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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Rear Springs

I have noticed from recent posts that rear springs aint what they used to be.
Having been under the car far too frequently lately, I couldn't help but have a look at the springs. God knows how long they have been on the car but they look OK apart from being encrusted with muck and stained with rust.
The question is - should they be maintained in any way?
They are completely dry, so I presume that is how they should be, or should they be lubricated in some way?

Dave
Penwithian

Oil them and wrap them to keep the oil in?

I've seen that advice a few times

my rubbish ones (yes I'm am one of the main complainers) are a load of rusty junk already

and the interleaving nylon isnt helping keep them any more supple

Advice? Keep yours well maintained as suggested above then when you ever have spring work down, have your own reset and retempered.

Never let your factory springs out of your sight...
Bill

How true Bill. I chucked 2 sets away before realising the new ones were rubbish.

The ones on my Mk1 were greased and wrapped in that sticky brown tape (denso?) from new and were still fine 40 years on.
John Payne

John is right about the Denso wrapping. It is also used to keep carbon steel pipes in good nick for years when they are outdoors. You can buy it from either Frost or Holden, I forget which.

They say that in the old days it used to be wrapped tightly round the springs to have the added benefit of stiffening the springs up. I've seen old Bentleys at car shows with the springs bound tightly with paracord. I was reading a thread on this forum the other day though, that said that for midgets you need to keep the rear suspension soft to keep both rear wheels on the ground, so don't wrap it too tightly. You might want to check up on this yourself?

It is one of those jobs I mean to get round to when I've done the 101 other jobs that are on the list. I imagine a rub down with a wire brush would be a good idea before wrapping them up.
Ben Whiteley

I have recently replaced the springs on both the Sprite and Midget with springs from MGOC as they where badly in need of some rear suspension.

Reading this is making me think perhaps I should have the old ones re-sprung and new bushes inserted but do not know where to send them or what type of place I need to contact to get them done.

If anyone knows anywhere in Norwich please let me know.

Shaun
Shaun

Not in Norrch but Gary knows somewhere in that Lunnon Town that are spring experts and will re-temper and re-set your springs for you.

Might be the nearest place for you Shaun...

If the ones from MGOC have large white stencilled part numbers on them a reset on your old 'uns could be money saved, specially if you can get a decent price on eBay for the new uns.

I hope never to waste another penny on new made springs!

Anyone got a couple of old stock rusty wreck springs they want rid of? :-)

take 'em off yer hands for a fiver guvner
Bill

I lubricate the springs, then cover them with Denso tape, which is like a cloth tape impregnated with wayxoyl, we use it a lot on exposed hydraulic fittings at work, well used too as the modern method is Rocal Z30 spray. Which funnily enough can also be found protecting my car.
Brad
B Richards

Last week i replaced my 3rd!! set of new springs and put back the original factory ones from 1975(56.000mls) before setting of to the dutch Spridgetweekend.
What a heavenly feeling it was to drive arround with propper springs again, im so pleased i kept the old ones!
My MGpart supplier in Holland always told me to never throw anything away because "someday you might need it again".

Ive taken my other old set(10 years+85.000km) and the new crap ones to a company who can restore/improve them.
They take them appart have them hardened again if needed(the new ones most defenetly!!!) in a oven, cool them down in oil and use special adjustable clamps to put them together again.
The only man(as far as i know) in Holland who still has the knowledge to do this is 82 years old and has been doing this for 70years!!!
He has many selfwritten note books of all kind of classic springs he ever had made even pre-war car brands ive even never heard of!?
No wise guy with a computer can beat this man...

Without having spoken to him and just walked in his shop he instandly said: "aha, mg midget springs, havent seen these for a while, hello young man how are you doing? coffee?"
I was still 5mtrs away from him when he recognised them!!!

So dont throw away the new ones either but have them reconditioned again because from what ive heard theire no longer in production and who knows when they be back in production again?
Arie de Best

I totally forget to ask but does anybody knows where to get the front(metall)bushes?
Are they the same as MG B?

"My man" can restore the leafsprings but dont have a bushes supplier any more.
Arie de Best

Never oil or grease springs unless you then also then wrap them in Denso tape or similar. The oil/grease attracts and holds grit which will then rapidly wear the springs. Of course these modern replacements will have long since sagged flat long before then anyway so perhaps wear is irrelevant anyway!

Guy
Guy Weller

Some springs came from the factory with plastic inserts between the leaves. I highly recommend these as they will eliminate the need for adding any oil or grease and don't attract any dust or water. If your springs don't have the strips the Street Rod shops here in the US have strip material which will work. It comes in a roll. Perhaps you can find something similar in the UK. I added it to the 1500 rear springs I installed on my Midget 10 years ago and the ride is still supple without any sign of corrosion on the springs. Here is a link to a US supplier and a photo of the product that might help you source something similar. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/2079,365_Spring-Liners-with-Lip.html
Bill Young

Bill,
The narrowest they show at Speedway is 1.75". My springs are 1.5". Do you trim off the edges? Kinda eliminates the benefits of the lips that they are touting... Do the lips affect the u-bolts? Do the liners necessitate longer u-bolts?
David "using my quota of question marks" Lieb
David Lieb

Thanks for the link, Bill!

Obviously, you'd want to use that lipped tape with the lips pointing downward, so as not to catch water.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

I used this stuff on my springs, turned the lips down and just trimmed the width around the spring perchs and clamps. This was common practice for those of us running early Ford suspensions back when I was involved with street rodding. As far as longer bolts, I guess it depends on how much thread you have on the bolts now. It will add about 1/2" of thickness to a 7 leaf 1500 spring. I was already using custom U bolts because of the Chevy rear axle I installed so I don't know about the length of the stock U bolts.
The most noticable thing about using this stuff is the smoother ride and the absence of any sudden drop when a rear spring is loaded during a corner which can unsettle the car a bit. With a standard unlined and ungreased spring the spring leaves will bind a bit until the loading overcomes that internal friction then the spring will suddenly move. Makes for a bit of pucker on the seat cushions in a fast corner. ;-)
Photo of the rear spring on my car during construction, you can see the liner protruding from between the leaves.


Bill Young

Arie, where you looking for AAA629 ?
(See image)
It looks like they are still available.

Pascal


pjw Seezink

Yes Pascal, these are the ones i was referring to.
I asked Koen of Classic Car Clinic Nijmegen yesterday and he also said they are still available so he orderd them for me but thanks anyway.

Btw, i was hoping to see you at the Spridgetweekend in Overdinkel last weekend, WHERE WERE YOU YOUNG MAN? :)



Image: the "strenght" of a new leafspring...Made in Brittan(produced in India tho...)


Arie de Best

AAAARGHH !!!!! Arie you keep tearing that wound open don't you. :))
After finally ending the restoration of my Midget and was abel to join the Spridgetweekend at last, something else came in between so I coudn't attend it and you kept sending me e-mails every month.
Well maybe it is good that I coudn't attend the run because a few day's before last weekend I found out the dynamo is only charging 12,5 volts ,the car would have broken down anyway.
Maybe I should buy Onno's car, when something doesn't function I just have to swap it.
The car has to run on september 21 anyway because of the round of Limburg. Together with the M.G. club of Belgian Limburg we have set up a route trough Dutch and Belgian Limburg (page 30 of the september issue of M.G. nieuws) I have helpt setting up the route so I canīt show up with my Opel astra F stationwagon can
't I ?


Oh B.T.W. Young Man ???
I believe I am still ten years older than you are so a little bit more respect please :))))

Pascal
pjw Seezink

This thread was discussed between 04/09/2008 and 10/09/2008

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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