Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-08-29
Barney 0ldfle ED says:
BY Barney OIdfleId.
SPRING AND SPRING TROUBLES.

~ stfNS FeNb oFFlNG }lOOpEES
1t is simply amazing what very
high percentage of car owners have
their cars laid up because Of broker
springs, furthermore, not one per cent
OF all the cars show that the springs
are given attention [ have seen actual
Y examples of springs allowed to rust
and break because Of negligence
There is nothing more troublesome
than to have spring break on the road
and to the inexperienced owner it means
considerable cost as well. Nine tenths
of spring breakages can be avoided and
at the same time better riding qualities
had, ii the spring leaves are fabricated
and the shackle bolts always free. If a
Y shackle bolt doesn't get grease or oil,
IT freezes" as We say, and since the
shackle must allow for spring flatten-
ing, 1t will cause the spring to break
unless there is absolute freedom of
movement. A dry bolt will first of all
cause the bolt TO wear away and also
], the spring eye bushing to be worn oval.
A spring break due to a dry shackle
usually comes near the end Of the spring,
but sometimes further down.
7 When the spring leaves are allowed
! ito rust, the leaves cannot very well
slide over one another which they must
do when the spring Is in action. This
gives the effect Of a solid piece instead
of a number of leaves and causes hard
riding The flexibility Of the spring
depends on the material, the number of
leaves, the length and upon the ability
Sof the leaves to slide. In nine out Of
ten cars this sliding is stopped by rusty
Iyleaves. There is only one way to over
come this and that is to have the leaves
creased at least twice year or install
some sort of spring lubricator.
In cars fitted with the Hotchkiss or
now familiar Spicer drive owners often
forget that the spring clips do the work
/ Of keeping the springs in place on the
axle and that the main leaves of the
rear springs take the drive and torque.
These extra stresses imposed do not
harm the spring If they are properly
anchored, but if the spring is loose on
the axle it is bound to cause the spring
to break at the center bolt.
The bolt head fits into d depression
in the spring seat and when the spring
starts to move it wants to bend the bolt.
1t doesn't matter whether the car has
Spicer drive or any other kind, If the
springs are anchored properly there Will
be trouble, but approaching the fact
that in Spicer drive the springs do
little extra work, owners ought to take
little extra care to see that the
springs are firmly mounted.
. The rebound clips or bands which
keep the spring leaves from spreading
lrelatiFe to one another, must not shift
stheirss positions. If they do the leaves
iare not directly above one another and
1t is quite possible for one Of the small
er leaves at the bottom 70 slip out Of
place, especially 50 if the center boolt
doesn't happen to be drawn up tight
A good sign of spring shifting in many
modern cars is indicated by the brake
action. If the spring center bolt hap
pens to bend or break, allowing the
spring to move its seat, the axle moves
back relative to the rest of the car and
thus the brakes on the side are applied
partially When the car seems to hold
back this way you might look at the |
rear springs.
In getting new spring you should |
not 60 to a blacksmith who never made !
automobile springs. Such springs must |
be oil-tempered and the tempering re /
uuires heating to an exact heat depend |
ing on the material. Most blacksmiths /
don't know anything about promoters |
or proper tpmperng. so the safest place |
Is the regular spring service station or |
the car dealer
Where the spring is not properly /
tempered you will find that it either I
will break in n short time or 1t will /
sag In the latter case the spring is
too soft and looses its springlness and
its ability to maintain its chambered
shape after bending back and forth many
times.