Hey guys, I'm proud to say that the rebuild is coming along nicely. My entire 25 touring is dissembled and is now ready to be cleaned up and put back together with new pieces as necessary.
Right now I'm cleaning up the front end and getting ready to put it back together and somehow I think I may have turned around my front cross member. I take parts in and out of the garage for sandblasting and wirewheel work. The only thing I see that isn't symmetric is on the leaf spring bracket. One side has is raised a bit. Should this be forward or backward? I haven't taken these off that cross member at all so if I get those right then the cross member should be right.
Also, a few questions about paint.
1. Are there any issues with just using spray paint for the frame?
2. What paint should be on the body?
3. I saw a special paint in Lang's for the leaf springs, is this necessary/highly recommended or not needed?
Thanks
The boss on the perch with the little depression should always face towards the rear of the car, like so:
It may just be the angle of the picture, but the perch appears to be bent. If the bend is actually there, when mounted it looks like the caster angle would be incorrect give you scary handling.
The shaft of the perch should be at a 5 1/2 degree angle away from perpendicular the axis of the spring mount, see attached pic from elsewhere on the forum:
Bryan, Paint choices depend on your budget. For the chassis parts, Powder coat, Automotive paint or rattle can are often used. For the body, Automotive paint is best if you're doing a quality restoration.
See the recent post on Becky's blue car for one well documented discussion. There have been several other great discussions on body and paint as well.
Bryan, the leaf spring paint is actually a lubricant to help them flex. It's a good idea to use it or they will bind and the ride will get a bit rougher. If you have an Ag supply store around you, you can probably buy the same stuff there.
Regards,
Garnet
Mark, the spring paint is available at Tractor Supply as slip paint. This paint should be applied to the under side of all but the bottom leaf. The paint contains graphite to aid in the spring moving for a good ride. I use regular gloss paint, then just apply the slip paint to the lower surfaces.
Bryan, I know there are a lot of names for different parts, but you confused me. I was wondering how you removed a front cross member from the frame. (It is on with rivets) After reading more, I guess you were referring to the front axle.
Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to install the axle. I think others explained it well.
Willie, your absolutely right, sorry for the confusion.
Thanks for the tips on the paint, I think I will go with John's idea of painting and then adding the slip paint. I have a Tractor Supply close by.
I will also check the angle of the axle.
Thanks for the help guys.