Rear leaf springs

    Guys

    I have been having a clean up under the rear of my April'65 GT FB and was trying to find out if I still had the original leaf springs. I have found a yellow paint daub on the rear section of the lower (smallest) leaf in the same position as the ones pictured in a post by Charles some time ago. The trouble is I cannot find the part number and date code. Would this be hidden beneath the lower U bolt plate?, and is it found on the top or bottom of the leaf?

    The springs are tired, they give the car a nice stance but I wondered about replacemnts but retaining the lower leaf if it is original. The car is very soft, it is ideal for highway use but for my rural undulating roads it needs some tightening up and the rear springs seem to be 'the tail wagging the dog'. Is Eaton the place to buy springs ? or does anyone have any other possiblities thanks

    Dave

    I have the daub exactly as yours, are the numbers hidden under the U bolt plate, it is difficult to get an idea of scale from your pic.

    Thanks

    San Jose, late March 66 build date. Don't know the exact scheduled build date since GT350's didn't have door tags but I believe it's March 29.

    Dave
    6S1757

    Today I have had another go at trying to find any numbers on my springs and thanks to Daves info I cleaned the area immediatly behind the shock plate and from nowhere some numbers appeared.

    They are not in the format I have seen in pics posted but the layout is as follows

    C4ZA

    5556S

    85 5E

    Is this to be expected on my April'65 Dearborn FB? and how does the date decode. Thanks

    Hi,

    Congrats, you most likely have the original springs.

    The code S is for a K code fastback and the date code is

    85=calendar day 85, 5=1965 and E=probably stands for Eaton

    the manufacturer. If my math is correct your spring

    is manufactured on March 26, 1965. Have you checked both as

    there very often are different dates on a pair for a car.

    Seen several 65 Shelbys that have 18 5E on one side and 75 5E.

    Also seen 16 5E and 75 5E respectively.

    /Bo

    Bo

    That is great, I would never have figured out that date code. Yes they are both the same.

    A real woo hoo moment and a lesson learned in looking for markings as I looked with a magnifying glass after I cleaned the springs the first time and could not see anything, only spotted a feint outline after cleaning with emery paper.

    [Blocked Image: http://i28.tinypic.com/33v2s9i.jpg]


    Thanks Mark

    Since this car was San Jose plant built and I've seen these paint colors on other Shelbys if any other plants have the same spring?Like Eaton if they made all the springs for Ford put the same paint marks on all the springs then send them out to the plants like Dearborn for assembly line install?

    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

    San Jose, late March 66 build date. Don't know the exact scheduled build date since GT350's didn't have door tags but I believe it's March 29.

    <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    Interesting - would have expected stripes by that point in the year. Maybe a pallet got shoved off into a corner at Easton

    Jeff,


    I think we've discussed this before, maybe here and/or the VMF? Anyway, one original spring pictured above has daubs, the other has stripes. Plus, on the spring with stripes you can see where they got the colors reversed and painted over them. Both springs have the same date code, 16 6E. Here's pics of both...


    Dave


    [Blocked Image: http://www.1965gt350mustang.com/temp/springs03.jpg]


    Edited by - Mad4HiPos on 07/16/2009 22:03:21

    Dave
    6S1757

    Jeff,

    Dave's springs are dated (manufactured) in early 66 and have the

    green and yellow dots while 6S923 have original springs dated

    in Dec of 1965 and have yellow and green bands. 6S923

    was produced at San Jose around Jan 12th while engine assembly date

    is Jan 6th, 1966. This means that the dot and band thing had no

    cut off date at all as regards the dates on the springs.

    /Bo

    I have a Nov 65 San Jose built Mustang. My original leaf markings are as follows:


    C4ZA5556S


    295E5


    That would be the 295 day of the yr = Oct 22nd 1965.

    original to a Nov '65 Mustang.


    What is interesting the Eaton "E" comes before the year "5" rather than after in most all other cases.


    Both of my springs are stamped the same.


    This San Jose car has a yellow 1-inch brushed daub, immediately below the stamped markings,followed by a green brushed daub the same size. Daubs in no way look sprayed on.


    Ray


    Edited by - poboy427 on 11/07/2009 15:27:48


    Edited by - poboy427 on 11/11/2009 14:54:43

    A while back when ordering springs from Eaton, I asked the lady on the phone taking my order if in fact they were the OEM supplier to Ford for leaf springs on 60's Mustangs and she told me that was a rumor that was started somehow and not true. 'E' on the leaf springs could refer to many things.

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