1935 Cadillac - GM Heritage Center

147
SPRINGS AND SHOCK ABSORBERS
must pass through the high pressure inertia check
valve.
Cadillac Shock absorbers are also of the twostage
type. That is, an additional or auxiliary
spring is provided on the control valve to give
more rigid control in the firm positions of the dash
ride regulator. This auxiliary spring is effective
only for the last .040 in. of control screw travel.
BODY
STABILIZER
A stabilizer bar is employed at the rear of both
Cadillac and LaSalle cars to oppose any tendency
of the body to roll. This unit consists of a steel
shaft which extends across the frame just back of
the rear axle and is connected to the rear axle by
levers and links. When one side of the car tends
to rise faster than the other, as happens when
rounding corners, a twisting action takes place
in the spring steel stabilizer bar which reacts to
hold the body on an even keel.
Fig. 4. Cut-away view of LaSalle rear spring rear
shackle. The shackle is removed by screwing out the
threaded bushings
Service Information
1. Servicing Shock Absorbers
The only service ordinarily required on Cadillac
or LaSalle shock absorbers is for the correction of
either noisy operation or unsatisfactory riding
qualities.
Noisy operation is usually due to looseness
somewhere in the shock absorbers or linkage.
The first thing to do, therefore, is to check and
tighten the entire shock absorber mechanism.
This means, first of all, checking and tightening
the shock absorbers on the frame; making certain
that the arm is tight on the splined shaft; going
over and tightening all of the linkage, and adjusting
the control levers and making sure that the
entire control mechanism is tight.
In making this check-up, it is not enough simply
to look at the connections and decide that they
"look" sufficiently tight; a wrench must be used
at every point and everything well-tightened.
Particular pains must be taken to reach relatively
inaccessible places. Nothing can be assumed to
be correct; everything must be tested.
It is also important in cases of noisy operation,
as well as in other shock absorber complaints,
to make certain that all four shock absorbers are
filled with shock absorber fluid to the correct
level and that there is no air in the cylinders or
passages. In case of complaint, it is necessary
to bleed all four shock absorbers to get all of the
air out of the cylinders and passages. To do this
properly, make sure that the shock absorber is
correctly mounted and thoroughly tightened to
the car frame, then remove the filler plug and
fill with shock absorber fluid. Reinstall the plug
securely and, with the link disconnected, move
the shock absorber arm up and down several times
the full length of its travel.
This operation of adding fluid, reinstalling the
plug and working the arm should be repeated
until all of the air is worked out of the shock
absorber. This may take three or four operations.
The shock absorber is satisfactorily bled when no
more fluid can be added after working the arm
in the manner just described, or when there is
absolutely no play in the arm. Always have the
filler plug tightly in place, when moving the arm,
otherwise more air will be drawn into the shock
absorber fluid.
In cases of unsatisfactory riding, correction
can ordinarily be made by putting the shock
absorbers into good operating condition.
Unsatisfactory riding may be caused by insufficient
shock absorber fluid, dirt in the fluid, or
improper setting of the control levers. The first
thing to be done in cases of complaint is to check