Re: Spring Gaitors

[Monoxidemanor@aol.com]

Dear Cliff: It appears to us that lubricating leaf springs was very important to car manufacturers and that Gaiters were developed to aid in this effort. Our experience in other prewar British cars shows a substantial difference in ride in cars with well lubricated leaf springs versus those without. So we are curious about your comment that "gaiters went out of fashion in the Vintage era and are totally inappropriate for late 30s... cars." We've got a '37 TA and would love to have gaiters on the springs and any other lubricated joint that is open to the elements. In doing our restorations we are delighted when we see gaiters. We know that the parts underneath will most likely be caked in oil, grease and dirt thus preserving the part. Uncovered parts means rust. Any more specific thoughts? Kindest regards, Alan & Victoria Campbell

[C. Knight]

Monoxidemanor@aol.com wrote:

> > Dear Cliff: > > It appears to us that lubricating leaf springs was very important to car > manufacturers and that Gaiters were developed to aid in this effort.

Gaiters were fairly common on the high quality saloon cars of the late 20s and early 30s in the UK. They were not considered "quite right" on sports cars. By the 40s, most of the motoring books were advising against their use as they concealed the true state of the springs. To quote Staton Abbey's book "Automobile Steering, Braking and Suspension Overhaul" dated 1949 .."During the early days of motoring, leather gaiters were often fitted to springs to exclude mud and grit and to retain lubricant. Nowadays such fittings are seldom seen. Undoubtedly gaiters are an excellent means of preserving springs, providing the lubrication is systematically carried out; all too often, however, on removing the earlier types of gaiter the spring was found to be covered in a mixture of hardened grease and rust" When the UK MOT was first introduced (1960s) I was ordered to cut of the gaiters on my pre war SS Jaguar to allow the tester to check the springs. He found severe wear in a main leaf and failed it. On TA and TB the wear at the trunions, and on TCs and TA/TB at the ends of the separate spring leaves needs to be checked regularly and this is impossible with a gaiter in place. I agree that lubrication is important (although when I was a youngster the mythology was that the added damping with a dry spring gave a better ride), but I also think it is important to be able to visually check the spring condition. It is also noticeable that despite the large range of optional extras that MG listed for the pre war cars, gaiters were not included. I'm sure that if your mileage is low and you grease regularly gaiters will do no harm, but if your mileage is low you wont need to grease the springs that often anyway. At the end of the day please read this as just one persons view/experience. Enjoy your MG Cliff