Omix-Ada Replacement Springs - (7)-Leaf

Sure cure for insomnia: Finally found a digitized copy of the SAE Manual on Leaf Spring Design. Granted this copy is from the middle of the 20th century, but still...
-=-LINK-=-
Page 30 & Page 31 - Rebound and Alignment Clips at least shows that the clamps are tight against the spring pack.

Need to find a more recent version.

Guess I'm getting a bit obsessive about spring clips/clamps after buying these crappy Omix-Ada's...

 

Dan - why does that matter? If they are a stocking item, they should just take them back. Are you asking for shipping reimbursed both ways?

 

Technology has changed. Quality leaf springs built for offroading do not use clamps tight against the springs. They float above the main leaf a bit. The difference in flex is night and day. The clamps are mainly there to keep the leafs from splaying out sideways, as they are wont to do - even with tight u-bolts - without the clamps if you flex them a lot.

Companies that use tight clamps only use them because they are cheap and easy - they don't require welding/drilling to attach the clamp to the spring. Neither welding or drilling is particularly easy/cheap to do properly with proper spring steel.

Chrysler used the same "gappped" clamping scheme on the YJ leafs, at least towards the end of the model, i.e. my 94 had them just like that.

This is certainly a better clamping scheme than I would expect from any Omix parts. We all know how good average Omix quality is. I would run them.

 

This.

 

Dan,

I don't find the 10's harsh, but really don't have much to compare them to. I'm running new 10's with new shocks vs. the original (ie. 40 year old) stock 7's, one of which was twisted, and worn out shocks. The jeep handles bumps and turns MUCH better. Overall, I'm very pleased with them. I'll try to post some pics, but am in the process of moving across the country so that may be a challenge.

Stanley Springs are made by Dayton Parts out of Harrisburg, PA - www.daytonparts.com. I purchased them through Rocky Mountain Spring & Suspension here in Colorado Springs - http://rockymountainspring.com/, but I bet you could get them through your local supplier (not that I want to discourage a trip to visit the in-laws).

Matt

 

They were not authorizing them for return. I wasn't going to spend $50 of my own restore money to ship them back.
They sent an Email today with the return shippers. I really did not want to put the Ebay seller (4x4 shop in GA) in too tight a spot but Omix was balking.

_Dan

 

The float above I'm fine with, that makes sense - it's the slop all the way around I was not willing to live with.
here's a -LINK- to all the pictures I've taken. a couple of the clamps looked OK, but I'm not willing to rely on the 'U' bolts to keep the leaves from rotating.

IMO a clamp should be riveted on the bottom, wrapped on the sides and float over the top of the pack.

These springs are Pure-D Junk. Perhaps on a rig that you'd trailer to a location, but not on something you'll be driving at highway speed in East TN.
I'm not planning on doing any crawling. I've messed with a lot of leaf springs in 40 years and these are sorely lacking in my opinion.

The pictures show it, only a couple of the clamps were installed the same way, all the rest looked like some poor soul pounded them on using a rock on a stump of a tree.
In this past week I've been through 4 boneyards, 2 4x4 shops, and 1 wahzoo suspension place (crawlers) here in the area, and
I did not see any slop like these Omix-Ada's.
Heck, photos of their springs on the web with the same stenciled part number, do not look like the two I received.

I went through all this because I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something or that technology has passed me over.
CJ-5's don't have the best road manners to begin with and I'm much more cautious (or perhaps anal) than I was @ 18 but I would like this one solid under me.

_Dan

 

I see now. One does look offset as far as the hole, for which there is no simple fix. One just looks bent (BFH will fix that straight away), otherwise they seem okay.

I'd maybe just send back the one that is offset to the right but honestly it will probably be fine other than cosmetically looking weird. Keep in mind there is still a clamp on the opposite end and you really only need one to keep things straight.

You can even run without the clamps on the street and probably never have an issue IMHO, but if you go offroad you'll want them. Unless you really want flex and don't mind tapping things back into alignment after every 1-2 trips. This is what I do on my YJ if they start spreading too far. I only seem to have an issue w/ the fronts, too. The rears have never splayed out on me.

 

Those are the kind of clamps I've found on some NOS for a M32a1. tis a shame that the m38a1 is longer than the CJ-5's.
Funny thing is though a number of sites show the same spring spec for the M38a1 and the CJ-5's
----
I scored the rusty 11(?) leaf mil wrap today. (The M38 is the better looking of the two...)
I had grabbed a pair of 9-leaves of an old ~'70 CJ-5 way in the back at this boneyard. Their arc after removal was still good at 4-1/4".

On the way out with the cart overloaded with all the tools, two springs, and a bell housing off a Dauntless V6, I paused to
cause my breath and spotted an intermediate in the weeds. All that was left on her is the frame, grill, parts of two axles, steering gear box,
6 cyl rebuilt motor under tarp, and (4) springs. Spotted her grill and the gear box sticking out of the weeds.
So I ditched the '70 springs and removed the intermediate's. I must have walked past this donor 5 or 6 times in the last two days,
why couldn't I have seen her before I did the removal on the '70? :? It was too d*** hot today to be removing springs.
(at some point here, with my leaf spring fixation, Honey is going to question why the side of the driveway is starting to look like a spring shop...)


http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss286/middle_road/Jeep/Suspension/P1050713r.jpg

PS: please pardon all grammer and speling errors - boneyard wiped me out...

 

ohoh, /me lost and confused again. The pict in post #30 - the better looking spring, I was told, is for an M38a1. :?
Was basing my info on that spring being a bit longer than the ones I pulled yesterday.
Figured if I tried to install the m38's the shackle angle would be off.
I'm thinking of trying the same thing with the leaves off the fresher packs and just using the eye leaf and wrap off the salvaged pack.

(i'm going to have the suspension done by the 4th, i'm going to have the suspension done by the 4th, i'm going to have the suspension done by the 4th, )

Here's a shot of the salvaged spring with the m38, eyes are lined up off-camera.

 

Back springs should be the same length I believe. The fronts on a cj5 and m38 are the same. Cj 2a 3a have shorter front springs.

 

Not sure an M38A1 spring will work. I believe that the lengths are the same, but do they have the same geometry? They are the same length, but they are also shackle-reversed from all but the earliest CJ-5 springs.

 

Sure you don't mean M38a1? M38 is a militarized CJ3A whereas the A1 is the military version (and precursor to) the CJ-5

 

Woot, got the refund today, total amount back. Not out anything but my time.
Kudos to Oconee Off-Road in GA for their handling of the matter.