Building up the rear end involved restoring yet more of the original parts, so it was back to the wire brush…

cleaning leaf springs

… and sandpaper …

cleaning back plates

… then lots of lovely black chassis paint.

shiny leaf springs

Nearly finished.

shiny back plates

Putting it all together was quite straightforward, with the exception of the forward mounts for the leaf springs. The distance tubes for the poly bushes didn’t quite fit between the chassis plates. I skimmed the powder coat off the chassis fittings to make a bit more space, and filed down the sharp edges on the fittings to make it easier for the tubes to press in without catching. I also borrowed a bench grinder and shortened the tubes very slightly. Even so they were a very tight fit, requiring a large G-clamp and some lengths of wood to press them into place.

back axle in place