spring pack advice

[steve everard]

If anyone can offer advice on how to get the spring pack into the beam I am ready to listen. I am inserting one at a time and can see that the 3rd spring will not slide past the grub screw. If I apply pressure to the spring it jams up. Is there a trick ????

Steve

[HayesCages]

Use some tape to hold the pack together then slide it in carefully.

Lawrence

[rgu]

Steve,

This is not a real answer to your question nor can I answer it “really” when sitting at my desk where I can’t see the parts in question. But it’s not easy to insert a spring pack and yes it’s usually a one spring at a time deal. It’s also harder with the adjuster in place and harder still with the Sway-a-Way spring pack than the stock spring pack.

Based on our experience with the 5 car at Waterford it’s a solid hour to get the spring pack inserted if you don’t do it frequently.

It’s also easier to do if the beam is off the car because you can see better. I writing up some text and I’ll forward it to some other people and maybe we’ll get a real answer posted
Lastly--- What we need to do is have a “how to” video on www.formula-First.org that covers this because there are a lot of things you need to watch for.

Tell us if you are using the Sway-a-Way spring pack

[HayesCages]

These are different than an older Vee obviously.

[steve everard]

I am unsure what the sway type looks like Robert, can you give me an identifier ?

It seems to me that to get around the grub screw thats already in position you should insert the springs in a certain order,, our thought is that you insert the springs that go immediately either side of the grub screw and then the springs that are to the outside of those. Then finally the center one which seems to be narrower and slides over the top of the grubscrew. My father in law Pete has this job whilst I am at work. Excellent delegation skills on my part I think
Steve

[rgu]

Steve here are the sway-a-way parts

http://www.swayaway.com/VW_2.php#TORSIONLEAVES

There are actually pdf's from them that describe the stack. Can't get them now as I said. I've contacted Bill and asked him to reply too.

the Sway a Way leaves are a tad narrower but thicker than the VW. As I recall they they don't have the grub screw indents. If all of your bars have grub screw indent they are probably VW.

Hayescages. You are right they are different than the link pin units. Luckily you need to do next to nothing with them unless you bend your beam.

[budawe]

The simplest way to install the leaf springs is to leave out the two center, full width springs and insert the rest. The doing one at a time, insert the greased middle springs making sure the recesses for the grub screws are in the right place. Insert the spring until it hits the center boss and wiggle it back and forth until it enters the boss. The insert the other middle spring.

[Bill Bonow]

Brian,

One complaint that I have about the BJ beam is the spring pack. It went from simple to technical. Things like rotation and orientation become an issue. Also, there are various thickness leafs for various year type 1's from '66 on (cars got heavier and needed more spring).

Steve,

If you have a sway-a-way pack, stock leafs # 3 & 6 (in the diagram we sent) must be the .108" thick leafs (thicker ones won't go in). The .108" still needs some minor persuation, but they always fit. RGU (or myself) will post a quickly written "how-to" on spring installation.

[steve everard]

Thanks for all the help guys, Father in law and Reece worked it out with some gentle persuation.


Steve

[jsteeb]

Steve...

If you guys ever need any help - call me! I work in Warren, and you know where I live. I'm not far.

Now about that rear shock.... (this post just reminded me).

Cheers!
Jason

[rgu]

Bill Bonow assisted me greatly with this post.

What we need to do is have a “how to” video on www.formula-first.org that covers this installation because there are a lot of things you need to watch for. You can help others doing this job by taking pictures so they can visualize how this is done. The first item that requires some diligence is whether you have stock springs or the heavy duty Sway-a-Way units. I won’t cover this here but I have turned Sway a Way’s directions into pdf’s and I can e-mail those you if you think you need them. They will help you in figuring out how the springs are stacked and the orientation of the grub screw indents.

In the meantime this posting should assist those who are in need of some guidance when installing spring leaves in the beam tubes with an adjuster. You have to be able to see what you’re doing. So not having the beam on the car is quite helpful but not always possible.

The installer must know the constraints you are working with. Let’s assume you are working with the springs on top with the standard height adjuster. The ball joint beam is different from the link pin beam in configuration and design. So is the adjuster. Here are the differences.

First, the adjuster is different because it has two Allen screws that are 90 degrees apart. I’m going to call the one on the outside the external Allen screw. In addition the short one on the inside that I’ll call the internal screw.

The ball joint beam has trailing arm/spring pack grub screw locations that face up on the left side and down on the right. So spring pack rotation/orientation is important. Lots of wrong ways to install the spring pack, but only one correct way.

Remove the external spring pack center Allen screw and its aluminum block completely and back off the adjusting bolt. Turn the adjuster 90 degrees to expose the internal Allen screw. Make a note of where this short Allen screw is in rotational position because that is where the spring pack center dimple locates. Back this Allen screw out but leave one thread screwed in to make sure you don’t push the inside of the adjuster out of its sleeve.
Insert the middle spring oriented in the direction of Allen being careful to note that the slot for the right torsion arm faces up (true) and the left faces down. Double check this. Next begin working the middle spring then outward insert one spring on the bottom of this middle spring then one on top of it. Install the remaining large springs until you have them all installed. Last install the remaining small springs in their skinny slots bottom first. Then lock down the small Allen screw. Rotate it back 90 degrees and install the external Allen, main center screw, aluminum block and adjuster bolt. You can the install the torsion arms remembering their up down and left right orientation.

[steve everard]

So with the springs in and the beam attached to the car we now come to the ride height adjustement.....we must check the ride height of the car then to adjust remove the turkey legs to unstress the springs right ???

Steve

[rgu]

Steve

You adjust the ride height with the adjuster in the middle of the beam tube. No need to remove arms.

Are you too high or too low relative to where you usually run the car with Reece and his ballast friends in the car?

[steve everard]

Robert,

We were too low and the front was relatively easy to push down but the adjuster was very difficult to move in an upward direction, I think this was because of the torsioned spring load. Thats why we thought we needed to untension by removing turkey legs. Reece has just done that and it did the trick, i guess its easier to lower the hight with an assembled car than to raise it.
Thanks for your help.

[rgu]

Taking the arms off to de-tension works but its the long way.

Just jack up the car to take weight off it. The adjuster should then easily get you the desired ride height.

[Bill Bonow]

RGU is correct, just pick the front of the car up (disconect any droop limiters) and the adjustment to raise the ride height is easy.

All,

Dont take this as permission to bend any beams this weekend at Grattan, but I will have (4) replacement beams in the trailer. (2) inboard and (2) outboard. One of the outboard beams have Seim/RGU's tag on it, but I'm sure in a pinch it is available to someone in need.