Topic: Suspension help for a driver

[68 GT]

Restoring a 67 coupe, 289 automatic, drum brakes and manual steering. This car will be a driver. Will be adding power front disc brakes and power steering during the restoration. Questions are:
1) How do I know if I should replace the leaf springs, have them re-arched at a spring shop or purchase replacements from somewhere?
2) If I reuse my springs, how do I refinish them? Sandblast them first? Then what?
3) How do I know if I should replace the coil springs? If I reuse them, can I sandblast, prime and paint?
4) If I rebuild the upper & lower control arms, how would I finish them? Some new control arms look painted black and silver towards the ball joint, some are all black, then I read that they are to be natural. What would be good for a driver?

[Tiggie]

How did the car sit on the springs? If you were happy with ride height, I'd clean them up and run them after an inspection. Take the leaf spring packs apart and clean them up and look for any broken leaves.


I kept my original front coils and got new rear leaves on my driver 68. I did swap the bottom one over to keep the part number and original look. Honestly it sits the same as the original springs, nose up as original. I think they call this the Cali-lean now with 4X4 trucks haha.

The springs were not painted to start with. They were heat treated so they were dark steel colored. If this will truly be a driver, you can paint them. I media blasted lightly and used a dark charcoal paint in a couple thin coats. Looks fine for the driving purpose but it would never pass a concours inspection.

On the control arms, you read correctly. Silver/black paint is okay for a driver.

Are you sure you don't want to do concours? When you say driver, do you mean drive to the car show and possibly get in a rain storm, or do mean a driver and no rain ever?

[RoyceP]

For me there are two things that kill original leaf springs. One is if they are rust pitted. No way to fix that. The other is if the leaves are cracked or broken at the center bolt hole. No way to fix that either.

If the leaf springs don't have either of those issues I have them bead blasted. Then a spring shop re - arches them and replaces the center bolt and the pads. At that point you can decide on finish. Originally they were dark heat treated steel. You can simulate that look either with gun blue and a anti - corrosion treatment, or use one of the dark steel paints. The leaf spring clamps are available from Dead Nuts On or from AMK. Install those and you are done.

[Bob Gaines]

Just a minor clarification in that the upper control arms on a 67-70 are bare steel and the lowers were dipped up almost to the ball joint which gives the partial paint look . One of are Forum members Marcus did a excellent review of the factory suspension  look. You can use that to know the true look and do what you think best to replicate that look ether as original or a faux finish. http://anghelrestorations.com/uploads/3/5/1/2/35122002/65_to_73_suspension_guide_v2.4aopt.pdf

[68 GT]

Thank you for the responses. Should have clarified about the car being a driver. We MAY occasionally take the car to a local car show. Will be just enjoying driving the car around town, short trips and such. Hopefully not get caught in a rain, but you never know. When my wife and I started to restore the car, the fenders, hood, engine, transmission, radiator, grill were all out or off the car. So I don't know how it sit prior to restoration.

Seems like from the relies, I could disassemble the leaf springs and check for cracks (I'm sure they are pitted) I can blast them, have access to a blast booth at work. Take them to a local spring shop to be re- arched and reassembled with new spring clamps. (I'd need to coordinate with the spring shop so I could paint the leafs prior to reassembly) I'd probably prime and paint with some sort of dark steel paint or dark charcoal paint. If I have any cracks on a leaf, I will just buy new leaf packs from somewhere and probably transfer my bottom leaf to the new leaf pack.

For the coils, lightly blast them and inspect for cracks. If no cracks, prime & paint dark charcoal, and reuse them. Hope for the best on how the car sits once everything is reinstalled. If it sits too low, replace the coils with new.

For the upper & lower control arms, I had considered disassembling, blasting, and rebuilding & painting them. But, sure seems like replacing them with new that have the dipped partial painted look would be good for me, being a driver.

Thank you for the picture and the link! Very interesting link!

[Bob Gaines]

Thank you for the responses. Should have clarified about the car being a driver. We MAY occasionally take the car to a local car show. Will be just enjoying driving the car around town, short trips and such. Hopefully not get caught in a rain, but you never know. When my wife and I started to restore the car, the fenders, hood, engine, transmission, radiator, grill were all out or off the car. So I don't know how it sit prior to restoration.

Seems like from the relies, I could disassemble the leaf springs and check for cracks (I'm sure they are pitted) I can blast them, have access to a blast booth at work. Take them to a local spring shop to be re- arched and reassembled with new spring clamps. (I'd need to coordinate with the spring shop so I could paint the leafs prior to reassembly) I'd probably prime and paint with some sort of dark steel paint or dark charcoal paint. If I have any cracks on a leaf, I will just buy new leaf packs from somewhere and probably transfer my bottom leaf to the new leaf pack.

For the coils, lightly blast them and inspect for cracks. If no cracks, prime & paint dark charcoal, and reuse them. Hope for the best on how the car sits once everything is reinstalled. If it sits too low, replace the coils with new.

For the upper & lower control arms, I had considered disassembling, blasting, and rebuilding & painting them. But, sure seems like replacing them with new that have the dipped partial painted look would be good for me, being a driver.

Thank you for the picture and the link! Very interesting link!

I am assuming For your 67 coupe it reads from your post like you are under the impression that the uppers are "dipped partial painted " too. That is not the case. The uppers on 67 on up are bare steel. In other words if you were to paint them you would want a all over bare metal looking finish. The lowers are the only ones that are partial painted in 67.

[68 GT]

Thank you Bob. Are natural upper control arms available new? If so, what would you suggest to 'paint' them with just to keep them from rusting? Some sort of a clear coat?

[Bob Gaines]

Thank you Bob. Are natural upper control arms available new? If so, what would you suggest to 'paint' them with just to keep them from rusting? Some sort of a clear coat?

NOS service parts maybe. Those were coated with a dark gun bluing or black oxide. Some people mistake them for completely painted black.The Ford service uppers you will find available will be the 3 rivet 1970 variety ball joint version and not the assemblyline 4 rivet version. Repro 67-69 uppers are typically partial painted for the reason being most likely uninformed mfg. You would have to strip the paint off and then start back with your paint of choice on a repro upper. Those are choices you will have to decide besides price and time ,work etc. that makes the most sense for your situation. I don't have a paint of choice because I don't typically paint them. If I was to faux finish a pair then one of the stainless steel finish paints would be a first choice to explore. You will have to rely on others for paint recommendations.

[J_Speegle]

Restoring a 67 coupe, 289 automatic, drum brakes and manual steering. This car will be a driver. Will be adding power front disc brakes and power steering during the restoration. Questions are:
1) How do I know if I should replace the leaf springs, have them re-arched at a spring shop or purchase replacements from somewhere?

Some of this may repeat earlier helpful posts. In most cases this is "measured" before you start the restoration by gauging or measuring (even just visually) the ride height before disassembly. Many choose to purchase new springs and swap out the short leaf on each side with the important original markings. If you have them rearched you would likely want to disassemble the springs to refinish them and then reassemble them. Painting will create its own problems on a driver but there are numerous prior threads on the subject and how you can refinish them

2) If I reuse my springs, how do I refinish them? Sandblast them first? Then what?

You'll need to strip them without adding allot of new texture to the surface. A soak in something like Evapo-Rust has worked well for many. Again there are threads on the site as to ways to refinish them without going it over again in this thread. You can look at subjects identified for other years as the finish is all the same. Maybe start with the search words of "refinish springs" "natural finishes"  Finish and look of the clamps will be different from the look and tint of the rear leaf springs

3) How do I know if I should replace the coil springs? If I reuse them, can I sandblast, prime and paint?

See above

4) If I rebuild the upper & lower control arms, how would I finish them? Some new control arms look painted black and silver towards the ball joint, some are all black, then I read that they are to be natural. What would be good for a driver?

As mentioned uppers are bare steel - Lowers 2/3 rd dipped from the inner mounting point. If your restoring the car, yes even a "driver" then you should use how they were originally made as the guide for the project. How you get there is a choice. As discussed in other threads both painting and natural (unpainted) surfaces both have their down sides but like the rest of the car everything will require monitoring and maintenance unless you just build and use the car

The challenge for the a arms and other parts is that there are multiple different finishes, natural steel, rubber boots, plating and such that makes using a single rattle can not a choice for a restoration