Airflow Spring Gaiters (Covers)

A recent discussion on Facebook concerned adding missing spring covers, also called gaiters, to Airflow springs. I had this done a few years ago when I was restoring my 1936 S2. I asked the shop that had re-arched the front springs to make covers that followed the design of those on the rear springs. These photos show the method used. The original material, called terne or terne plate, seems no longer to be available, so my shop used galvanized sheet steel, which is apparently almost equivalent but stiffer and hard to work with. The shop, in Lakeside California, charged me a little over $1100 to check all four springs, re-arch the two front springs, and install new covers for the fronts. The rear springs were within specification (see the related articles in the Club Tech Manual in the Members Only section of this site). The shop expressed no interest in additional orders for the covers. The photos give an indication of the method, and might prove useful to others who wish to add this element of originality to their Airflow.

The new covers were made from 12, U-shaped strips of sheet metal, 6 per spring, wide enough at the base to cover the 2-inch wide springs and the grease-soaked wrap, that were folded inward at the top to surround the springs. A long strip of the same metal was then laid across their tops and soldered in place.