Ride Stiffness

[Tom H]

Jay, What kind of bushings were installed here? Original "metalastic" type or some aftermarket type. The original Metalastic type do not have any sliding sleeve, but rather the rubber acts like a hinge, With these type bushings you must not tighten the end nuts on each fulcrum pin until the full weight of the car is on the suspension, lest you tear the rubber. Just about every other type bushing has some sort of sliding sleeve which requires a lubricant - either at installation or routinely.

Tom

 

[chazza]

I don't think springs and leafs get firmer with age.

Along with wear-steps, as explained by Bill, rust between the leaves when it gets bad enough, will also stop the leaves from sliding past each other. This then changes the characteristics of the spring-pack to a rather unyielding block of steel.

To make sure that the springs slide/flex easily, they either need lubricating; separating with spacers such as plastic, or sometimes rubber; or in the case of parabolic springs, separated with a significant air-gap.

Anyone who owns an Alpine, really needs to know what condition the spring-packs are in; if they are rusty or dirty, or missing spacers, they really need to be stripped; inspected; repaired as per Bill's instruction and replaced. Even new, painted-springs do not always work well if they are not lubricated, or separated and radiused on the top edge. When I overhaul leaf springs I also narrow the end of the leaves by cutting a taper on both sides; this reduces the initial effort required by the spring to start sliding and is recommended by the Society of Automotive Engineers. It is also the ideal time to replace the spring bushes.

After I had done that I would start thinking about dampers,

Cheers Charlie

 

[Jay Laifman]

Jay, I don't think anybody is saying springs get stiff with old age. As they wear against each, a groove wears across the upper spring where the end of the lower spring rides. This "locks" the springs together, making them very resistant to movement.

Also, to say the Alpine has a smooth ride because it is not as rough as the MG's is like saying I'm rich because I make more money than my neighbors.

Bill

Hi Bill. Good information to know about the grooves and rust. Thanks for pointing that out.

My main point was that I would hardly ever call an Alpine's ride as "quite a hard unforgiving ride quality" as the OP said. And, yes, like Jose and others, I'd say it does have a smooth ride - from my personal opinion. Yes these things are subjective. But, from my point of view, never "quite a hard unforgiving ride quality." So if that is what the OP is experiencing, I would suggest that there is something physically/mechanically wrong that could be addressed, and not chalked up to simply that's the way they are.

Tom, yes, they were the stock rubber bushings, obtained from Sunbeam Specialties, and mounted correctly. I got them in 1989 or 1990.

 

[Gitnrusty]

I have the rear leaf springs from my Series IV apart for inspection/cleaning and would like to install new anti friction pads in the dimples in four of the leaves.
They are not missing but do show some wear.
Sunbeam Specialties on line catalog shows these, but has no part number.
Does any one know of a source for these, new.
I'd like to get a set of eight.
Thanks for any help.

 

[Bill Blue]

Finally able to take the Alpine for a 60 mile drive. I think that relieving the wear channels and eliminating the metal on metal contact in the springs definitely helped the ride. If I purchased a new set of springs, I would disassemble them and insert plastic between the bottom leafs.

I decided that I would not touch the shocks until I had a chance to see how they perform with a real spring. Currently, I see no reason to replace them.

Bill

 

[Bill Blue]

After a thousand mile, high speed (70-80 mph) trip, I am happy with results of my spring overhaul. The ride is much more compliant and the rear axle is much better at staying behind me. The car has always been prone to crow hop and change directions when going over road irregularities that extend across the lane. The tendency is still there, but much improved.

Also, I must add that with the oversize tires (185-60 X 15), reducing tire pressure is a big help. I'm at 26 psi and tire wear was very even until the weird shoulder wear pattern appeared.

Bill

 

[pcmenten]

Bill, thanks for the various follow-ups you have posted. That is very helpful to get the 'after action' reports.

My truck's front tires are wearing on the outsides. I'm certain it's because I take corners faster than most other drivers do. The truck handles nice and flat. I just need to rotate the tires and know that I'll be buying new tires sooner because of my driving habits.

 

[Bill Blue]

Bill, thanks for the various follow-ups you have posted. That is very helpful to get the 'after action' reports.

My truck's front tires are wearing on the outsides. I'm certain it's because I take corners faster than most other drivers do. The truck handles nice and flat. I just need to rotate the tires and know that I'll be buying new tires sooner because of my driving habits.

Thanks for the acknowledgement. It is nice to know the effort is appreciated.

As to your truck tires, thread wear on the outsides is the classic symptom of underinflation. I think that if the tires were properly inflated you would notice even (but perhaps accelerated) wear across the tread.

I once saw a turbo'ed V6 (27 psi), 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steer Mitsu something or other that had considerable SIDEWALL wear. After taking a ride in it I am pretty sure that was from maniacal cornering.

Bill