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Hugh Weaver
One of many questions no doubt, I have got to the front suspension stage and now looking around for springs. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of light duty eye to eye springs, but I have got hold of a set of light slipper springs.

I was wondering if anyone has tried swaging an eye into a slipper spring and re-tempering? The spring is about the right size and just one leaf would do.

Thanks for any info.

Hugh
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Mick
Those came out really nice.
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Hugh Weaver
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I've got the front suspension half done now. Here are some pics of the rear spring eyes and hangers. I had a lot of trouble getting enough heat into them to forging them properly but I think they will work ok.
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Hugh Weaver
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Sort of. I bought a large propane gas torch and managed to get enough heat into the end of the springs to bend an eye into them. The eyes aren't perfect by any means but they work. We are away at present but I'll post a pic when we get back.
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Leslie Meehan
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xGu8Q0AC2rI
hot riveting a leaf spring mite be able to do that to a slipper spring
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Leslie Meehan
was there any progress in swaging
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Hugh Weaver
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Thanks Mick. I think that's what I'll do. I just made up a jig out of a couple of pieces of 7/8" bar to bend the slipper end of the spring, just need to see if I can get a propane torch big enough to get enough heat into it.

Cheers

Hugh
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Mick
Hi Hugh.

I went down the path of making my own, albeit not out of spring steel but regular steel. The modulus of elasticity is a bit less than spring steel but they should still work. Part of this process involved forming the eye. I think that you could do the same to a slipper spring and not even have to worry about re-tempering the end as the heat affected zone would only be at the eye, which would not actually see any bending force.

There's some photos of how I made mine on my build page that might help (link below)

The stock I used was only thin and so could be bent cold, but you would need to use heat.

HTH

https://cyclekarts.com.au/stream/item/191

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