"rebuilding" my leaf pack

[1971ford]

im stripping my leafs and painting them and going to put them back together with new bushings and such, but what should i use between the leafs to help prevent friction?
the little wax paper things that were in there from the factory are history.

also is it ok to paint leaf springs with POR-15? it doesnt effect the way the leafs bend or anything?

and how do you remove the bushings?

thanks

[1971ford]

surely someone knows if i can paint them with POR-15........ and the other questions.

[binder56jd]

the paint won't affect the springs, although the springs may affect the paint--a brittle paint won't last on flexible surfaces--i am not experienced with por--but it seems i remember hearing that it has a brittle finish

[1971ford]

por-15 is very far from brittle, it dries rock hard. ive painted alot of stuff with it allready and its amazing how solid this stuff dries too. supposed to never chip/peal or anything.
it can also flex alot, so i dont see why it wouldnt be able to be painted on leaf springs (answered my own question )

[AK F100]

The best bet is to try it and let US know if it works. I'm sure some others had / have the same question. Good luck, give it a whirl.

[wt4speed#2]

Find a source for spring paint . Don't use anything petroleum based between the leaves i.e. grease or lube of any kind. Petroleum based products take the temper out of spring steel.

[FORDification]

You can see some pictures of mine here:

http://www.fordification.com/my67-p28.htm

I disassembled my springs, sandblasted 'em and painted 'em with POR-15. As long as you do the proper prep, the POR-15 should be good for a long time, and they won't damage the spring, it's just an exterior coating, and is VERY flexible, more so than more-common powdercoating.

The anti-squeak pad used between the helper spring and the rest of the leaves is actually a thick teflon (plastic)....but they do deteriorate. You can do a Google search and find that they're available aftermarket, though I would think you could find something around the house to use as a replacement, just cutting it to the same size as the factory piece. Mine were still in pretty good shape so I just reused the originals.

[1971ford]

cool thanks!

i missed all that spring rebuilding stuff, i just saw where you had a picture of the springs hanging in the middle of the page and thought that was it.

ill try to find new pads, the ones that were in the pack are now no more than a mm thick. they are wasted.

ill order a bushing kit from NPD and drill out the old ones. i dont have a air chissel though, maybe a chissel and a BFH will get the job done.

where did you get that bushing kit Keith?

[FORDification]

I'm using polygraphite bushings from PST (www.p-s-t.com). They're like urethane but with impregnated graphite to eliminate squeaks.

http://www.p-s-t.com/pc-1182-592-ford-f ... 57-03.aspx

These required removing the outer shell from the factory bushings, but some hi-perf bushing sets need the shells, so don't remove anything until you have the new pieces in hand and read the instructions.

[1971ford]

wow $80.00



what about this from autozone, is this what i need? i need all the bushings for my rear leafs andi have flexo matic. the picture is used for all their leaf bushings so dont go by that.

this is the all i need right?
http://www.autozone.com/selectedZip,956 ... ectZip.htm

[Wes]

Those will work, just remember to use a good silicone grease liberally as you put them to together.

[1971ford]

oh yeah it doesnt look like it comes with the grease