The leaves move against each other as the spring compresses and decompresses. So that rust you see is normal and to be expected. The springs themselves don't look very old to me so no sag should be expected. Eaton springs nip the corners of the ends of the springs like in your photo, so these may be Eaton springs. How is the height of the rear end to you? If fine, leave the springs alone. (my vote)

 

Thanks, and I appreciate your reply. Rear is fine stationary. While driving some have commented that the car appears to have passengers in the rear or something heavy in the trunk (sag under forward movement?)

Even though the lips are rolled, I went over a rise and dip in the road and the tyre still rubbed the inner quarter very briefly. (215/60 R15's on AR Torq Thrust D's FYI)

 

If the car sits fine, what are you worried about? The springs move as the car is exercised. The aren't normally painted but can be with high-temp engine paint according to Eaton Springs, who might just have made those.

 

If the car sits fine, what are you worried about?

One of the clips looks like it have been moving back and forth on the spring. That's not normal.

Even though the lips are rolled, I went over a rise and dip in the road and the tyre still rubbed the inner quarter very briefly. (215/60 R15's on AR Torq Thrust D's FYI)

Nothing to do with the springs, that's wrong wheels mounted on the car. The suspension works by letting the wheels move up/down. If you don't want the rear wheels to sometimes move up behind the fender lips, you can raise the car or make the suspension really stiff, both will hurt the cars handling and road comfort.

 

Those aren't Eaton. The rebound clips and leaf ends are of a different style/brand.

 

These cars always have a saggy butt with weight in the rear. With stock springs and 14" tires you get much more clearance. I have 7-3/4" (about 197 mm) from tire to wheel well on my all original 69.

 

Those are non-stock 5-leaf springs more appropriate for a pickup truck than a Mustang. If the rear is low at any time, then the springs are arced incorrectly for a Mustang. Even the BOSS 429 had 4-leaf springs, and did not sag in the rear. 5-leaf springs are uncomfortably stiff, by design.

One should never depend on stiff springs to prevent the tires from impacting the fenders. If the tires cannot clear the fenders, they are projected too far out by the wheels (a backspace problem) or are simply too large.

 

So, I've taken the time to review over 100 threads on leaf springs on VMF and I still cannot find an answer.

Any leaf spring specialists out there?

We are in lockdown and naturally I go to working on the car as my therapy. And I was inspecting the leaf springs.

As far as sag, nothing is noticeable parked on level ground. Further I have 215s on the car with rolled lips.

I did notice these clips/brackets on the leaf springs with rust from rubbing? Grinding? Hoping someone can help identify any issues or even the brand of leaf springs.

Currently installed on a 65 fastback manual v8. They appear to be 4.5 leaf,mid eye.

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I've sold and installed hundreds of leaf springs and rebuilt or built from scratch at least 10 to 20.
Yours are clips commonly seen in the leaf spring industry. I have those exact clips on my '66 GT. Mine are from Global West....
I believe the springs originally came from Betts or McCoy Bros. I rebuilt them years ago and that's how those clips got on there.
Movement of those clips, like you have, by merely driving the vehicle is not unusual.... it just means whomever put the
springs together with those clips did not do it correctly. I know that also by the fact that they are on upside-down.

The 5-leaf is a tell sometimes. And the fact you seem to have flat or very little arch. Not necessarily wrong, BTW.
What you have could possibly be a GW mid-eye. I see the rear eye looks that way. What's the front look like?
My photo shows a standard front eye spring with the 2nd leaf full length. Mid-eye would be as close as you can get to that.

The mere fact that something is a 5-leaf spring DOES NOT necessarily mean it's harsh. You read that all the time on the web.
Complete BS. I can build you a set of 5-leaf 130# springs for a Mustang. The recommended rate for a 65/66 Mustang with performance
aspirations is 150#/in.

Wheels have particular sizing specific to the 65/66 to allow a good fit. 215's fit just fine with the right backspacing.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

ex-Global West GM
1991-1995

 

I have those exact clips on my '66 GT. Mine are from Global West....
I rebuilt them years ago and that's how those clips got on there.

Well, that explains why they aren't the same clips as GW sells off the shelf, they're aftermarket. These are GW's below. The clips are at least pinned to keep them located, although they aren't fully boxed or padded. This is the most common clip type and used by many brands.

Below are the OEM type like Eaton uses (although prior to 1968 the holes were "D" shaped). They fully enclose and feature anti-squeak pads. NPD has them listed under "CLAMP KIT, Leaf Spring" which makes them somewhat harder to find in their online catalog than "Leaf Spring Clamps" or "Leaf Spring Rebound Clips" would be. A prime example of why many folk (including me) express frustration that NPD's online shopping catalog isn't very user friendly. Got that (@69bossnine) Rick?

 

Your leaf springs can be re-arched, this is something usually done by heavy truck spring shops. You could specify how much more height you need, up to a certain point.
To keep your springs looking good, put a wire wheel on a drill or angle grinder and clean up the springs. To keep them nice, apply Boeshield T9.
Boeshield is also great for restored cars that have natural metal finishes and you want to keep corrosion off of the parts.

Automotive & Motorcycle Uses | Boeshield T-9®

Spray Boeshield T-9® as a rust inhibitor, waterproof lubrication and undercoating for cars and motorcycles; the anticorrosion formula protects your vehicles

boeshield.com

 

Hijacking…how important is the metal band that wraps the spring, I have 4 per side and one just snapped under acceleration and fell off….

 

My 0.02¢ The double clips at the front along with the under-ride traction bars were attempting to control wheel hop. Bilstein shocks were the solution for me.

Edit: I just went out and counted 5 leafs on my Global West springs and they have served me well!

 

I use a product other than Boeshield and it readily available. I had my springs phosphated like factory.
This is a reasonably price product and it penetrates.

Amazon.com

 

Thank you all for taking the time to reply and post pictures for reference. It has been a major help!

I will source some Eaton's from NPD and have them ready for the next major service in December

 

I will source some Eaton's from NPD and have them ready for the next major service in December.

I can't be the only one here who'd like to see a full-on side view pic of your car as it sits right now, a bumper height view from a side/rear quarter would be nice too. @GT289 (who would know) suspects you're riding around on a previous generation of Global West mid-eye performance springs. If so they may have been made by Betts and of 5160 steel which is excellent, but perhaps going on 25-30 years old now. Also, going with Eaton still means you have a decision to make regarding spring rate and ride height. NPD lists/carries at least four different spring specs for a '65 2+2 with a 289. Assuming you won't be interested in the base stock height and 85lb rate springs, that still leaves a 110lb "GT spec" (about 1/2" lower than stock) and two others that are 1" lowering and listed as competition with either a 138 or 153 pound rate. What level of performance and ride quality are you after?

 

They appear to be 4.5 leaf,mid eye.

I just realised that the clips and the leaf ends looks exactly like my old Grab-A-Trak springs from MustangPlus. If they are, then expect the car to sit even lover with people in the backseat, if you change to some 4 leaf springs, because the ones you have are supposedly 175 lbs springs, which are pretty stiff.

 

Sure, it is possible to build non-harsh 5-leaf springs. It's just pointless. I have never seen a 5-leaf that was less than truck-stiff, though.

If it is possible for the tires to contact the quarter, rolled or not, then the wheel, tire, or both are poorly chosen. No matter how tall or stiff your springs are, sooner or later you'll find that pothole that will damage the quarter.

 

It’s a little hard to tell because both pics have an angle on them that skews the perspective on the rear tire clearance, but for my taste, ride height looks fine in the rear. Front could use another inch drop.