Anyone installed a composite monoleaf on a c1 vette, I'm thinking of trying to make car handle better any real world perspectives.thank you.
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A friend put those on a 62 to lower the rear end, didn't notice any difference in ride or handling. What are you trying to achive?

 

Go with radial tires and the best shocks for your purpose...
Changing just a rear spring may affect the ride but prob won't do much for handling...

 

You're talking about putting lipstick on a pig. We're all spoiled by today's cars. I have good radials on my C1 but my wife's base vanilla 2018 Malibu will run circles around it all day.

 

To quote from an older thread on C1 improved handing, one should look at improving the front half of the car.

 

I replaced the suspension in my ‘54 with all new stock type parts, rebuilt the stock steering too.
I replaced the rear with a posi out of a ‘62, with struts. Handling improved quite a bit. I’m running a 283 in my ‘54.




DAN

 

So true. But NO FUN!!!! My heart fills with joy when i drive my old used crappy handlng. Hot . cold noisy, bumpy. Lets see what else is wrong? car.

 

Agreed 1000%

 

I've taken my stock-suspension 61 around Sebring, hitting triple digit speeds a few times in 2010 and again in 2013. The car was a handful but it is what it is. They aren't the equivalent of modern day track cars and you can't make them so without major changes.

 

Thanks for the responses, yeah I pretty much figured you guys would say that , I do love driving the car, but my diesel pickup handles better, I'll piece by piece fix some things.

 

Some call the C1s “fast tractors”.

 

C1s are no longer used to save time traveling from point A to B. They are now used for traveling BACK in time.

 

"Handling" and "ride comfort" are two concepts often (incorrectly) used interchangeably. They are not the same thing.

My '60 has a ride which is much more comfortable than my diesel pickup. It's not even close.

As to handling..... I don't intend to push either vehicle to the limits of grip so I'll never know how the handling of one compares to the other.

I'd wager no one else on this forum will ever push their C1s far enough to know how they handle either.

 

This is why I drive a 68 New Yorker to work 3 out of the 4 seasons. A little hard on gas, but the AC is a blast freezer.

Dan

 

My guess is that is the sound of an inexperienced non professional driver. You need to take a look at some of the times and speeds the pros were doing at that track back when these cars were new, it will astound you.

 

if you mean me I used to autocross my Shelby-ized 66 Mustang regularly. I was no slouch and quite used to “pushing” vintage cars.

 

Yes, I was. A weekend warrior novice is quite different than a pro driver that does it for a living and has little to no fear. Do you really believe you could have competed with the the drivers that were setting records back in 1957 at Sebring?

 

See my comments in this thread about aftermarket suspension.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-steering.html

 

Better ride can come with a bit of effort. Take the rear spring packs apart and put Teflon spring liners between the leafs. You may have to sand and clean surfaces for good sliding action. This is an old street rodder trick for early Ford front spring. The binding that occurs from the spring leafs trying to slide causes a poor ride from no spring action. Really old old GM cars used to wrap the rear leaf springs with tin and put a grease zerk on them to keep them sliding freely. Try it, you will be surprised how good a leaf spring can ride.