Does your rear spring have this chamfer on the top leaf? Please let me know what year / #of Leaf spring you have. Thank you.
Rather typical for the '25 and later springs to have the that 8th leaf with a bevel. Same on the 9-leaf sedan springs.
If the top leaf didn't have that bevel, it wouldn't fit up into the frame which is rounded front and back. I also suggest using a leather pad.
Dan, Have you seen it on a spring earlier than '25? I have not. I'm thinking it may be linked to the heavier frames / rear cross member, but can't tell for sure.
Larry, Not all springs had the bevel. The drawings I have seen do not show this bevel in fact.
David
Just the later springs seen with the wide bevel, here is one off a '23
Wow, how tall is that head on that bolt? The 23/24 drawings indicate a 1/4" high head, but I always suspected higher to make the thick pad fit right.
Maybe so on that 1/4", but a high head on the spring bolt will prevent the spring stack from a slip out of the cross member, and a leaning over Lizzie.
From what I've seen, the high head bolt that Dan posted was used on the taper rear springs. I know the later ones aren't that high. Great comparisons Dan.
I second what Larry said; great photo Dan. The top bolt, with the radius on the corners and head, seems to be an example of the typical later tie bolt. Thank you for posting these Dan.
Thats a new one on me about the higher bolt.
All the springs I have seen including the older taper leaf springs had the standard height bolt. At least on the frames and springs I have in my parts pile.
Maybe they were changed out over time.
None of the parts suppliers show a repo or maybe I missed it.
Just wondering if Ford always used a pad under the rear crossmember.
Ford used the pad to top of the spring since the beginning
1909 Parts and Price Book
Agree that high head spring bolts were early, at least thru the taper leaf period, then went to the more square thinner one, but I prefer to find the high ones at swaps and use them.
Those low-head bolts don't hold the spring in the crossmember hole very well, since they barely clear the pad. I think I'll start welding or brazing a square nut on top of the bolt to extend it.