Leaf spring liners on OME springs

[Spook50]

So when I get my OME kit (planning to order the heavy/heavy kit from @cruiseroutfit within the next couple weeks) I plan to break down the spring packs and put delrin (or poly vinyl) liners between the leafs to help maintain a smooth ride over time. I don't think they will necessarily improve the ride over brand new clean springs, but my intention is for long lasting ride quality and smooth articulation. I noticed though, that (assuming they're the same width as OEM springs) the spring packs are much wider than leaf springs in most other vehicles. The common widths liners are available in are 1 3/4", 2" and 2 1/4", and the OEM springs are 2 3/4" wide. There are teflon liners available in 8' lengths by 3 3/4" wide. These are flat with no side lips and need to be trimmed to match the springs for both length and width. At $7 per 8' roll, this could end up well over $100 to do all four spring packs. I'm trying to find out just how much I could expect to spend on this little experiment. Can anyone with the heavy/heavy Emu Dakar kit from Cruiser Outfitters verify that the springs are the same width as the OEM springs, how many springs are in the front and rear packs and how long overall (over the length of the curve) the front and rear spring packs are? If I can get the kit ordered in time to have it by next weekend (after Halloween) I want to have enough liner material to install it and then install the kit on my 62 that weekend.

 

[Cruzerman]

I can only speak of the OME springs I have. They are pretty old (made in Australia). These came from the factory with anti-friction pads near the end between the springs. Don't think the liners are needed. I think the new OME springs still come with these anti-friction pads, but you should check.

Also, I made and put some liners between the leafs on my FJ40 spring packs. The liners tended to slide around and try and come out the side of the packs. That was my experience, but it was a DIY liner attempt though.

 

[MarkBC]

Andrew saint pierre white talks about the friction pads in the ends of his leaf springs for his 78 troopy. It's in one of his old videos a year or so ago, you could search for it.

 

[MarkBC]

Found it

 

[Seth S]

I feel like I’ve seen some sort of wrapping you could put around the springs after thoroughly soaking them in grease. To both prevent corrosion and maintain sliding. But I might be dreaming.

 

[SteveH]

My father's 1940 Chrysler had articulated multi-section aluminum 'cases' around the leaf springs to keep them greased and quiet, so the concept isn't new.

 

[Spook50]

Interesting, I didn't realize that they had anti-wear pads in place. Given that they still apparently require grease I'd still see about replacing them with delrin pads if I can find ones that match the mounting spots (won't attract dust and grit like grease will and would also be maintenance free, plus very long life).

 

[Shes Mad]

My springs were greasable from the factory with a needle attachment on the grease gun. Worked great, and took the noise right out. Grease gushed out the spring sides when I did it, and it looked like it was well distributed. Easy to do before install.

 

[Spook50]

My springs were greasable from the factory with a needle attachment on the grease gun. Worked great, and took the noise right out. Grease gushed out the spring sides when I did it, and it looked like it was well distributed. Easy to do before install.

Ah interesting. That'd definitely make maintenance easy over time. Be an easy thing to hit since the shackles that come with the kit are greasable and I'll be getting rid of the polygraphite bushings I've run for years in favor of the OME bushings with the kit.

 

[OSS]

Don't do it. They'll make things worse or do nothing noticeable. A common complaint with leaf springs is the "clunk" sound the fronts make when turning after they get wet. That clunk is the leaves shifting within the pack sideways when water lubricates them enough to be able to move. Adding delrin liners between the leaves with exacerbate the problem

 

[Spike Strip]

As stated, OME come with the friction pads, plus, you're able to grease them. Different schools of thought on this. I grease mine, liberally. Work fine. No clunk. Collect lots of schmutz.

 

[Spook50]

Don't do it. They'll make things worse or do nothing noticeable. A common complaint with leaf springs is the "clunk" sound the fronts make when turning after they get wet. That clunk is the leaves shifting within the pack sideways when water lubricates them enough to be able to move. Adding delrin liners between the leaves with exacerbate the problem

Yeah I was under the impression that they didn't even come with friction pads at all, much less that they're greasable. I suspect that they do wear over time, so I wonder if replacements are available. I'll stick with using the pads rather than break down the packs to install liners.