I'm in the process of tearing down my Dana on my A12 and am wondering what is the best way to restore them.

My initial thought was to let them soak in evapo-rust in a 8" tube, then clean, detail, and seal with some matte clear.


Or....

should I powdercoat them or paint them?

I'm looking for longevity, and very close to OE look.

Thanks
Chris

I bought a new set of springs and they came in bare metal so the very first time the car sat outside in the fog the springs rusted. I ended up taking them apart and cleaning them up with a 3m stripping disc. Once that was done I cleaned them with ppg metal prep and shot them with a thin coat of black dp epoxy primer and then some black enamel over top before putting them back together.

Quote:

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I'm looking for longevity, and very close to OE look.

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That's very difficult to achieve.

Most Leaf Springs were bare heat treated spring steel.

Painting or powdercoating will protect them the best, but will only be close to original look.
Spraying with a matte clear will only slow the rusting process. They will eventually rust

I powder coated the set on my GTS looks great easy to clean and has not cracked yet,been on the car for about a year now.this is the best pic I have of spring here.
Ray

Get them apart first and your answer may be easier. I have found a lot of b-bodies built in the time frame of your car had black springs. I wouldn't clear bare metal, as it can still rust. You could paint them with a "metal colored" paint if your not going for absolute originality.

Personally, I would tear them apart and rebuild them with the new kits out there. They are good and the process is fairly easy. As Paul mentioned, the '69's I've seen have been black, so that sort of makes it easier to look OEM.... I did the ones on my '68 Hemi Charger R/T and they came out nice. In '68, they, for the most part I have found, where natural. I cleaned and wire brushed mine, shot them with Permatex Extend for corrosion control and then shot them with a matte clear. Then I proceeded to put the springs back together with a new rebuild kit. Make sure, if you can, to save the bolts that go through them. They are unique with the round head and each side is of a different length.

putting them together...

Finishing them up...

what if you need them re-arched? can you use a press? or is there a special process?

They can be re-arched, but using just a press is only a short term solution! The only correct way to re-arch a spring is to anneal, re-arch then re-heat treat the spring. They then have to be stress relieved and shot peened.

So if you powder coat them will the heat from the oven not harm them in any way? Also anyone know what color 70 E-body springs were from the factory?

I think the powder coating process is quick enough, that it doesn't hurt the temper of the springs. Its only 400 degrees I think.

I took mine apart and had them sandblasted, then painted them with Seymour's Stainless paint. Reassembled with a new kit. In the case of your A12 black was most likely the way to go though.

I restored a set for my customers '70 Hemi Cuda. After taking the springs apart there was clear cut evidence that they were bare metal and you could still see the heat treat coloring on them. I bead blsated each leave and then re-colored them with a bluing solution to the shade I wanted. Afterward I put a light coating of the CRC cosmoline that was thinned down appreciably. This stuff dries down way better than the Eastwood spray and even has a different look. I then re-assembled the springs. Man I thought they looked really good and still appeared to be bare metal.

Where do you buy CRC