Topic: 66 shelby leaf springs

[Bob Gaines]

You'll be looking for the C4ZA-S springs

Looking at other examples (with tight spring to sheet metal date) I would look for ones stamped at least a month prior to the sheet metal dates. Maybe something between 250-290 but anything close should work

Remember the dating format is 234 E 5 - with

234 being the day of year - Julian year

E being the supplier

5 being the year

A usable site for figuring out the numbering system http://amsu.cira.colostate.edu/julian.html

Hope this helps

Dan, since the rear leafs are rare  I would not miss a opportunity to acquire ANY C4ZA-S rear leafs. They are in such demand you can always sell or trade them if another more appropriate dated one comes along. Bob

[s2ms]

Thanks Dave for another data point for my spread sheet.

Don't get allot of spring dates since they are so often swapped out over the years as they weakened.

Dates are always interesting since some parts were produced in an on going basis while others were produced in batches, likely due to demand or the machines that produced them. Our cars are over 10,000 numbers apart (Ford VIN) while the spring dates are weeks apart

You're quite welcome Jeff. The rear springs are one of the earlier dates on 6S1757. You may remember we've discussed them previously on the HiPo and SAAC forums. They are a little weird in that one spring has paint daubs and the other stripes. Plus on the striped spring you can see where a worker put the stripe colors in the wrong order and then painted over them in the correct order. You may already have this pic but just in case here it is again...

Dave

[J_Speegle]

You're quite welcome Jeff. The rear springs are one of the earlier dates on 6S1757. You may remember we've discussed them previously on the HiPo and SAAC forums. They are a little weird in that one spring has paint daubs and the other stripes. Plus on the striped spring you can see where a worker put the stripe colors in the wrong order and then painted over them in the correct order. You may already have this pic but just in case here it is again...

Yes already have a copy - and for others DON"T COPY THIS EXAMPLE !!!!  They are not what we typically see.

I've only seen a handful of cars where they mixed stripped and dotted rear spring markings. Dots are not that common on a later 66 car from my experiences

[s2ms]

Yes already have a copy - and for others DON"T COPY THIS EXAMPLE !!!!  They are not what we typically see.

I've only seen a handful of cars where they mixed stripped and dotted rear spring markings. Dots are not that common on a later 66 car from my experiences

Sorry, didn't mean to imply this was a normal thing, definitely not, but obviously it did happen.

Jeff, Just out of curiosity, what are the dates on the other springs you've seen with mixed stripe and daub markings? Just wondering if there was a transition period where it was more.... "likely to occur"....

Thanks,
Dave

[J_Speegle]

Sorry, didn't mean to imply this was a normal thing, definitely not, but obviously it did happen.

Don't think you did but we all know how the lurkers see something and run with it so I thought a warning was appropriate

Jeff, Just out of curiosity, what are the dates on the other springs you've seen with mixed stripe and daub markings? Just wondering if there was a transition period where it was more.... "likely to occur"....

No pattern a couple in 65 and a couple in 66 so either a worker grabbed a rattle can or daubed the paint when he should not have,  a handful of of dotted springs got left back or the transition was really irregular I can't put any cars together by VIN enough to get a pattern

This the one of each (marking style) is not normal but would not deduct for it if I saw it at a show. Would likely ask if the owner found it or made it that way.  Know one restorer that does just about every one of his 65-66 Shelby's that way based on one example/car in a magazine

[Texas Swede]

While we are talking about rear springs for 66 Shelbys, these are the originals
on 6S923 in Sweden. The clamps look quite different from the ones I have
seen on most rear springs. The original yellow and green stripes have been recreated exactly
as they were originally. One picture on car and one before restoration.
These are marked
C4ZA
5556  S
345 E5
Texas Swede

[J_Speegle]

While we are talking about rear springs for 66 Shelbys, these are the originals
on 6S923 in Sweden. ..............

Thanks Bo - yes sometimes all we can see fo the markings is a spot with less rust/texture

Thanks for the pictures

These are marked
C4ZA
5556  S
345 E5

Funny in that I have ones originally off of 6S1203

One made 343 (Dec 9th) and one made 345 (like your example  - Dec 11th)  and the guys skipped the green stripe

[s2ms]

While we are talking about rear springs for 66 Shelbys, these are the originals
on 6S923 in Sweden. The clamps look quite different from the ones I have
seen on most rear springs....

Bo,

Those clamps are the same ones used on the Maier Racing springs I currently have on 6S1757. Plus, from your pic it looks like the rears on 6S923 have five leaves, is it possible these are a modified set with a correctly dated original bottom leaf?

Dave 

[J_Speegle]

Bo,

Those clamps are the same ones used on the Maier Racing springs I currently have on 6S1757. Plus, from your pic it looks like the rears on 6S923 have five leaves, is it possible these are a modified set with a correctly dated original bottom leaf?

Dave

Good catch Dave - I was busy looking at the other  picture

[Texas Swede]

Thanks Dave,
Have to ask Roland tomorrow if his springs have 5 leafs. The car was raced in Belgium
as can be seen by the perculiar panhard rod and the car has the holes through the floor for attaching
shoulder harnesses. Claude Dubois have been asked if he himself raced this car as his
name was found on a Belgian certificate for 6S923. Sofar no answer from Claude.
It was the German guy Wolfgang Kohrn who asked Claude.
/Texas Swede

[cobraboy]

Here is a pic of one of my springs. Both have the same date. I know its not a SJ car, but may help in the tie up between manufacture date and build date of a car with these springs. The paint is un restored.

[J_Speegle]

Here is a pic of one of my springs. Both have the same date. I know its not a SJ car, but may help in the tie up between manufacture date and build date of a car with these springs. The paint is un restored.

Thanks - is that 65th (March 6th) or 85th (March 26th - don't think 65 was a leap year) day of the year (sorry hard for me to make it out?  And this is from your car with a projected April build date?

Just confirming

[Texas Swede]

Dave,
You have real eagle eyes as Roland's car indeed has 5 leaf springs. Probably added by Claude Dubois in
Belgium who most likely got them from Maier Racing and added the bottom leaf with the date codes etc.
This explains the special clamps as well. Also I was wrong about the dates, one is 345 E5 and the other
353 E5.
/Texas Swede

[J_Speegle]

.............Also I was wrong about the dates, one is 345 E5 and the other
353 E5.

Interesting that in the pile of springs two cars (maybe more) got the exact same matching dates.  What are the odds?

[YELLOWBOSS2]

Both of my springs are dated 137E5 on my 65.

Dave