VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Spring Covers

Did the original spring covers make any noise or did the inner canvas lining and grease below keep them quiet?

What modern material could be used to reproduce the Terne Plate that was originally used? They almost look like cheap, thin aluminum plate in pictures. Were they a dull aluminum colour?

Looks like normal spring movement would loosen these and they'd rattle. Were they a pain in the butt?

Tim,

I've never had an issue with the covers. I just wish they would have only one set of leaves rather then the 7 and 8s. I only use 7s because that's what was original on coupes and convertibles. I think they (7s) are too weak for convertibles, for sure. They cause the rear to just a tad low in my thinking.

Best,

Charlie

The spring covers were tight and worked well. After many miles the springs may squeak then you just pump grease into the covers.
Some had little holes so an adaperter could be fitted and grease pumped in. My older models had no holes so I drilled a small hole and self threaded a grese fitting in and pumped in grease, then removed the fitting.
In the US the Maser Deluxe only from 1934 and up came with covers

Hi Gene my 42 Special Deluxe has them as well. I was surprised to find them in excellent condition once I removed the petrified grease and dirt. During WW2 the Dodge ambulances used them as well. I believe it was to provide a softer ride for the wounded.

From 1941 and up all Chevrolet passeger cars had spring covers. I mid 1951 they were made much shorter in mid year due to the Korean war.In... 1954 they were eleminated and nylon inserts took their place.

Thanks for the info. They were supposedly on my car originally. Just the Kick Shackle jobs like mine and likely the same for the Canadian Chevies with Kick Shackles.

Found some really nice pictures of them in a Canadian Pontiac only parts manual. Not sure I really like the look, but what modern material would look most correctly like that Terne Plate? I'm thinking that galvanized sheet metal used for modern duct work might be the closest looking finish? Maybe wipe it with acid to dull it a bit. They appear to be light grey. Was the finish a consistent solid colour or was it a bit irregular and mottled?

Ya, my car has too many leaves Charlie. The parts manual shows the extra leaves my car got compared to the non-kick shackle jobs and the thought has crossed my mind to remove them when I restore the springs as a bit lower might look and handle better. On the other hand I like originality and the offroad heavy duty suspension is part of the original quirkiness of the car. It wasn't built to spend much time on pavement!

After all the work I went through with replacing the covered 7-leaf springs the car now sits a bir (about an inch) lower on the right hand side than the left. Mercy!

Question,,,,,I wonder if theres a simple way to determine if a leaf is broken without tearing up the covers? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Looking at them they look the same.

Thanks,

Charlie

Charlie unless you are Superman with X-Ray vision I would say NO without taking off the covers! You could have a few leafs on the weak side and only show up when you put a load on them! Your best bet is to replace the complete 7 leaf springs with a NEW set! Then when you mount them DO NOT add the covers on until you like the final ride height that you are looking for! Just my thought!
Rory
1934 Chevrolet Standard Holden Roadster under rebuild
1933 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1934 Ford 4 Door Sedan rolling under construction

Weren't those new springs?
Are the shackles looped the same on both sides?.
Did you loosen the front inlox bolts to allow to settle?
Is the front level ?
Do boh springs have the same number of leaves?

You could switch them from side to side to see if the low side follows the spring...lol good practice anyway.

Were the springs loaded before tightening the bushings?
If you removed the springs, a shop could measure the compression and compare them without taking them apart to help you decide what to do.

Gene,

Yes to all questions but the one abour the inlox bolts. They are a loose fit and so I don't see how that can make any difference.

Tim,

I loosened up the shackle keepers and so it is settled and loaded.

I'm not going to take them off except to change them out for a set of 8-leaders. Well, thats what I thinking right now. If I can find another ,,,.33 front spring, I'm going to go with heavy duty.

I need to find my spring streacher.

Thanks for the information and offers to help with ideas on finding the reason this sucker wants to list to one side or the other. Mercy!.

Charlie