundred miles, and after that
at longer intervals.
Once or twice a season 1t is advis-
able to jack the car up in such a man.
ner that all the weight is supported
by the jack and the frame. Then
loosen the spring clips and spread the
leaves apart, and with a thin, flat in
strument, such as hack saw blade
literally smear the surfaces of the
leaves with a mixture of flake gra-
phite and motor oil. This is an excel
lent spring lubricant and will permit
the leaves to slide over each other
with very little friction, thus giving
the same smoothness of action as
when the car was new. The leaves
are all fabricated at the factory before
assembling, but in time the lubricant
will be forced out by the spring action
and by water mud, etc.
KEEP CAPS FILLED.
The spring shackle bolts are fitted
with grease cups. These grease cups
should always be kept filled and turn
ed down. Remember that the shackles
are in an exposed position and that
mud and water are constantly being
splashed on them while driving or
when the car is being washed Like
anything else made of steel, they will
rust or wear if not kept well creased
but few minutes every week will
suffice to keep them properly lubri-
Gated.
Keep the large U-bolts that hold the
springs in the center tight. The same
general rule applies to them as to the
spring clips, particularly during the
first few hundred miles of use.
o$D