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Those clips look nothing like the repro 'rebound' clips on my '61....
Yes, I know the crimp is incorrect - before anybody brings it up
Those clips are to keep the spring leaves from separating on rebound..the leaves need to be able to move slightly during rebound...those things you have might even be harmful...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 12-21-2014 at 02:17 PM.
Those clips look nothing like the repro 'rebound' clips on my '61....
Yes, I know the crimp is incorrect - before anybody brings it up
Those clips are to keep the spring leaves from separating on rebound..the leaves need to be able to move slightly during rebound...those things you have might even be harmful...
Well, the rear suspension was not squeeky and I didn't notice any malfunction. The fabric liners are still there. As for the clips, they are quite loose over the leafs. They seems to have been designed for these leaves shape. There is an indentation on the bottom leaf as seen on the picture.
Maybe not corvette springs
Definitely not original......for standard 4 leaf springs that is, but looking at your pics, they appear to be grooved original springs.
Are they 4 or 5 leaf? Please post a few pics of the entire assembly at different angles.
The optional 5 leaf Heavy Duty spring is another story. I've been told those leaf clamps varied. Some were riveted, some were band clamped but not like standard Signode clamps like in Frank's pics.
if your question is "are they functional", then yes, the 'wear' marks show that the leaves are able to slide withing the clamp. personally, i would prefer the ones on your springs to those original style.
Yes, all band clamps are made to be loose enough to allow the leaves to slide within the clamp. It's possible that the original Signode band clamps were replaced when the springs may have been re-tempered at a spring shop in the past.
Those shops would simply cut the band clamps off, do their re-tempered process, then use a replacement type clamp to re-band them. My '59 had it's springs re-tempered before I got the car and have similar replacement clamps.
If you're going to rebuild your springs and refinish them, replacement original type band clamps and paraffin coated liners are available. You need a special tool to crimp the clamps.
Here are photos of the process. I re-worked and reused the original clamps as the replacements miss some original features.
I forgot, I snapped this pic of my Buddy Nikki while taking a snooze when I was doing these '61 springs over last year. He passed on to Doggie Heaven just the other day, 14 yrs and 2 months old. He was always in the shop with me to keep me company and help me work on the cars. I really miss him.
Yes, all band clamps are made to be loose enough to allow the leaves to slide within the clamp. It's possible that the original Signode band clamps were replaced when the springs may have been re-tempered at a spring shop in the past.
Those shops would simply cut the band clamps off, do their re-tempered process, then use a replacement type clamp to re-band them. My '59 had it's springs re-tempered before I got the car and have similar replacement clamps.
If you're going to rebuild your springs and refinish them, replacement original type band clamps and paraffin coated liners are available. You need a special tool to crimp the clamps.
Here are photos of the process. I re-worked and reused the original clamps as the replacements miss some original features.
Thanks Rich, your detail pictures are awesome !
Now I have many hours in front of me to sandblast the leaves, find the liners, BAND-IT and tool.
Question : did you use a special paint for the leaves, I suspect a standard paint would be prone to cracking due to spring deformation.
Last edited by claudeC1'60; 12-22-2014 at 07:25 AM.
Thanks Rich, your detail pictures are awesome !
Now I have many hours in front of me to sandblast the leaves, find the liners, BAND-IT and tool.
Question : did you use a special paint for the leaves, I suspect a standard paint would be prone to cracking due to spring deformation.
Not anything special. They don't flex enough to crack the normal paints. I use Dupli-Color paints exclusively for small jobs like this. I primed with their red-oxide, then semi-gloss black. I use gray on the top of the top leaf. Some cars had all black or all gray springs, but I've seen some originals with just gray on the top leaf.
The tool is a Northern Tool item, but needed some grinding and modifications to make the correct crimp. You can also rent them from Corvette Central and maybe others.
Mine is allocated for a upcoming job. But if timing is right you can borrow mine.
I used the muslin liner and clips from Paragon - very nice repro parts but yes, the clips aren't exactly original. My '61 had a weird hodge-podge of non-original parts for the springs and left to right side springs didn't even match and only 1 C1 spring in the bunch. Car sat and rode fine oddly enough. May as well count on new rubber bushings too. You can do this job with the car on jack stands and thread the springs in and out withOUT removing anything else (contrary to popular belief).
12-21-2014, 01:03 PM
