Cleaning/maintaining parabolics?

My new (to me, anyway!) IIa 88 has Rocky Mountain parabolic springs all
round. Each has a thick coating of grime and what I hope is surface
rust.

How best to clean, lubricate and protect them?

With ordinary springs I'd have wire brushed them, painted with
Smoothrite and lubricated with a 50/50 mix of petrol and old engine
oil. Anything there that shouldn't be done with parabolics?

On 13 Sep 2006 15:04:42 -0700, "Jerry" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>With ordinary springs I'd have wire brushed them, painted with
>Smoothrite and lubricated with a 50/50 mix of petrol and old engine
>oil. Anything there that shouldn't be done with parabolics?

Thats pretty much what i did with my 'bollics. I doubt a bit of
surface rust hurts em anyhow!

Jerry wrote:

> My new (to me, anyway!) IIa 88 has Rocky Mountain parabolic springs all
> round. Each has a thick coating of grime and what I hope is surface
> rust.
>
> How best to clean, lubricate and protect them?
>
> With ordinary springs I'd have wire brushed them, painted with
> Smoothrite and lubricated with a 50/50 mix of petrol and old engine
> oil. Anything there that shouldn't be done with parabolics?

Any parabolics I have seen are designed for the leaves to touch only at the
end, where there is often a nylon block to do the rubbing. Consequently the
need for lubrication is much reduced compared to conventional springs, but
the need for rust protection is still there, although even that is less
because the leaves are thicker (and hence can lose a bit of metal with less
effect) and the space between them is usually wide enough to dry out,
although if it is full of muck I would be inclined to disassemble the
spring, clean the leaves to bare metal and paint.
JD

On or around Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:02:03 +1000, JD <[email protected]>
enlightened us thusly:

>Any parabolics I have seen are designed for the leaves to touch only at the
>end, where there is often a nylon block to do the rubbing. Consequently the
>need for lubrication is much reduced compared to conventional springs, but
>the need for rust protection is still there, although even that is less
>because the leaves are thicker (and hence can lose a bit of metal with less
>effect) and the space between them is usually wide enough to dry out,
>although if it is full of muck I would be inclined to disassemble the
>spring, clean the leaves to bare metal and paint.

I think rocky mountains have steel-steel contact points - in which case it's
worth greasing 'em - you can spring 'em apart a bit and squirt spraygrease
into the gap.

Some of them aren't designed to dismantle, and some are. there are normally
clips on the spring leaves which hold them together, and these are either
bent round the spring or have a bolt. No prize for guessing which kind come
apart readily.

being as they have gaps in the leaves, pressure-washer should get the crud
out.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost (1874-1963) from Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening