Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Removing rear leaf springs in situ - ??

Is it possible (and how) to remove and replace the rear leaf springs in a '67 Plus four?

Thanks, Pat

Yes it is possible , and although a straightforward job do not not underestimate the weight of the axle and even the springs themselves. This job is MUCH better handled by 2 people , preferably one who has already had experience of the task.

You will need a lot of space around the car, several G Clamps , in addition to a normal workshop toolkit and fluids (penetrating oil etc )

This is not the only method , others are welcome to contradict this or suggest their own , no offence will be taken.

1 Remove rear wheels and get the car jacked up in air , much higher than normal, so that you can work comfortably.

2 Remove the seats to gain access to the front spring hanger, remove the parcel shelf. You may need to remove the transmission tunnel if it fouls the axle

3 Remove the U Bolts holding the axle to the springs (and any shock absorbers attached) whilst supporting the axle . Now jack up the axle and ensure that it is securely held . Check that the raised height is not fouling the transmission tunnels etc. This should give you a picture of the springs held at each end by a long bolt and nut , at the front through the chassis, and at the back through the spring hanger. You will almost certainly have to remove the floorboards under the seats in order to get access for the G Clamps (sounds complex but you will see what I mean when you get to this point)

4 Clamp the front of the spring to the chassis with several G clamps and ensure it is well secured. Now undo the bolt holding the spring to the chassis (it is likely that it will be a very tight fit and you might need to push it out with a drift.

5 Now release tension on the G Clamps very slowly indeed , you may find that the springs fouls the vertical wooden toe board and you won't be able to let it go further.

6 Depending upon the amount of tension remaining in the spring , the rear mounting may be either quite loose , or require a similar treatment with G Clamps to the front, I do hope for your sake it is the former , as it is VERY difficult to get G clamps into position at the back if the petrol tank is still in place.

7 Take out the bolt holding the spring to the spring hanger , access is not good here and you need to be careful to avoid hitting other components.

8 Once the bolt is out you should be able to remove the spring entirely , usually to the rear of the car , but make your own choice.

9 Repeat the procedure (4 to 8) for the other spring and remove.

10 The new springs are likely to be "stronger" and stiffer than old worn ones, so lining up the bolt holes is going to be even more of a challenge and you will need lots of tea , and a few choice epithets, to help you at this stage.

11 Once both new springs are mounted in position the rest is relatively straightforward and just reverse the procedure above.

Obviously it is well worth replacing all nuts with new ones , and the bolts if they are showing any signs of ridging, plus a new set of rear spring hangers would be a good investment as the silent bloc bush is sure to be worn.

Good luck. This job will take you a long time , don't hurry it , just work methodically and make sure you have someone to call when things don't go to plan.

Just to reinforce the time issue. I had mine replaced at Williams. ( see my thread).. I waited while they did it. It was on an full all up lift and took them about 6 hours with a lot of grunting and fettling - often involving 2 technicians.

It has transformed the ride of the car.

Recommend its done but no way could I have done it
Ian

http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/206231/1

Scroll down the first couple of pages. The Photobucket fiasco caused me to repost further down.

If you have no experience of leaf springs don't even think about it.

I did it single handed, but a helper would have been useful.

Pat

Where Dave's guide differs from mine, use his .

I mentioned taking out the bolt from the spring to the spring hanger/shackle . This is incorrect, do it Dave's way by releasing the spring to chassis bolt.

I see that Dave was able to clamp the front of the spring inside the toe board, which saves having to remove the floorboards from under the seats, I hope this is possible on your car.

I followed Dave’s guide on my 2014 4/4 and worked alone. Took me the best part of 2 days to swap 2 leaf springs - on a car young enough for there to be no seized fasteners.

Hi everyone, thank you SO MUCH... I really appreciate your guidance it has helped me decide what to do. I should have said earlier, that I restored my Morgan a few years ago so I have experience with the leaf springs and respect them! (not to mention the front coils.. ug). I also have a two post lift in my shop so that should help.

When I put them in years back, there was no body on the car, now there is. I needed to confirm it can be done and the "how to" step by step has really helped so thank you all for taking the type to type it all out.

Pat

Contact Cain at Wolf performance as he has a spring compressor which makes life much less difficult and safer as it may negate the possibility of G cramps flying off at speed. I think he may rent the tool out.

Thanks for this, but shipping of the tool to Canada could be a bit of a pain Pat

I made one of Rog’s tools shown in Dave’s guide dead easy and cheap to make