Possibly stupid spring question

[widerberg]

Hi, All:

I know on some vehicles, their leaf springs are under considerable load and care has to be taken when disassembling them. How are the Land Rover's?

My springs are fairly rusty and I want to remove them, disassemble them, and assess if they can be saved or not. I'm hoping I can just wirewheel and sand them clean, paint them, stick some plastic tape on them, and have happy motoring for another few years.

Is there anything I should be especially careful about when removing them or, especially, when disassembling the blades?

Many thanks.

Bo

[yorker]

Sometimes the rust puts them under some load and they'll pop apart when you try to disassemble them. Just use common sense.

[amcordo]

Make sure you wear safety goggles or a face mask. No joke. Rusty metal bits can fling at your eyeballs and they'll ruin your day.

[jac04]

Always clamp the spring pack on both sides of the center bolt before removing the center bolt. You can then release any spring pressure in a controlled manner.

As Yorker stated, if there is any rust between the leafs, there will be considerable pressure there.

A quick anecdote:
Back in about 1989 (I was just a kid back then), I was disassembling a heavily rusted rear spring while working on my 63 88". The spring was sitting on the driveway, resting on the bushing ends, bowed up. No clamps on the spring, and the original leaf pack clamps were long gone. I was standing straddling the spring, using my 4" grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the nut off of the spring center bolt. Guess what happened? Remember, I was straddling the spring. Luckily, it was winter and I was wearing multiple layers as well as a heavy insulated worksuit, eye protection, and a heavy winter hat. It really helped to soften the blow. It hurts just thinking about it. So, be careful.

[txffjim]

springs

Spray down the centering pin with pb blaster (my new best friend) several hours before disassembly
I cut the tops of the spring clamps off to loosen the pack, leaving the lower part in a U shape. This lets the springs droop while keeping the pack in alignment during normal ride. C-clamp near the clamp prior to cutting.
Put a healthy c clamp with several inches of travel (not a cheapy harbor freight type ) next to the centering pin and try to unbolt it. Mine loosened up without snapping. With a permanent marker make a line across all the springs on the side of the spring pack to identify direction and alignment. Unscrew the c clamp slowly and you're done.

[alaskajosh]

I just did this same job last winter. I can tell you, if you wish to do a reasonably good job of it you are in for a **** of a lot of labor and the plastic (UHMW) tape will wear through/fall out in a matter of weeks.

The good news is that the ride has been excellent! The tape is mostly gone so I credit the cleanliness of the leaves and that I'm keeping them oiled.

I didn't experience any disassembly drama but had the C-clamp on there in case. I pried the keepers open with a pry bar and hammered them shut on reassembly.

What I found in cleaning them was that there's the initial layer of surface rust that comes off easily with a wire wheel but then there's a SUPER hard layer of hard polished rust that a wire wheel won't touch.. in fact it takes A LOT of work even with a grinding wheel to cut through it down to the clean steel of the spring. It's a lot of back breaking work.. I'm tellin' ya'. Don't worry about accidently digging into the spring steel with your grinding wheel.. it is exceedingly hard steel.
Then I polished them with one of those flap disc things on the grinder.

If I were doing it again I'd either use MUCH thicker plastic tape or (probably) skip it all together. Clean, oiled spring packs ride pretty darn nice.

If you don't mind work and you've got some elbow grease you'll be happy with the results.

Kind regards, Josh

[Terrys]

I agree with Josh: Dissassembly is pretty much a non-event, since the leaves are all fairly relaxed. I have heard of people using tephlon sheets in between leaves, but that this too degrades quickly. I just slathered them with a strip of never-seize and they don't make a sound. You will likely find that the bolt is pretty rotted. I used grade 8 Allen head bolts with no alteration.
One thing I would disagree with in what Josh said is that is you are using a grinder to clean them, any gouges with start a tress riser and they will quickly crack and break at that point. Just a good solid wire brushing is all you really need to do.

[alaskajosh]

Interesting point, Terry, about the hazards of nicking the steel. I didn't know that! Luckily even in my ignorance I don't think I managed any harm. For one thing the wheel I was using wasn't new (slightly rounded edge) and I was using it at a low angle.
I do disagree, at least in my case, that a wire wheel will completely clean them (and my springs were relatively low mile and in good shape). I was using a sturdy knotted wire wheel to no effect. Even with the grinding wheel it was WORK to get to real steel! That work-hardened rust.. whatever it was.. was glazed and extremely hard.

Kind regards, Josh

[widerberg]

Wow, everyone. Thanks for the amazing responses!!! Excellent detail, and I appreciate everyone's experiences. When time (wife and kids) allow, I'm going to give it a shot, starting with the rear springs.

I was thinking of trying to grind down to bare steel and then coat with something like Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator or P.O.R. 15. Not sure if that's a good idea or not, as it might impact the friction between the blades (or the friction between the blades could just wear it all off anyway). But, we'll see . . .