Which way do the zinc leaf spring interliners go in?

[bull]

I forgot to take notes or pictures of how this particular part was installed when I took the springs apart so here I am, pleading for help.

The center bolt obviously goes through the holes in the interliners between leaves but does the long end go toward the front or the back?

[Charger-Bodie]

Long part to the rear.

[bull]

Long part to the rear.

With one exception I assume: the short one that goes under the short leaf that has the part number. It goes forward so you'd think the rest would follow suit.

[maxwellwedge]

Does this pic help?

[bull]

Kind of, but the shot is too tight. Is the front end to the right in that pic?

By the way, I asked three Mopar restoration guys and two suspension guys and I got 3 saying one thing and two saying the other.

[CDN72SE]

Just to be different, mine went to the front and that's how I put them back. Can't really say if it was right or wrong.

[bull]

Just to be different, mine went to the front and that's how I put them back. Can't really say if it was right or wrong.

The old springs made it evident to me that they were going toward the front. It seems like they should go toward the back because the longer part of the spring from the mounting position but all the evidence says otherwise.

[Charger-Bodie]

Well I have seen them both ways now, so I guess its another one of those deals....

[bull]

Well I have seen them both ways now, so I guess its another one of those deals....

Yup. And now I have another problem. I ordered a rebuild kit, which came with the interliners, four straps/insulators, and the plastic end spacers and the straps for the back end are too short at 8 3/8". The medium are 9" and the large are 9.5" but I have no way of knowing which to use since my originals were tossed.

[CDN72SE]

I had the same issue and ended up buying a couple medium and a couple large from Bill Rolick.

[bull]

Thanks.

Now I'm hearing that if the zinc interliners can be picked up with a magnet they are phonies, which mine are. I think I've just made my first and last purchase from Valley Vintage. Also, the clown in charge of shipping the crappy VV kit I bought waited six days before bothering to put it in the mail. Wasted $60+ on that place.

Update: Frank Badalson of Roger Gibson restoration is apparently the only one reproducing and selling real zinc interliners like the originals. The others are either plated or phony look-alikes. Now I don't know why Chrysler made all zinc interliners other than to say it probably helped quite a lot in preventing rust compared to the others, but according to several people I've consulted, Frank and those who supply his stuff are the real deal. Plated zinc interliners would work for a while longer than the galvanized stuff but zinc plating will wear off pretty quickly in that type of environment.

[HeavyFuel]

So if metal interliners are common in the kits, what do you suppose the chances are that the Mexican repo springs (Mopar Performance) have metal liners as well?   

[bull]

I'd say that's a very good possibility. The Espo springs I got didn't even have interliners.