How to Reverse the Main Leaf of a Leaf Spring

In this video I show you how to reverse the main leaf of a leaf spring. doing so will put the spring eyelets on top of the main leaf instead of underneath to lower the chassis on the suspension. In this video I demonstrate with the rear spring from a Model T which is quite a bit more difficult than most due to the large hump in the middle.
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[@tyrellboggs2863]

I worked in a spring shop for years. We would make and change model T and A springs all of the time. On a job like the one you are doing, we would never do the work you are doing cold. It just does too much damage to the quality of the spring material its self. We had patterns that allowed us to make exact copy's of the original springs. On a job like yours, if we didnt just make a new leaf, We would heat the leaf red/yellow hot and re arch it over a pattern with the eyes up. The quality of metallurgy from the time the model A's and T's were built is crap compared to what we have today. When we tore into a model A or T spring pack, they were typically wore out or rust pitted so bad they were not worth trying to save. Cold arching is a commonly done part of making springs. This is only used to reproduce a 1/2 to 1 inch correction to put "snap" into the spring pack. Snap is the amount of more arch each leaf has over the one below it or closer to the main leaf. You can gain far more strength with snap than you can by adding leafs. This is where the art of making springs really becomes more clear. If you want to lower a vehicle you de arch each leaf but add more snap. This prevents the spring from feeling too soft or saggy from the de arch. This produces a quality leaf spring that has a higher spring rate than it did at full arch height with no or little snap. I have 21 years experience in making leaf springs and winding coils. I like to think I know my shit. I have built carriage springs for museums including the smithsonian as well as making leaf springs with 16 inches of arch above the stock height for Trucks running 44's and bigger tires. I dont have a clue if the spring pack you are working with is a reproduction or if it is an original model A spring. If it is an original, Dont use it. The quality of spring steel from the 20's and 30's will not hold the shape you put into it cold and it will break. Its just a matter of time if it doesnt break just sitting there with your cars bare frame resting on it. More on what snap is. On a spring pack with out tapered leafs you want the contact to be in 3 places. The center inactive area and at the ends. Snap means the shorter the leaf the more arch it has. This makes each leaf support the longer leaf above it more effectively. This reduces spring squeek and friction between leafs. This also gives your spring pack more power or a higher spring rate. This can be very beneficial on older springs that have no snap remaining or never had snap from day one. The less your leafs rub against each other full length, the longer they last. This was the whole idea of the delrin pads you sometimes see under the ends of each leaf on high quality leaf springs.

[@tyrellboggs2863]

This is in no way a criticism of your work. So far everything I have seen shows skill and a good feel for what you are doing. You are an artisan and it shows. But you are not doing the spring work right. Love your sheet metal work and fabrication work. It is truly professional. As an additional note. Most people do their spring work after they have the entire weight on the vehicle. Otherwise you have no way to calculate ride height. and you havent even run into fixing lean with those springs. This will test your patience like never before. I have been working with springs 21 years and I still hate to see a model T of A come in the door with a lean I have to fix. They are a bitch. Just a warning. With any luck you will not have to deal with this issue.

[@GunFunZS]

I don't think he saw your comment which is a shame. I appreciate it because I always like learning from people who know their stuff but have a bit of humility.

[@PCMenten]

It’s very cool that you do this stuff yourself. Very instructive and inspiring. Keep up the great work.

[@jpkalishek4586]

Ah yes, nothing like hours into work and realizing it was bunk before you started. But, better while you were working on it than while you were driving the thing. I have seen springs re-arched with a crosspeen hammer and two railroad rail anvils. Your method looks far quieter and faster.

[@rockerpat1085]

Good job, but have you thought of the fact that the spring eyelet was down for a reason? The way it was the weight of the car is on the spring, now it's on the eye and can now work the eye open causing the link to fail. Good luck and Keep Rocking!!!

[@DR1BIG750]

Rocker Pat, my thoughts too, will weaken at eyes, better to use longer shackles to do the same job.

[@MacroMachines]

possibly, but people have been doing this for many decades with no issues

[@herbhall3830]

Yes they've been doing this for decades ! But not all without fail!

[@danh.122]

It doesn't cause it to fail. You can buy new springs with reversed eyes and there are thousands of cars that run them.

[@xozindustries7451]

Sometimes you learn more from your failures than your successes, good job on the sting no matter what the outcome

[@crazycaseyscustoms]

Ahhhhhhrrrggghhh! 😊 Good job. I’m tempted to try this myself.

[@10magicalfingers27]

Hi there! Great video!! I wanted to straighten out a scrap piece of leaf spring to make sword out of it! I wanted to know if it is possible with a 3 ton jack The thickness of the spring should be somewhere around 7-8mm

[@NomadicPhoton]

How do you plan to make the sword? Are you planning to forge it? I've made several knives out of leaf spring on a coal forge. I cut the rough size out of the spring, then heated it orange-hot and forged the blade in a traditional manner.

[@alisdairherd9501]

I'm wondering what are the issues holding you back from cutting and re-welding the eyelets? Welding doesn't render a part permanently disabled, plenty of structural, load bearing components are welded. Also, it't a long shot, but since you're in the market for a new spring, perhaps there will be a suitable modern (and flatter) spring from a junk yard as a starting point. Might be easier than trying to re profile a 100 year old part.

[@gwolfe1231]

Agree, that's what I would do. Nice, clean TIG weld would work nicely.

[@Catrik]

I don't understand why the whole leaf needs to reversed. Why not just flatten the whole leaf pack a little bit or modify how it connects to the axle to make it lower?

[@krusher74]

maybe some kinda drop link?

[@GodzillaB210]

I was wondering how you did this. I was for sure and certain you were going to need a torch. Nothing like a little hydraulic muscle to make it work. Can you update on what you ended up doing for the final product after you found the crack? Did you get a whole new leaf spring set or did you score just the one main spring you needed?

[@MacroMachines]

I'm not worried about finding a new spring at the moment because it isn't an issue until this thing's drive able which is still a long way off.

[@StanleyKubick1]

you don't want to use torches on springs, as you risk having tempering them

[@GunFunZS]

@@StanleyKubick1 I think I would rather temper it then push it past the yield which is what his method is. Heat treating shops aren't all that expensive either. But the normal method is just to bring it to a high polish with sandpaper and then gradually work your heat all the way up by color of the oxides.

[@Ecosse57]

french accent: "six and a half hours later..." :D

[@romandybala]

Yeah, I reckon its Uri Tuchman"s voice

[@billh230]

From Spongebob Squarepants. It's an homage to Jacques Yves Cousteau.

[@jamiekling2441]

Why not just heat the eyes and work them the other way and retemper just the eyes instead of trying to rearch the entire spring?

[@lunkydog]

jamie kling That's the way I always thought it was done too. Seems like I remember seeing it described in old hot ridding magazines.

[@MacroMachines]

Im sure its possible but I didn't feel like doing it that way lol

[@Crewsy]

Rolling an eye in the end of a leaf spring is a lot harder than rearching it like he was. I worked in a spring shop years ago and made many main leafs and military wrap leafs with the equipment we had so doing it at home would be very difficult if not impossible.

[@SleezyMcZeelius]

That is what thought he would do at first

[@Biffo1262]

lunkydog with the equipment he has it is easier to do it the way he has than reforge the ends.

[@laverncarroll]

Very cool video.

[@minbannister3625]

one more inch of kickup in the rear cross member would get you the same effect.

[@bradcampbell7253]

weld the crack continue straightening to the shape you want press out the bushings and then you're going to have to heat the whole Leaf to relax all the stress that you put in by bending it backwards cold.. do your research on how to heat a leaf spring and cool it slowly so it's temper is the best you can get it it's not a write off easy fix

[@craigsowers8456]

Agreed ... weld to almost the point of the end of the crack and then "Stop Drill" the end of the crack ... no more propagation of the inherited crack ... should last many years.

[@gavinsharman3397]

You da man dude

[@tat255987]

Nice work, bummer about the crack!

[@lukekolodziej9631]

Hey that really sucks I know how awful it is when your putting so much time and effort into making something and then realizing a huge flaw it just flat out sucks but great learning experience!

[@angelonicassio7131]

how much harder/easier would it be to just unroll the eyelets and bend them around the other way???

[@drummer_1315]

Do you repeat it with an other spring?

[@Crewsy]

989,423 view. 😂😂😂 Great job on re-arching the main leaf Vince. It sucks to put that much time into it only to discover the crack when you are near completion. You may want to price out having a main leaf made compared to sourcing another original 100 year old leaf that may also be cracked. You could potentially by a “blank” basic arch with the eyes rolled on top with the right leaf thickness and length and still make the final arch yourself.

[@jamesmaroon6161]

Hey kid, sorry but I don't know your first name. Anyways, when I first turned this video on, I was thinking this otta be good. But a great learning lesson

[@swalk00]

great job!

[@watahyahknow]

allways was under the impression that you needed to heat the spring to reshape it then retemper it , seems to be a lot eazier to do than i thought oh darn , might be caused by the rough edge on the spring maibe you can find some spring steel blank or a leafspring from say a azian compact car in about the same size (only needs to be the same thickness you can machine the edge on a mill or grind it so its the same width ) , if you use a steel strip blank you probably do need to heat up the ends to make the eyelets and temper it once you done bending it , you might actually be able to do that with an induction coil

[@Crewsy]

watahyahknow No heating required. Spring steel is available as pre-arched blanks and a hydraulic press are the basics. Heat is only needed to form the eyes on the ends of the main leaf or secondary leaf in some cases.

[@allenmckinney9533]

Bet you wish you had a powered ram on that bender.

[@fordnut4914]

I think I would have just cut the eye lots off and just flipped them around a welded them I know they tell u not to weld on springs but on these little springs it wouldn't hurt nothing just keep them cool I've welded coil spring back together with no issues.

[@willdabeastindy]

A lot of patience and determination to do what you did there, sad ending :(

[@stevehuffman7453]

Cold working a spring and it cracked?!? What a surprise.

[@baguiocitydreaming5063]

Can't the leafs be restacked in reverse order with the main leaf on the bottem? Wouldn't that accomplish the same thing?

[@MacroMachines]

well then the leafs underneath the main leaf don't do anything

[@baguiocitydreaming5063]

MacroMachines that would depend on weather the axle sits above the springs like on a Early Ford Mustang or under it like most others wouldn't it? In the case of a mustang you would at least lower the rear by the thickness of the spring stack minus one leaf wouldn't you?

[@davethedog007]

I’m gutted for you. I’m no mechanic but is there no way that the crack can be welded up or repaired?

[@TheMetalButcher]

Seems like it would have been easier to heat and re roll the eyes, no?

[@reh3ddoes]

WOW! I seriously thought people just cut the eyes off and flipped them, then welded them back on. Nice work! Sucks for the crack tho.

[@ESharp79]

I was just about to ask why he didn't do that. I would think that would be faster, especially with his skill set.

[@reh3ddoes]

After I posted this comment, I read below the proper way would be to heat work it back the other way. And now that I think of it, I remember as a kid watching my brother do the heat bend for the eyes. Maybe cutting and welding wouldn't be strong enough or consistent enough? Unsure, but it was a cool vid.

[@Slyd_Fox]

You would loose the temper in the welded areas. Plus, the end are a high load area, even re-tempered, the welds might crack too easily.

[@reh3ddoes]

Good call.

[@axlemarley3082]

couldnt you just weld over the crack? or is that not doable?

[@Crewsy]

Axle Marley Welding a tempered leaf spring might be possible but could create a brittle section and with it being the main leaf it is the primary connection between the axle and the frame.

[@garymucher9590]

That stinks to put that much time into a project like that and then have it crack. Do you think heat would have helped? IDK Thumbs Up!

[@daleolson3506]

Music unnecessary your content will carry your videos.in my opinion.

[@srinivasm9652]

4th one

[@koolbreeze9489]

You could took a torch and hated H and and Bynum up lucky warn them in about 10 minutes

[@honzaskaryd6488]

Do all of your vids like this! Talk more! The timelapses without music are boring!

[@tristanr7799]

hi i am the first one and i watched 3 minutes after up load. awesome videos man

[@brucebasil4164]

Bummer.

[@davidhall1779]

what a shame all that work and the spring was no good to begin with.

[@Nderak]

That sucks a bunch.