Hot riveting leaf springs. Do-able at home?

[brightspark]

I know about the denso tape, or leather if you go back far enough in time.

However, the "leaf greaser" is a new one on me!! Think i need to buy one of those.

grease will make them like a zebedee BOINGGGGGG2 springy

 

[Melvyn Best]

An old trick to improve the ride quality of a leaf spring was to grease between them and tight wrap denso tape around them to keep out the crud. There is a greasing wedge you can buy for re greasing between leaves.


Bob

View attachment 485770

I once had a tool like a “G” clamp where it had a tapered section on the fixed jaw that had a grease nipple and another tapered section on the screwed jaw. Great for lubricating leaf springs

 

[Gritineye]

By cold riviting, you mean literallky that, ie beat the crap out of o cold rivit.

Do you not have issues with them coming loose?

Yep beating the crap out of them even cold makes them expand to fill the hole, unlike a bolt.

As it's only a small rivet and we're beach racing here not ship building, the lack of tensile stress developed as the rivet cools is more than compensated for by instant salt induced rust.

 

[500e]

Never had a problem with those clips, just unfold top using heat if worried
All elliptical and semi eliptic springs are the same, Morgan rears were a bu**er for rusting we used to strip them polish them, Round the ends and chamfer so they slid rather than dug into leaf above.
The better you polished the nicer the ride.
Not grease/oiling!! the shocks should stop the boinging, if not they are shot
Have done an awful lot possibly 100+
The polish helps to give smothe movement and the chamfer help to stop groves across the next leaf, same as rounding the end corner
The better the polish the better the ride

 

[Roger440]

Never had a problem with those clips, just unfold top using heat if worried
All elliptical and semi eliptic springs are the same, Morgan rears were a bu**er for rusting we used to strip them polish them, Round the ends and chamfer so they slid rather than dug into leaf above.
The better you polished the nicer the ride.
Not grease/oiling!! the shocks should stop the boinging, if not they are shot
Have done an awful lot possibly 100+
The polish helps to give smothe movement and the chamfer help to stop groves across the next leaf, same as rounding the end corner
The better the polish the better the ride

Understand fully the logic. However, how did you stop them going rusty if you polished them?

 

[500e]

Regular oil /grease wrap with Denso tape if you fancy it
The old timers wrapped with cord and grease.
Never tried it myself,have a ride in an old Morgan with original springs then with them polished and chamfered , the spring movement will keep the rubbing surface clean

 

[colnerov]

Understand fully the logic. However, how did you stop them going rusty if you polished them?

Using them.