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Saloon leaf spring lubrication

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Alpine Daimler
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:17 pm
Location: A tad west of Hamburg on the Elbe River

Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by Alpine Daimler »

Hello all

Though I would bring this subject up again as I think mine are creaking a bit occasionally.

The topic crops up in the old forum and the advice seems to be mainly lubricate with penetrating oil as mentioned in the workshop manual, closely followed by a spray lubricant with a PTFE content.

Is this advice still up to date or recommended given what is available off the shelf nowadays?

I am reluctant to use up all my valuable Plus Gas on the springs as I still have enough rusty nuts and bolts to attend to!

Regards

Rob

Sydsmith
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Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by Sydsmith »

If you don't want to use plusgas, give them a good scrub with a wire brush then wash them off with white spirit, don't use paraffin it will cause them to rust again, then paint them them with a good coat of grease thinned down with white spirit, then wrap them with this https://www.completeautomobilist.com/pr ... denso-tape it will last for years and never squeek. Syd

classiclife
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Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by classiclife »

Hello Rob,

Are you intending to strip the leaf springs down or just remove for the car and lubricate that way ??

Not so long ago I stripped down the transverse leaf spring on my Triumph Vitesse.

Once the leaves were separated I scrubbed them with GUNK, via an aerosol can, which cleaned each leaf very well then wire brushed them to get rid of any stubborn grime etc.

Rinsed in water and dried. With that done I used Penrite Graphite Grease which is specifically formulated to be used on leaf springs. The graphite does not dry out which lubricating fluids do and don't be tempted to use Copperease as it has the incorrect properties.

With the leaf spring coated it was a case of reassembly and fit.

Of note, part of the Vitesse spring is clamped with a ring and the leaves cannot be separated without a lot of fuss afterwards. To ensure these leaves were cleaned and lubricated, I used double glazing wedges (red) to open the leaves so they could be worked upon - it did the job very well. I will post some photos, once I have reduced the image size, as the Forum is not taking large attachments anymore.

As Syd says, Denso tape is an excellent item and keeps the springs in top condition after you have completed the remedial work; it also looks the part once they have been wrapped.

Regards.

Richard.
1968 Daimler V8-250 Saloon
DLOC East Sussex Branch Secretary
DLOC 2.5L V8 & V8-250 Registrar - https://www.dloc.org.uk/v8-250
DLOC 2024 International Rally - https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2024

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Alpine Daimler
Posts: 189
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:17 pm
Location: A tad west of Hamburg on the Elbe River

Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by Alpine Daimler »

Thank you Syd and Richard,

I am intending to perform the job in-situ being a bit lazy and having done so much recently!

I have secured a can of Graphite grease lubricant which seems to fit the bill perfectly when I read the instructions and specs on the tin, the makers claim it does not contain silicone (which I had considered) so will not age harden.

Syd, yours sounds like an excellent idea, one I shall put on the list for one of the next winter hibernations..

Regards

Rob C.

Sydsmith
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Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by Sydsmith »

No shame in doing in situ, the springs do respond to a good clean and the graphite grease will sort any squeaks, but I would give them a good coat, take the car for 10-20 mile run then do it again before wrapping in Denso tape. Syd

Petelang
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Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by Petelang »

Denso tape is very good, I've wrapped all my vintage springs in it but, its an Orrible job in situ. The stuff sticks like poop to a blanket and if you can't roll the large diameter roll around the spring you have to do it in short sections which is never as good. Plus, you'll be washing the sticky off your hands for about a week.
Its no good wearing gloves because they will become part of your spring and they stick firmly too.
Good luck with that one. Buy some white spirit before you start!
Peter
Peter Langridge
Cloud Nine Classic Weddings, Nottingham.

classiclife
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Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by classiclife »

Hello Rob,

Photos attached, as agreed.

On this particular spring I was able to remove all but 4x leaves, of which these were separated by the red wedges as stated previously.

Regards.

Richard.
Attachments
Optimized-LS30.JPG
Optimized-LS28.JPG
Optimized-LS14.JPG
Optimized-LS9.JPG
1968 Daimler V8-250 Saloon
DLOC East Sussex Branch Secretary
DLOC 2.5L V8 & V8-250 Registrar - https://www.dloc.org.uk/v8-250
DLOC 2024 International Rally - https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2024

classiclife
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Location: Ridgewood - East Sussex
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Re: Saloon leaf spring lubrication

Post by classiclife »

Last couple of photo, Rob.

Regards.

Richard.
Attachments
Optimized-LS6.JPG
Optimized-LS32.JPG
1968 Daimler V8-250 Saloon
DLOC East Sussex Branch Secretary
DLOC 2.5L V8 & V8-250 Registrar - https://www.dloc.org.uk/v8-250
DLOC 2024 International Rally - https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2024

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