Suspension question
Posted: 29 Nov 2009, 03:59
I have an early 1500 Flavia saloon subframe that I am using for donor parts for my 1963 Flavia 1800 Coupe. My saloon parts book shows a lot of rubber isolating blocks and two large steel forks that hold the front leaf spring in place in the housing. The coupe however has none of this. The spring sits on a steel section that has been welded to the inside of the housing. Four high tensile bolts connect the base plate to the housing and that is it. Is this regular? It seems to have lasted the distance so I have put it back together as it came apart. For all its complexity, the saloon spring had shifted off centre and the retaining bolt holding the leaves together had sheared so the geometry was way off. Did they abandon all the rubber to stiffen things up? Am I missing something essential? I know the Fulvia has a similar setup so I am hoping someone has seen similar variants.