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So I'm about to disclose my naivety (or is it just inexperience?),
Anyway, today in the process of restoring my '71, I was working on my new replacement leaf spring. I saw in the AIM that the bushing retaining cups had to be slipped into the holes at each end of the spring from the bottom and then peened over from the top. Funny thing is, I didn't know how to exactly do that.
I was relieved to find an old thread on the forum from 2010 that talked about this. Thank goodness Easy Mike and Van Steel posted exactly how to do it using, of all things,a ballpeen hammer (who would've thunk?). I never mad the connection - my mind nust be slipping in my old age!
Here's what it looked like: Supposed to hit the flat end of the ballpeen with another hammer so the round end flairs the edge of the cup "shaft" over the circumference of spring hole
On the first try, the "shaft" of the cup was just being pushed down into the recessed area of the cup rather that flairing the edge.
Second attempt was modified so as to fix the problem: Problem solved by using a small 4 lb sledge rather than a regular hammer and placing one of the curved edge bushing retaining washers into the cup so the cup wouldn't deform when pounded on.
That did the trick!
Hope this can help some folks that might be as inexperienced (mentally challenged?) as me.
Warning! My shop teacher once warn me about striking two hammers together that they can shatter. This stuck with me over the years.
Good point! I'm glad I didn't go to hard or to much using the hammer in the first photo. I think what I ended up doing was fairly safe (especially wearing eye protection) since the ballpeen hammer and the mini sledge are both heavier duty metal than a standard claw hammer because they are usually designed for metal to metal/concrete contact without splintering or cracking.
Hi Paul,
Thank you for the post, description, and photos. Thanks to Easy Mike and Van Steel too!
I was considering replacing my rear spring cups and trailing arm cups due to age and wear. I had no idea how to flare the cups. Ballpeen hammer - easy pezy!
I did it the same way but supported the cup underneath with a bunch of large fender washers so it didn't deform under the blows.
Originally Posted by nwav8tor
So I'm about to disclose my naivety (or is it just inexperience?),
Anyway, today in the process of restoring my '71, I was working on my new replacement leaf spring. I saw in the AIM that the bushing retaining cups had to be slipped into the holes at each end of the spring from the bottom and then peened over from the top. Funny thing is, I didn't know how to exactly do that.
I was relieved to find an old thread on the forum from 2010 that talked about this. Thank goodness Easy Mike and Van Steel posted exactly how to do it using, of all things,a ballpeen hammer (who would've thunk?). I never mad the connection - my mind nust be slipping in my old age!
Here's what it looked like: Supposed to hit the flat end of the ballpeen with another hammer so the round end flairs the edge of the cup "shaft" over the circumference of spring hole
On the first try, the "shaft" of the cup was just being pushed down into the recessed area of the cup rather that flairing the edge.
Second attempt was modified so as to fix the problem: Problem solved by using a small 4 lb sledge rather than a regular hammer and placing one of the curved edge bushing retaining washers into the cup so the cup wouldn't deform when pounded on.
That did the trick!
Hope this can help some folks that might be as inexperienced (mentally challenged?) as me.
Shop press and ballpeen hammer does a good job also.
That would definately work and I have one, too!! I guess I was so happy discovering how others had done it, I didn't even think about using the press...
Rear Spring Bushing Retaining Cup Install
). I never mad the connection - my mind nust be slipping in my old age!
I guess I was so happy discovering how others had done it, I didn't even think about using the press...
