MG Car Repair: Rear springs MG TF 1954, US converted to RHD, mg midget, engineering shop

Question
I've stripped the rear springs down, cleaned them up with a wire brush on a drill and they're still in good condition apart from the rubber parts. Can you please tell me what sort of paint I should use on them so the leaves don't stick together. Also are there any tricks for getting the bushes out!

Thanks

Alan Jones

Answer
Hi Alan.

The rear bushes are removable rubber items.  They should come out without any problems.  The front bushes are Silentbloc items.  They are a one-piece bush made of rubber but with a metal insert and wrapped in a metal sleeve.  Take the springs to an engineering shop and get them pressed out.  New front bushes are readily available from Moss or B&G.  

The rear bushes are identical to those on a Mk2 MG Midget, and polyurethane upgrades are also available.  Clean the springs thoroughly, derust them, then paint with a good gloss paint, such as Hammerite Smooth finish.  The interleaf separator rubbers are readily available and will prevent the leaves from sticking together.