Other: 1950 trunk springs

[carnutbill]

I removed the rusted trunk springs from my 1950 Starlight Coupe then sandblasted & painted them, when I reinstalled them they wouldn't hold the trunk up.
What did I do wrong?
Has anyone installed lift supports in the trunk? If so where do you install then & do you remove the springs? thanks bill

[RadioRoy]

Did the blasting work harden the springs and cause them to lose strength? Sandblasting a spring might not be a good idea.

Have you got all four springs in place? Did you notice a difference in the spring tension before and after sand blasting?

You don't need to redesign the trunk hinge/spring system. You just need to bring it back to factory specifications.

For the most part, your car is well designed, much more so than the average back yard mechanic can improve upon.

If you get into the habit of thinking redesign instead of repair/rejuvenate every time a problem comes up, your car will turn into a real jury rigged affair. Just like so many Studebakers we buy that are clapped out and almost used up and we wonder... what was the previous owner thinking?

Fix it. Don't FUBAR it.

[carnutbill]

I sandblasted the springs lightly & they were still strong & hard to install. There are 2 large spring & 2 smaller in diameter, I installed one large & one smaller on each side. Maybe I should find 2 used of the larger springs to have 2 large springs on each side.
I can't find any springs from Studebaker vendors, I may have to install struts.

[r1lark]

I sandblasted the springs lightly & they were still strong & hard to install. There are 2 large spring & 2 smaller in diameter, I installed one large & one smaller on each side. Maybe I should find 2 used of the larger springs to have 2 large springs on each side.
I can't find any springs from Studebaker vendors, I may have to install struts.

What part number spring are you looking for?

[carnutbill]

I don't have a parts number book & I can't find one on line. Do you have a link to a parts book? thanks bill

[r1lark]

No, sorry, I don't know of an online parts manual.

[RadioRoy]

Did the trunk lid stay open before doing the work you did?

[carnutbill]

yes it did.

[RadioRoy]

OK. That's good information.

If the trunk stayed open before taking the springs off, and it does not stay open after putting the springs back on, logic suggests that the problem is not in the design of the hinges or the springs. Something happened in between the time the springs were removed and when they were reinstalled.

The body parts catalog (available at all Studebaker vendors, along with the chassis parts catalog) lists two different part numbers for the springs. Each hinge gets one of one part number and one of the other part number. But the book does not say which part number is which spring.

It does, however, say how the springs are to be mounted, and that mounting seems odd to me.

One part number is on the left outer and the right inner. The other part number is on the right outer and the left inner. So they are not mounted symmetrically with respect to the car. Why? A question for the ages.

Anyway, these trunk hinges are prone to wear from non lubrication and abuse over the last 70 years. They usually fail causing one side of the trunk lid to stick up when closed.

I nave never heard of them failing by not holding the trunk open.

My experience with owning and repairing 1950 and 1951 Studebaker starts in 1972 and goes continuously to this day. I have never heard of the trunk hinges not keeping the trunk lid open.

It's possible that fixating on redesigning the hinge/spring system is dissuading/distracting you from determining the actual problem.

That problem is most likely that the springs have lost their tension for some reason.

If you cannot locate NOS, then used springs on most any 47-52 Studebaker trunk hinges would probably work just fine. (Studebaker made new hinges for the 52 model year, and I have no idea what changed). Having the seller note the proper placement (which spring goes where) before removing them to send to you would be a great idea.

If you buy used ones, don't sand blast them.

Anyone with a 47-51 car can chime in and say which springs go where, please. My 51 is buried too far back to look.

[RadioRoy]

Out of curiosity, how were you able to remove and reinstall the outer springs? The inner ones are exposed, but the outer ones are kind of hidden behind the trunk opening. That must have been a knuckle busting affair.

Spring number 264475 goes on the left outer and the right inner.
Spring number 264476 goes on the left inner and the right outer.

The same two part numbers go from 47 to 52.

The idea of two different sizes on each hinge is that two small ones are not enough force to hold the trunk open and two large ones are too much force to close the trunk without damaging the hinge.

Still no idea which part number is the bigger and which is the smaller.

gordr just parted out a 52 sedan, so he might have used springs. royvaldez parts out bullet noses all the time.

[gordr]

Maybe the springs are simply "handed", and can be readily installed only one way? The '52 I parted out had only one trunk hinge, and it actually held the lid up all by its lonesome. Those hinges are very prone to wear on the pivot points, with the holes becoming ovaled-out. Because of the leverage, and the massive spring tension, a few thou of excess wear on the pivots can mean a half-inch or more of misalignment of the trunk lid.

Ian't there a vendor selling rebuilt trunk hinges?

[kurtruk]

Ian't there a vendor selling rebuilt trunk hinges?

There is an ad on the Studebaker Swap site, and maybe in Turning Wheels. But I think it is only for C/K hinges.

[carnutbill]

Out of curiosity, how were you able to remove and reinstall the outer springs? The inner ones are exposed, but the outer ones are kind of hidden behind the trunk opening. That must have been a knuckle busting affair.

I doubled up mechanics wire & put it around the spring and a pipe & pulled to the rear of car, you only have to pull the spring about a 1/4" to get it off the hinge.

[RadioRoy]

Did this ever get resolved? If so, how? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Henry Votel]

To get springs off/out cram pennies into the coil on alternating sides. Use a big screwdriver to force open the coils. Stick in a spring held by a pliers.
Watch the orientation of the springs as you disassemble. Springs must be out of the car to do this.

Quonset Studebaker
Henry Votel
Forest Lake, MN