Most of my life, I've felt the best advice is to get it straight from the horse’s mouth. Mike
Eaton has answered all of these questions about leaf springs and Eaton Detroit Spring
is a highly respected OEM manufacturer that has been in the business nearly 80 years
with facilities in three states. I night add that like Mar-K, all their products is made in the
USA.
All that said, even though I'm not a chemist or mechanical engineer, I have worked
around machine shops and steel fabrication all of my life. I'm quite skeptical about his
statement that grease will cause a problem with 5160 alloy steel. He doesn't go in to a
lengthy explanation as to the mechanics of failure, that is, whether it’s a physical or
chemical problem, he simply states that it's a problem.
Don, there is some validity to the theory that a dry multi leaf spring has a natural
damping effect due to the friction. And it is possible that lubricating a multi leaf spring
could over work it and cause physical problems. As far as using any common lubricant
causing a chemical breakdown of the steel, I really doubt it, and can't find any other
reference to the effect that it does.
You and Alvin are quite correct, back in the 50's when I worked in gas stations and
Chevy dealerships, there were still a lot of the older cars that had wrapped springs
some with grease fittings that kept them lubed. Some were supposedly lubed for the life
of the spring much as the sealed for life bearings.
You mean you’re supposed to tighten those bolts more than finger tight Charlie???
When I reassembled my 216, the front cover was in perfect shape and flat. I sealed it
with Permatex #2, did not overly tightened it, properly supported it and used a real seal
driver and installed a SKF brand Speedi-sleeve on the damper. It still leaks oil with less
than 10k on the engine. I've had the same results you've had, everything underside
nicely lubed. No sense in trying to keep it super clean, it’s a driver. But it sure does
make a mess of the underside after a few thousand miles. It however, isn't leaking
enough to keep the springs lubed.
And Steve, dint forget ya. No, I did not disassemble the springs, just soaked them down
good with the spray. The Chain and Cable lube that my buddy gave me is quite light,
much like a penetrating oil and as you spray the edge of the leaf you can see it wick in
between the leafs.
I thought I'd posted this, but Mike Eaton does talk about using the liners. I think he
mentioned using Delrin, not Teflon as it is very durable, also the use of the buttons. He
stresses the importance of keeping the center pin tight and that paint and powder
coating between the leafs will eventually get worked out and cause the spring pack to
loosen.
So the whole point of this thread was simply to point out that after many years of
subscribing to the dry spring philosophy it appears to be unfounded. That a lubed multi-
leaf spring, whether it’s accomplished with grease, oil or plastic liners, makes a world of
difference in the ride. I’m sure this light oil isn’t going to last very long, so I’ll probably be
doing this every month or so from now on.
I’m still getting more bounce than I like when I hit road bumps. It’s either the frame
flexing, which I can’t do anything about or the shocks are not matched to the spring rate.
The shocks are from JC or Classic Parts of Am., and are probably fine for a ½ ton AD
but the ¾ ton has heavier axles, brake drums, spindles and wheels so I would expect
the shock would need to be stronger than the 3100 in order for it to do its job as a
damper.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
Last edited by cletis; 05/22/2015 4:42 PM. Reason: modified title
