Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Paul fairall]

No doubt this has been discussed once or twice in the last 60 years
Had one of our mot testers give the car a look over....and under. Near side engine mount was shot. Ordered from small ford spares as the fsoc want the metal parts sent back before they send a replacement. The large bolt that screws into the threaded insert in the rubber just went round and round so I unbolted the plate from the chassis and jacked the engine up and slipped it out. Then applied some heat to the insert, clamped some mole grips onto it and a spanner on the bolt head and slowly it came undone. Fitted the new mount and put back the rear bolt through the chassis but on my own it was impossible to put the nut on the front bolt. As the leaf spring needs retempering as I can't find a replacement, I started to remove the spring as it will be easier to put the nut on the front mount bolt. Seems I'll need a spring spreader even though the axle is on the bump stops and has a Mona Lisa smile and not a sad face. Another day tomorrow.
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1957 ford popular

[alastairq]

Spring spreaders are easy to make.

In my experience, the most common engine mount failure is the left one.

I have found it gets rapidly degraded by oil drips, since the engine oil filler is located right above it.....and any crankcase blow-by also ends up in that vicinity.

I have fitted a very large diameter washer under the bolt on mine, above the rubber....to try to deflect any oil drips away from the rubber.

I have yet to see if it works or not.

[Paul fairall]

I saw a thread on another forum where they cut a piece of wood to fit in between the spring eyes while the wheels were on the ground and then jacked the car and removed the spring. I will do the same and then make a spreader for when I replace the rejuvenated spring. The large washer is a good idea.
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1957 ford popular

[alastairq]

I made my old spring spreader using a couple of bits of thinwall tube, cut from a scrap folding chair.

I bought some of that studding one finds in even the most shed-like of hardware stores.....and a bag of the appropriate nuts, and some washes. The studding was big enough to be a nice fit inside the tube.

Then I wanged one end of each tube flat to form a 'spade'.....inserted the studding, with nuts and washers in place so that, by screwing a nut up or down, one end of the rig would be pushed out or in. The spades then fitted under each spring eye. By using studding which was a close fit inside the tube, there was little or no chance of the whole shebang bowing under pressure.

All up in the air at present, as I'm fitting a new CWP, plus the extra super-strong half shafts, to the rear axle....and I'm taking my time.

[Paul fairall]

Have part made one this morning based on one I found online. Piece of chrome plated tube that was part of a clothes rail, 10mm studding nut and large washer that goes in one end of the tube and the other end is flattened to wedge into the spring eye. The studding is ground to a chisel edge.
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1957 ford popular

[Paul fairall]

Having made up a spring spreader I proceeded to remove the bottom shackle bolt nuts and realised the main spring was on upside down, it was not possible to fit the spreader as the eyes faced upwards, maybe someone's attempt to lower the car by the diameter of the eye?
I checked on small ford spares exploded view of the front axle and the eyes face down. I'm going to take the spring to be retempered while it's off anyway.
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1957 ford popular

[Paul fairall]

This morning I pressed out the bushes and took the spring to Brost forge in north London, great guys they are too. I had noticed the shortest leaf and the next to longest were missing, so only seven leaves in all and two were the same length due to some idiot turning the main leaf over and one leaf may have touched the eyes when it flattened, had shortened it . The main leaf was in effect fighting against the rest by being turned over and the reason it was on the bump stops. The Brost guys are going to make some new leaves and bring it back to like new.
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1957 ford popular

[Paul fairall]

I collected the refurbished spring from Brost forge, 3 new leaves, main leaf turned up the right way and all tempered in their oven, £85.
Fitted it back on the car with a bit of jiggerypokey, all done and the ride at the front is much better. Actually steering seems worse for some reason I will have to look into.
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1957 ford popular