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#1
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I am redoing my 70 GTO bucket seats. Got them all torn down to metal and I see I have a broken spring. It is an S spring along the side that is bent in various degrees and helps support the side bolster. I have plenty of S spring stock from a donor seat. BUT I need to bend and twist it to match the shape of my original - do I bend it cold or do I heat an isolated spot orange with OxyAcet torch and make the bend/twist?
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#2
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There is a guy named rambow on the forum. He is very knowledgeable about this stuff. I suggest you pm him.
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The Following User Says Thank You to tempest1964 For This Useful Post: | ||
#3
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Bend it cold, do not heat or weld spring steel as it changes the temper and makes it brittle.
Fwiw, I'm pretty sure the springs you are referring to are called side support springs and are available new in all the repop parts catalogs pre bent and ready to install for about $30/pair Ben
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Ben R. 2004 GTO - the daily 1966 Olds 442 - the toy 1953 Chevy 5-Window Truck - the heap |
The Following User Says Thank You to rambow For This Useful Post: | ||
#4
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10-4 and thanks. Turns out it bends very easily cold. I thought they would snap but they dont
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#5
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The Osborne 401 Spring Benders makes bending springs easy.
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#6
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Actually... those will not work for GM sized "medium loop springs".
The 401 are for the 3/4" "Small Loop" springs that are used in Ford and Mopar Seats. The 402 are HUGE for 2" "Large Loop" spring GM uses medium loop springs which are 1-1/16" wide loops Which is too big for the 401s and really small for the 402. I literally learned the hardway and now have both. I use the 402s, but i cut them off with a grinder to make the pockets shallower. The pockets are still too long, but they work. But if only making a couple springs and don't want to buy $50 tools, just use square head linemans pliers, grab opposing loops and twist.... I did that for a year before i finally bought the paddles.
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Ben R. 2004 GTO - the daily 1966 Olds 442 - the toy 1953 Chevy 5-Window Truck - the heap |
#7
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I just checked my box and it said Osborne 401-2 which is the 2" version. I made a spacer to center the narrower GM springs. I made my own version of the Osborne 404 Spring End Former. That one is helpful in forming the end sothe spring stays on the frame.
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#8
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I've thought about cutting off the bottom half of the pocket and welding them closed at the proper ~1-1/8" size but didnt' have a welder until recently, and now i'm not doing them as much. I did cut the pockets shallower so the two paddles wouldn't hit each other when bending tight bends and that was an improvement. I know a few guys that made their own bending paddles from old screwdrivers and some chunks of steel. Doesn't have to be pretty if it works!
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Ben R. 2004 GTO - the daily 1966 Olds 442 - the toy 1953 Chevy 5-Window Truck - the heap |
#9
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If you weld don’t hesitate to make a set of those spring tools. They not only make it easy but are are safe way to bend. That stuff always has a mind of its own. These aren’t pretty like the set they sell but still do a great job.
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The Following User Says Thank You to Entropy11 For This Useful Post: | ||
#10
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I welded the broken spring that I found in my driver seat.
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![]() 1966 Pontiac GTO (restoration thread) 1998 BMW 328is (track rat) 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Limited (daily) View my photos: Caught in the Wild |
#11
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I've welded springs in my 72 Lemans buckets, as well as other cars over the years with good results.
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#12
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Job is going well and I have the broken springs fixed. Driver seat back had 7 broken springs. Yowza
Next question is odd - never seen this before. There are 2 metal rods attached to the outer bare metal picture frame that are puzzling. Hard connection at the perimeter wire frame but a completely loose connection at the stamped sheet metal lumbar. Just sticks into a hole. Is this right? |
#13
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yes they are supposed to be there.
I call them tension rods. They set the height of the lower half of the spring assembly off the frame. The stair step "foot" slides into those holes in the flat steel of the frame. They appear loose and floppy, but when the cover is installed and hog ringed on, it will hold them tight in place.
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Ben R. 2004 GTO - the daily 1966 Olds 442 - the toy 1953 Chevy 5-Window Truck - the heap |
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