ENCASED REAR SPRINGS

[Terry T]

Are there many cars still out there with encased leaf springs?

Here is a pic of my '51.

[Gordie]

Many car manufacturers used them to keep the grease in and the dirt out of the springs.  Ford used them on most cars starting in the thirties but as many companies started going to coil springs and the extra cost caused them to disappear from the new cars.  There are probably not a lot of survivors except for nice older low mileage cars with the original springs.

[whatwouldjessedo]

When I cleaned up and repainted my HJ leafsprings, I disassembled the leaf packs and used this 3M 5423 UHMW Polyethylene Tape between all leafs. We'll see how it works out over time, but the idea is that the tape is abrasion and friction resistant so it should keep the leafs quiet and moving smoothly.