How-To: Spring into Action

Making a transverse spring look good and work well

- LARRY O’TOOLE

There’s nothing quite like a nicely detailed early Ford front suspension system in a street rod, especially when it is all exposed as it is in our Model A bucket re-creation. I am fitting a suicide style transverse leaf suspension in this project and I want it to look the part, but importantly to also work properly. The most important part of reaching that outcome is to have the suspension geometry correct and the various parts in good working condition. This article will concentrate on just one aspect of the front suspension – the transverse spring.

At this point in time I haven’t decided on what treatment I will use on the finished spring, but the preparation work will be the same no matter what final choice I make in that department. Most jurisdictions won’t allow the major components of suspension and/or steering to be chrome plated, but in some it is acceptable to have the majority of the leaves chrome plated so long as the critical main leaf isn’t chromed.