VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans Leaf Spring Color?

I have just gotten my leaf springs back from the spring shop after having them reclamped, and new center bolts put in. My question is, what is the correct color for leaf spings on an 1953 3100? Were they painted black, or left natural? I am trying to go back to stock original in my restoration. I know that there are paints available, that look very close to bare metal color. So that is an option, if they are to be left a natural color. If they are painted black, what paints has anybody used? Does some paint work better than others?

As always, I really appreciate the professional advice that I receive on this site.

Rugo
53 3100

The springs were not painted when new.Either a clear coat or metal colored paint should help to prevent them from rusting-which they will do.U bolts were also unpainted.

A few followup questions:

Concern: I worry that the paint will wear off... quickly. Then I'll look under my pride and joy someday and find paint chips, exposed springs, rust streaks and other dreaded evidence of entropy. My thought was to paint the individual leaves first, then re-assemble them using the "Poly-Slide Spring Separator" sold at The Filling Station.

Questions:

1) Any one have experience with any coating type on springs? I was thinking one part urethane again, but it might not hold up under the pressure from adjacent leaves. Plating would work, but wouldn't look very good on a restoration, and would be very expensive.

2) Any one have experince with Poly-Slide?

I've worked with carbon/epoxy springs (they are a coiled torsion spring used to counterbalance Boeing 767 cargo doors). These springs are painted with a teflon filled epoxy paint, which keeps the coils from wearing into one another. Granted, the mechanism that uses these springs is designed to keep the springs from binding into one another under full torque, but the coils still rattle against one another from vibration due to flight, and the paint protects them very well (although I've thought they would probably do just as well without the paint, but what the heck, they are qualified now!)

Give them a good coat of oil, then after they have been on for a day or two drive down about 12 miles of muddy road and they will look normal!

Would you believe I was just baiting you MrMack?

Oh well, I didn't think so...

Would you believe that I really do spend my time worrying about these things?

Unfortunately, I do!

Good answer though. Very practical, just as I expected from you.

Yeah, after all it is just and old Pickup! famous last words, right?

I KNOW! And the really sad thought is, I suffer from this affliction in many aspects of my life. :eek:

Just to throw a little grease on the fire, when I tore down my low mileage Ariz. 51 1/2 ton, there was traces of black paint on the springs. My tranny (a 4-speed) was also painted black(it had inspection marks over the paint)so it had not been painted by the previous owner.I was ready to paint it a cast iron color until I stripped the dirt and grease off and discovered it had been painted black. Yes, I took pictures to show the judges. The U-bolts appeared to have been black oxide finished(as were the majority of other bolts on the chassis).

Thank you everybody that posted your experiences and knowledge. I thought that I had could see black on my leaf springs when cleaned them off. But, I wanted to see if anybody had found the same thing. So, I really appreciate all of your help. I think they are getting painted black, like the frame.

Thanks
Rugo

Rugo, whatever ya do dont soak'em in oil. I remember seeing a vintage GM T.S.B. warning against doing this. I think you are on the right track by painting them black. So Rugo ?..... Howz whats the
avaliability of a few fine cigars from ..... lets say.... the tropics or some where south of Fla.???