sakins.02vert

Sorry for the newbie question but I have a 76 L-82 with a TH400. I read "A total of 5,368 Corvettes had the FE7 Gymkhana suspension installed; 5,720 came with the L82 V-8; and 2,088 had the M21 four-speed close ratio manual gearbox. "

How do I know if I have FE7 Gymkhana suspension?

Also, was the stock driveshaft steel?

Thanks

MelWff

this is what I found
1. Special front springs and shocks
2. Special rear (7 leaf) spring and matching shocks
3. Special front stabilizer bar (1 1/8") with H/D rubber mounting hardware.
4. Special rear stabillizer bar (7/16') with H/D rubber mounting hardware.

Other than steel what do you think a 76 driveshaft would be made of?

Ganey

Check for the 7 leaf rear spring & rear sway bar. The ride will be stiff hi. perf.

sakins.02vert

I heard they are all either steel or aluminum. Not sure what is came with stock. Thinking steel.

Thanks.

81pilot

The Gymkhana has both front and rear sway bars,(no rear bar on standard Vettes) the front sway bar on the FE7 is larger than the standard. More and stiffer rear springs, heavier 550lb front springs and from the factory, upgraded shocks. And the driveshaft is steel.

mapman

The FE7 suspension will have a larger sway bar in front (in 1980 the standard sway bar had 0.875 inch diameter and the FE7 was 1.12 inch). FE7 also will have a rear sway bar where the standard suspension will not have a rear sway bar. Front springs will be different, but the stickers for the broadcast codes are probably long gone, so it is not a quick check.

Drive shaft is steel.

sakins.02vert

Perfect, thanks guys. I'm not home to check right now but I don't think I have a rear sway bar so sounds like I don't have FE7.

Shark Racer

The rear sway bar is a tricky thing, a 7/16" bar is soooo tiny that on a 35 year old car you may have looked right at it and thought it was some kind of hard line. You wouldn't be the first person to make that mistake.

It will attach to some kick-ups above the spring bolt.

I drove an 82 with the base springs, it felt very smooth going down the road. The 78(originally FE7, now mostly FE7 with a FG rear spring) is not bad, but smooth is not a word I would use to describe it.

sakins.02vert

ok, I'll check it out. thanks

Easy Mike

Optional rear sway bar at t-arm.


For 76, FE7 was available with all power train combinations, including base engine cars.

Purchase the 76 assembly instruction manual (AIM). AIM has diagrams for the optional FE7 installation and will give you something to look for.

You're gonna want the AIM for lots of things.

Caution: If you do not find a factory rear sway bar, it does not necessarily mean your car is/was not FE7 -- only that bar is missing. Do you have any original documentation for your car? Window sticker? Invoice? Build sheet?

jb78L-82

The reason the 82 felt "smooth" is because by that year the base springs were so soft that the car is like a marshmellow. The rear composite in 82 is 192 lbs which is pathetically soft. The car was no longer a sportscar by then but just a cruiser. The 225/70/15 tires on the base car didn't help the handling but sure helped the ride!

hunt4cleanair

Build sheet conforms FE7!

dochorsepower

Yes, that big front sway bar. If you don't have one you should get one!

Shark Racer

The 9-leaf iron springs are right around that rate too.

I was well aware as to why it felt smooth - that's why I mentioned the fact that it was a base car.

If the car feels smooth going down the road, that may be good evidence for it NOT being an FE7 car. FE7 is firm, but not punishing (which is how I'd describe an 84/85 Z51 Corvette, or my 83 F250HD)

jb78L-82

81pilot

You are incorrect on your assumption that the 9 leaf springs are around the same as the monoleafs 192 lbs. They are somewhere north of 300 LBs. The 78 7 leaf is 304 lbs and I know they upped it a bit on the 80 and 81 and they have 9 leafs.

Easy Mike

Possibly good advice provided the driver knows the difference. No disrespect to newbies, but a newby is not likely to be able to recognize the difference in ride quality between stock and FE7.

Shark Racer

The spring rates between the FG composite (BASE) springs and the 9-leaf/10-leaf BASE springs are very close.

Just checked the MVMA specs for an 81, they do not offer an 9 leaf. There is the composite BASE spring and an 8-leaf spring for FE7. Most likely due to the lighter rear weight of the 80-82 cars.

As to your statement about the spring rates not being close: sadly, the MVMA specs for the 76 are missing the sections on suspension.
75: base spring was 9 leaf, 170 lb/in
77: base spring was 10 leaf, 196lb/in
78: base spring was 10 leaf, 198 lb/in.
80: base spring was 8 leaf, 172 lb/in
81: base spring was composite, 172 lb/in

So I'd have to "go out on a limb" and reaffirm my sentiment that the FG spring is close in rate to the base springs of earlier years. Certainly much closer than the ~300lb/in rate of the FE7 cars.

True, but they may be able to make some judgments based on comparisons we make. Unless of course their suspension is shot... but that's not likely on a 30+ year old car, right?

81pilot

Reading your original post it looked like you were stating that the FE7 was close to the 192 of the glass spring. Sorry, I was just trying to point out the diff between FE7 and standard.........carry on...:O)

Dee69911

I understand this post is as old as dirt BUT can someone please let me know where I can purchase the (2) bushings that go into the eyelet hole on the bar ? Mine are completely shot & need replacement, all I need are the (2) bushings not a entire kit.. any help with this matter is greatly appreciated....