leaf spring original finish
 

What is the correct finish for the rear leaf springs for a 71 bird? I have seen some painted semi-gloss black while others claim natural (bare) steel is correct.

here's a pic from a 71 unrestored 48k ta. looks like bare metal. original owners says they have never been replaced. shocks were just replaced before my friend bought the car.

My 73 springs are without a doubt bare ass metal!

Another vote for nekked steel!

Agree bare steel but the spring band or whatever you call them should be in a silver cad.

when i took mine apart, i found what looked like traces of what i'd call gun metal bluing between the leaves near the center. no idea if they were the originals, but always assumed they were.

Thanks for the replys. Looks like bare steel was likely correct. Interesting about the "gun bluing" in between. Makes you wonder if they did have some sort of light coating that didn't offer much rust protection.