Okay, just a question for you young guys who work harder at keeping up with all the modern technology stuff.
I am a 70 year old guy who has raced the same Hemi 65 Dodge for 52 years. It's really old stuff, TRW pistons, Racer Brown cam, NASCAR rods.

Also, a "J" comverter and Super Stock springs. At this stage of the game, I'm not changing nothing, so don't suggest it.

The question I have, is that I have been racing SS springs for decades. Every few years I just replaced them, when it seemed the goodies were leaving them. So, I have several sets laying around.

Has anyone ever messed with re-arching the old springs? Or is that even an old school process that no one ever uses anymore. We used to do it on trucks back in my working days. Just wondering if anyone everry tried it on these old SS springs?

Steve, I’m an old technology guy as well and years ago was a machinist in an auto/truck spring shop. If you disassemble the springs and either tap each leaf with a ball peen hammer or even a wrench and it rings then it still has spring tension and should still be able to be re-arched. If it makes a thud then it has lost its tension, much like striking a forged crankshaft vs. a cast crank. Or just drop the leaf on a concrete floor and if it give out the wind chime sound, it’s a good one.

When arching leaf springs there’s also a proper method of doing it so each leaf preloads the leaf above it. Being you’ve done this many times you probably know the method. If not, I can explain further if you like.

I used to take them over to Emch spring in Youngstown and they would rebuild them better than new - and was very inexpensive at the time - I think they are still in business

If old and sagging how would you know where to arch each leaf back to?

Stock leaf springs have a free arch spec but you'd probably have a hard time finding a published spec for super stock springs. If the car is sitting to low then put a couple floor jacks under the rear bumper brackets and jack it up evenly till you have it sitting at your desired ride height. Then measure from the ground to the wheel arch on the centerline of the rear axle. Let the car back down on the springs and measure the wheel arch height again. Subtract the two and this will be how much arch you will have to ad to the springs.

With the spring laying on the bench run a straight edge through the center of both spring eyes and measure from the top of the main leaf at the center bolt to the straight edge and that is your free arch. Then you'll have to disassemble your spring pack and re arch it to the total of your free arch plus the amount you determined you wanted the car raised. While arching always run a peace of all thread or something similar through the center bolt holes to keep the leaves aligned and then clamp them tight to see how much arch you have added or taken away. If for example you want your spring to have 5" inches of arch then you will first arch the main leaf to approximately 4.5" inches. Then shape the second leaf to the main, third to the second and so on. When properly shaped the leaf below will have about a 1/4" inch gap at the center bolt with the leaf touching the leaf above at each end. This is before they are clamped together. Work your way down and try to fit each leaf snug, when clamped, to the leaf above it all the way along so there is no light showing when you look at it from the side.

To ad arch to a leaf determine where you want the leaf to bend (curve further up) then hold the leaf tight with that spot flat on an anvil and smack it with a sledge hammer a few times. if it has spring tension it will arch up. To remove arch simply flip it over and do the same. It usually takes a lot less hammer blow to de arch. Make sure you hold the leaf good and flat where you want to strike it or you will feel the vibration go up your arm.

While there are more modern ways of arching spring, this is the old manual time tested method that will give the same results. It takes practice and some finesse but it works good.

Dad worked in a spring shop in Charlotte NC back in late 40s. They did bus and truck springs, he showed me how to make em arch, they had a block of steel with a depression and used a large fixed impact machine to hit the spring, did a few back in the day myself with anvil and sledge hammer.

Hard work back in those days. I re arched a model A spring a couple years ago for a guy and before I was done I was reminded just how old I’ve gotten😓. It would be nice to find a pair of NOS S/S springs from the 70s or 80s to get the arch measurements. From what I’ve seen in the past 15 or 20 years I think the measurements from the newer ones would be inconsistent and all over the map.

And from what I’ve read different-bad steel.

BTW I have a set of springs which I took off a drag car years ago. How do I tell if they are SS springs