MonzaRacer
06-25-2007, 05:26 PM
so a friend bought a set of springs for his car and we tried and tried to get it to settle more but it didnt even with BBC and iron heads and a lot of addons like his a/c.
so we called Eaton Detroit Spring to see if we could get a new set wound and the older fella I talked to suggested we re heat set the springs.
so since the springs were bare mettal not painted or anything we got the car sans springs down where we thought it looked good and raised it up about 1/2 to 3/4 in and measured the "spring height" needed.
Then he had bought some grade 8 all thread and nuts and 1/2 in steel plate and we compressed the springs down to the measurement we made and did as told, put them in oven and slowly raise the temps till we get to 400 degrees, then let them sit for 12 hours in heat then dropped the heat 100 degrees at atime till the range wouldnt go any lower.
We removed the springs after cooling (yes his wife was gone all weekend) and installed them and tada perfect height and he has driven it about 150 miles today and its sofar hasnt moved any.
WE made a spring seat to sit them in so the bottom and top didnt get flattened and they would sit in spring seat properly.
This was the perfect way to bring the springs in to the range we wanted and it cost less.
Do not heat over 400 degrees or you can damage the temper and heat treat and you gotta go slow and have clean metal (we only got a very slight oil burn smell ,probably from the all thread). And we kept kitchen clean and recleaned the oven, his wife was very happy seeingthis but asked what we burnt.
I told her I was only just over.
This tip came from a fella who works with springs for a living and so far it works and the springs werent as stiff as his old cut ones with same spring rate(cut springs get stiffer) so he is happy.
Lee Abel
so we called Eaton Detroit Spring to see if we could get a new set wound and the older fella I talked to suggested we re heat set the springs.
so since the springs were bare mettal not painted or anything we got the car sans springs down where we thought it looked good and raised it up about 1/2 to 3/4 in and measured the "spring height" needed.
Then he had bought some grade 8 all thread and nuts and 1/2 in steel plate and we compressed the springs down to the measurement we made and did as told, put them in oven and slowly raise the temps till we get to 400 degrees, then let them sit for 12 hours in heat then dropped the heat 100 degrees at atime till the range wouldnt go any lower.
We removed the springs after cooling (yes his wife was gone all weekend) and installed them and tada perfect height and he has driven it about 150 miles today and its sofar hasnt moved any.
WE made a spring seat to sit them in so the bottom and top didnt get flattened and they would sit in spring seat properly.
This was the perfect way to bring the springs in to the range we wanted and it cost less.
Do not heat over 400 degrees or you can damage the temper and heat treat and you gotta go slow and have clean metal (we only got a very slight oil burn smell ,probably from the all thread). And we kept kitchen clean and recleaned the oven, his wife was very happy seeingthis but asked what we burnt.
I told her I was only just over.
This tip came from a fella who works with springs for a living and so far it works and the springs werent as stiff as his old cut ones with same spring rate(cut springs get stiffer) so he is happy.
Lee Abel