MTFCA Forum

May be anyone knows:

I have a 7 leaf front spring (not sure which year - I can find out later), which I am restoring. The newly ordered spring clamps do not fit however. The ends for the bolt are too short, at least for the spring that has the holes to fit the clamp.

What am I missing? Wrong year? Does someone supply a longer version?

thanks!

It would sure help if you'd tell us the year of your car!

His profile says he has a '16..so unless he has another car..who knows for sure.

All T's would have used the same width front spring, does not matter what year, there should be no difference in length of the spring clip bolt. How long are the bolts that you got that came with the clips?

It is a 1916 however I got it in parts so I am not sure if it all belonged to the same car originally. Also, I have two sets of springs (both 7 leaf).
The bolt fits fine. It is just that the clamp does not extent long enough to get the bolt in (not sure if this is understandable, I am Dutch ).
I can move the clamps more to the outside, but it will affect the look. Or I can have something made I guess.

The clamp should be rivited on top of the 4th leaf giving 4 leaves in the clamp. 1916 was a change over for spring shape, most would be square ends and 7 although parts books also some had 6 but in saying that, my 1916 Canadian has 8 but that doesn't affect the clamp numbers any, still the 4. 1916 rear still was tapered.

It doesn't matter so much what year the car thinks it is, as it does which variation of the spring you have? And which clamps you have? Tapered leaf front springs are thinner than the later styles. If you have the true '16 only style spring, or the much more common clipped style used from '17 models onward? But happen to have or gotten spring clips from the earlier style tapered leaf spring? Then the clips would be too short.
Regardless. There is nothing really special or difficult about those clips. Some were riveted onto one of the leaves, some had dimples in the clips and locating holes in the spring leaf. Either way, they are fairly simple to make. I would just make a couple to fit whatever spring I was using.

I'll go along with Wayne. 1916, being a change over year may be different, but they sure aren't standard. You can usually adapt a later one to work. The taper leaf clips were rounded on top rather than clipped, so they may have carried that over too. Another point that was made that I believe to be true is the earlier leafs were thinner, which will definitely affect things.