Spring Tech, One Minute At A Time

Ford part numbers are divided in to 3 sections – A 4-digit Prefix, the Basic Part Number andthen a Suffix The 4-digit Prefix breaks down like this – First Digit: Decade – C5ZZ5560D A = 1940’s, B = 1950’s, C = 1960’s, D = 1970’s, E = 1980’s, F = 1990’s, etc. Second Digit: Year […]

Your car’s body style plays a significant part in your spring’s engineering. Make sure you’re using the correct terms when ordering your springs.

Measuring your current leaf springs right will ensure your replacement springs fit and perform just as you need. First tip: Don’t measure the arch from the floor!

Spring Rate, simply put, is the amount of rate required to deflect a spring one inch. But what does that mean to you?

Bottom line: if you prefer comfort, go for rubber. If you need performance, go for urethane.

You just installed your springs, but hold on! Make sure you finish the job right!

It’s easy to take a worn part out. Not as easy to put a fresh part in.

When a car’s springs sag over time, other parts get worn down too. Installing new springs with old hardware may cause vibrations in these parts. This is why it’s important to use fresh attaching parts when installing new springs.

Make sure you tighten your U-joint U-bolts properly to avoid driveline vibration.

Leaf springs do their job whether they’re smiling or frowning. Some do their job with a completely flat expression. They all do their job well, if that was how the manufacturer designed it.

Lowering a leaf spring suspension should be done correctly to avoid handling issues. Here’s why lowering blocks aren’t the magic bullet.

Reversing your leaf spring eyes will provide a drop, but exactly how much of a drop? Here’s how to calculate ride height drop when you reverse your spring eyes.

There are two causes of leaf spring squeak: tight eye bolts or shackles, and mis-torqued u-bolts.

Multi-leaf springs resist breaking thanks to rebound clips. Here’s why.

Ever wonder the function of a leaf spring centerbolt? There are several more than you’d imagine!

It’s easy to get confused about spring terms, so here’s a quick primer on standard vs heavy duty springs. Heavy duty springs can carry a heavier load than standard springs, but they do not set the vehicle higher.

On this One Minute Monday, we look back at the extreme variety of applications we manufacture springs for.

If your vehicle rides OK, sits OK, and the leaves and coils look OK, then your springs are OK. If you want to change your stance or ride quality, or if a spring is broken in any way, it’s time to replace your springs. Give us a call and we’ll be glad to help.

Torque is more than the force required to open a beer bottle. The proper torque will keep your leaf spring from breaking. Use your manufacturer’s torque specs when tightening your u-bolts, or use our recommendations.

Shot peening significantly extends the life of your springs.

The original brochures for classic vehicles are a snapshot of history and valuable mechanical information about your vehicle. Plus, they’re beautiful! Go to our parts lookup page to look up your vehicle’s brochure for free!

Here, Mike Eaton explains how and when to torque your leaf spring’s u-bolts. Here’s the recommended specs we mentioned.

Here, Mike explains why lowering your vehicle can cause a stiffer ride, how a vehicle can be lowered too much, and explains the safe threshold to lower your vehicle with new springs and minimal effect on ride quality.

Chromed springs look cool, and show an immaculate attention to detail. However, if done wrong, the results could be disastrous. Here, Mike explains how dangerous hydrogen embrittlement caused by improperly chroming springs is.

A customer writes in to ask why their new coil springs fall out so easily during installation. Coil springs that have been in a car for a long time accumulate all sorts of cruft and debris that eventually sticks it in place.

Dennis Gage visits National Parts Depot in Florida and talks about getting correct, American-made springs from EATON Detroit Spring

Here are the five key factors to keep in mind when working with leaf spring suspensions for your classic car or hot rod.

So you need springs for your street rod’s Mustang II front end. How do you pick a spring when there are 23 options?

Springs support weight, so if you measure the ride height of an unfinished vehicle, you won’t be measuring the final stance.

In this extended episode, listen to Mike Eaton talk with Sam Memmelo on his radio show, Sam’s Garage.

Model A springs need to be stretched around six inches before you’ll be able to install them into your vehicle.

Sometimes tip inserts get whacked out of place during delivery. Here’s how to fix it with a screwdriver.

Whenever you are changing coil springs, especially the front springs, always use a coil spring compressor. Never try changing springs without a compressor. You will get hurt. For coils used on struts, use the compressor that grabs the coils on the outside. For non-strut coils, use the compressor that goes inside the spring. Need a […]

Mike explains a few key terms related to the design and manufacture of springs of all kinds.

Mike Eaton explains the basic distinction between multi-leaf springs, mono-leaf springs, and parabolic leaf springs.

Mike Eaton explains how to find your coils spring rate using a simple equation. This process is useful for those seeking to cut their coil springs, as it shows how cutting coils lead to a stiffer ride. (Hint: ordering new coils to custom specs can preserve or even enhance your ride quality and stance, a […]

Which leaf spring end-type is best for trucks, and which end-type gives you the smoothest riding springs? Mike Eaton explains the different end types leaf springs can have.

Mike Eaton explains how to cut your coil springs for a desired ride height.

The three basic coil spring ends are tangential, square, and pigtail. Here, Mike Eaton shows you how to recognize each type.

Here, Mike shows you how to paint your leaf springs. – Hang your spring in a well ventilated area – Clean your spring with acetone – Paint four or five coats of high-temperature engine paint, letting each coat dry – Wa la! A painted leaf spring

Mike Eaton explains why not to use a jack stand when measuring your ride height. The full weight of the completed vehicle, the wheels, and tires are all part of the equation.

You’ve seen our leaf spring removal and reinstallation videos, but those are polished and edited for brevity. When you work on your springs yourself, you may find things don’t always go as smooth at the textbooks. This One Minute Monday is two minutes long to make a point.

Watch as Mike explains the steps for how to install rear leaf springs.

How to remove leaf springs, step by step from Mike Eaton at EATON Detroit Spring

Mike Eaton shows the variety of tip inserts and leaf liners used by manufacturers to reduce inter-leaf friction.

Here we show how you can use the online ordering form to have springs manufactured for your exact vehicle.

Go to the ordering page here.

This week, Mike explains the two different types of u-bolts you may encounter and how to measure them.

When you need new shocks but you don’t know which shocks will fit your vehicle, you must do some measuring.

Shocks mount on both ends, but what kind of ends are they? In this video, Mike points out shocks with studs, eyes, t-bars, and a few combinations.

Here, Mike shows the different types of shocks we offer for classic vehicles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2RGPU3lKHI

Mike Eaton explains how coil springs are manufactured on this One Minute Monday.