C1 spring cleaning

[Jerry G.]

Anybody ever hear that it ruins C1 rear springs to have them sand blasted. Something about accentuating stress crack and they fail shortly after using. I'm getting lazy as I get older and looking for an easier way to remove crud and surface rust.

[Bill M.]

Re: C1 spring cleaning

Anybody ever hear that it ruins C1 rear springs to have them sand blasted. Something about accentuating stress crack and they fail shortly after using. I'm getting lazy as I get older and looking for an easier way to remove crud and surface rust.

Production leaf springs are shot-peened to increase fatigue life. I can't see how sand-blasting would reduce fatigue life.

[Jim L.]

Re: C1 spring cleaning

Jerry, I've never heard of this happening, but I can see how it could. Imagine a grain of sand creating a small nick in the surface of the spring. The point of that nick would then permit a stress riser which, with enough flexing might lead to failure.

I've heard of a stranger and more obscure failure: Wrist pins that fail due to microscopic, corrosion induced stress risers. Visually, they appeared fine.

So, could it happen? I dunno. What's the safe thing to assume? That it's possible.

Jim