Rear Flex-O-Matic Springs?

[Georgia71]

Hello All,

It's been a while since I've been on here. Well you might have known I would have a question. I'm starting to put my truck back together and have a question about rear springs. I have that flex-o-matic rear spring setup. When I was putting it back together Saturday I noticed the clip on the rear of the spring's was broken. It looks like it's there for keeping the rattle down. Is this true? If not do I need to replace them? I can't seem to find any around here in north Georgia.

Ga71

[fordman]

are you talking aboutthe spring pack clips that are on each end of the spring to hold the packs together or part of the flex o matic spring bracketry system?

[Georgia71]

Hello fordman,

It's part number 5a711 (clip). It's part of the flex-o-matic bracketry. I found the number in the exploded views section today. Is this part needed? One of mine had rusted off. The other got broke while taking it off.

Ga71

[ezernut9mm]

it does look like some kind of "pad" or anti-squeak device. i haven't looked at mine in a long time. do you still have the one that broke off? is there some kind of "padding" on the spring side of the clip? i can check mine out tomorrow when it's light out.

[FORDification]

Here's a picture of the piece he's talking about (colorized in Photoshop):



I believe that's just a wear strip. It's nothing more than a metal clip, like a money clip. When the box is loaded to the point where the Flex-o-matic lever is resting on the spring, it's going to rub back and forth. With this strip, it's not wearing away on the spring itself. When I rebuilt my setup, one of those strips was broken and the other was good. I sandblasted/painted the good one and installed it, and figured some day I'll run across another that I can clean up and use. But I don't see it as being especially critical overall.

[69rangerman]

When I first got my truck I traced and annoying jingly rattle to one of these. I don't haul anything so I just took it off. I think I left the other one on since it wasn't making any noise.

[Georgia71]

From I'm hearing I tink I'll just leave mine off. I thought mine was attached to the spring itself. Then clipped to the flex-o-matic thing. Or that's how I remember it. To keep them pressed together.

Ga71