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MG TD TF 1500 - Rear spring refurbishment

I'm just about getting round to refurbishing my rear springs. I've priced up all the parts and found that the difference between buying new springs and rebuilding the old ones is bout £80 after I've taken into consideration all the other bits I need to get to put them back on the car. Not a lot in the scope of things. However I read somewhere that new springs don't come with the interleaf rubber pads any more. This is a substantial part of the cost of refurbishing the old ones as the rubbers are £61 a set.

Does anyone know:-

1 whether or not the new springs come fitted with interleaf rubber pads. I was going to get them from Brown and Gammons.
2 If new springs don't have the pads why do I need to refit them to my existing springs.
3 What difference will not having the rubber pads have on handling.

The old springs must be over 50 years old now so I'm tempted to save the bother of taking them apart, painting and re-assembling and buy new ones.

Thanks
AJ
A R Jones

AJ, I understand that the new ones don't have the rubber pads between the leaves. Just so you know. I restored mine and it wasn't a tough job, in fact it was probably the easiest job I've done on the car so far. PJ

Mine;



P Jennings

I agree with PJ, restoring the springs was one of the more enjoyable projects, just from the stand point of finding the build date of the springs, and seeing how good they looked when installed. Also, I've heard the new springs make the car sit a bit high in the back.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

I replaced the rear springs on the TD with new ones from Moss,, this was probably about 6 years ago... The old springs were sagging a bit, and had lost their load carriying ablility.
.
Yes, they could have been re-arched, but that is just a "bandaid" fix..The old 50 + year old spring steel just won't hold up if the car is going to be driven..
.
The new ones do not have the rubbers between the leaves, as the modern spring technology doesn't require them,,
.
OMT, the new springs did not "make the car sit a bit high in the back",,,and the ride and handling was greatly improved!!!!!!!!


SPW
Steve Wincze

"The old 50 + year old spring steel just won't hold up if the car is going to be driven"

Gosh Steve, don't tell my rear springs that. 13,000 miles in two years, half of that with luggage hanging off the back (using your rack support!) I don't want them getting any funny ideas about retiring.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Dave,
I agree, and I would have given the same answer back in 1988 after two years and 13,000...

SPW
Steve Wincze

AJ, I have been pricing up refurbishment v. repair as all the rubber components on my springs are shot. However, based on Brown & Gammons Prices, I make the cost of refurbishment to be about £93 compared with £225 for a pair of new springs, a difference of over £130. However, this assumes that the springs do not need to be retempered. I'm going to take the spings off and check them against the specs before making a decision. Matt
Matt Davis

Hardest part on spring rebuild was cleaning. Just remember that when reassembling to orient each spring correctly as the ends are not equal in distance from the center hole.
Mike
Mike Hart (52 TD 16378)

Matt you can buy polybush spring pads from
http://www.polybush.co.uk/shop/view/284_mgtf_TD__YB/227_Kit_65_-_MG_MGTF_TD__YB_(MGTF_TD__YB)
they are a little more expensive but will last the life of the car. I fitted the touring grade(blue)

Regards Chris
Chris Pick

Matt, you are correct. I wasn't really comparing like for like.
Howver, I reckon that by the time I've got this lot apart I'm going to have to replace a lot of worn out parts such as the centre bolts and clamps around the springs as their fairly rusty and I don't want my springs falling off one cold night.
The point I was trying to make was that the total cost of all the parts I thought I'd need came to £225. If I was to replace the springs and save most of the work but still replace seating pads and perhaps the shackle pins and bolts for safety's sake it would cost £300.
As a point of interest I contacted Barrie Jones of Gearbox fame and he reckoned it would be best to re-arch/temper the existing springs and referred me to Brost Forge in London. Will contact them tomorrow.

AJ
A R Jones

Hello. I restored it three years ago, including retempered, and had a cost above the price of the new, 80 €. Not calculated correctly at first, so this question is very appropriate. I recommend buying new.

Regards.
Gabriel.
Gabriel Martínez

I contacted Brost Forge and they told me that they'd re-temper, re-arch and send the spring back as good as new for £65 each + £22 PP.

Seems a good deal.

AJ
A R Jones

Someone please...when refurbishing rear springs do they get painted inside and out or only on the sides

Thnks
R J Orchard

Inside and out, one leaf at a time. I would recommend not using a light colored primer in case of stone chips. I use a black primer for this purpose. PJ
P Jennings

This thread was discussed between 16/12/2010 and 29/12/2010

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