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MG TD TF 1500 - Rea spring problem

I'm putting the springs back together and as you can see the top leaf is slightly bent and the rubber disc won't stay in.

Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this is safe to put back on the car?

Thanks

AJ

A R Jones

AJ, a truck spring shop should be able to give you good advice. if this was a previous owners attempt to adjust the ride height of that corner of the car you may want to take both sets of springs in for the shop to evaluate and perhaps re-arch both sets. regards, tom
tom peterson

Thanks Tom.I think you're probably right. I didn't notice a ride height problem before I took it apart and I wondered how the bend had got there. Can't see how a bump would have done that.

My main concern is safety. Breaking a top spring would be bad news.

AJ

A R Jones

AJ,

I think re-arching might be needed on all the leaves. If indeed, this was an attempt to fix a low ride height, then fixing this leaf may render the springs unsatisfactory. Interestingly, springs don't lose their load carrying capability when they lose their ride height because the spring constant (k) doesn't change.

You may want to take the specs from the mg workshop manual (Free camber 4.1 inches; Working load 500 lbs at 1/2 in positive camber)

You can also check if you have 4.1 inches of free camber, but if you do, extend the imaginary line of where the spring eye would be.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

For the record.

I sent some photos out to repair shops. They think it was done deliberately to adjust the ride height. Looks like it was heated as there are no hammer marks. They wouldn't recommend re-using it as its probably been softened and I might well need a new leaf. It seems to me that if it wasn't done deliberately it's been stressed past it's elastic limit. In either case it's too close to failure as far as I am concerned. Perhaps some time spent in the nuclear industry has made me a bit too cautious!

I've phoned around and it's quicker, with more certainty of outcome and not much more expensive to buy new springs. Largely because Moss is just down the road and the repair shops are 200 miles away.

Anybody want to buy some parts for reassembling springs!
I learnt a lesson here. Dismantle and inspect before you buy bits for 'mantling' back together!
AJ
A R Jones

We used to re arch springs on the race cars back when they had leaf springs. Sometimes very drastically! We never had one break while racing or otherwise. We did dip them in an oil bath though to quench them. But sometimes you do funny things to race cars that you would never think to do on a daily driver street vehicle, especially one you carry your family in. If that spring was mine, I'd throw the bent leaf in the trash and replace it with a new one, then have both springs re arched to match. JMHO. PJ
P Jennings

AJ,

I know somebody who will be interested in buying the smallest leaf of your spring can you contact me off line. "john dot scragg at wanadoo dot fr"

John

52 TD
J Scragg

This thread was discussed between 06/03/2011 and 07/03/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

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