I would not go back to a damn steel spring for anything I have had a 360 VBP spring like shown under my '72 SBC vert since '95 when I bought the car, and with Bilstein shocks I can ride with good comfort and good handling, even over our rough undulating bridges here in Florida....

too much rubbing/stiff action in a steel spring, they are JUNK, meant for trucks, not sports cars.....

NOW, on that spring, pull the thing outta there, examine for signs of heat, evident with melted looking/hot plastic.....if none, that looks like jack damage to me, I would take some JB Weld to that fractured glass, and glue it all together nice and smooth, then reinstall with a proper pads on top of the spring....and the stock metal plate under.....there are at least 2 maybe 3 pads around that spring, one on top is ~1/2" thick, one on the bottom between the steel and the plastic is about 1/8" thick.....there maybe another one, I forget.....

once you have the proper sandwich setup there, you use locktite RED on the bolts and do not over tighten.....call VBP for instructions on that.....

I bet the spring survives....you obviously need clean out ALL of any oil/grease residue from the cracked portion....and keep an eye on it to see if it survives for a while....



OH, I have never had a heat shield on my car....since '95.....but my exhaust is maybe 2" from the spring also....

 

Really!?


WOW bubba I guess Camaro and Firebirds are considered trucks also?

 

That's got to be the single most irresponsible piece of advice I've ever seen on CF.

The fibreglass springs have essentially zero damage tolerance. There is no non-destructive method of determining how many strands have been broken or cracked. Hiding the broken ones with goo makes no sense and trusting this spring just compounds the existing problem of excessive bolt length already mentioned.

 

Hi GS,
I don't think your adjustment of 3/4" in height had any influence to crack the spring. From this picture, it looks as if it was already in that condition.

 

Any car can be a truck in the right hands

Mooser

 

JB Weld on a critical suspension component??

VBP is pretty clear:

"NEVER expose fiberglass springs to heat in excess of 235 degrees (F). Minimun exhaust clearance is 3". Heat shields are recommended in ALL applications. DAMAGE FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT WILL VOID WARRANTY."

Just a thought.

 

I believe you are right! Can't believe I missed that when taking the picture, good eyes!!

 

NOW, on that spring, pull the thing outta there, examine for signs of heat, evident with melted looking/hot plastic.....if none, that looks like jack damage to me, I would take some JB Weld to that fractured glass, and glue it all together nice and smooth, then reinstall with a proper pads on top of the spring....and the stock metal plate under.....there are at least 2 maybe 3 pads around that spring, one on top is ~1/2" thick, one on the bottom between the steel and the plastic is about 1/8" thick.....there maybe another one, I forget.....

There is 2 pads on top and one on the bottom. But no heat shield

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Ward
If you ever get a flat tire, the end of the bolt will dig into the pavement possibly make it difficult to control the car.

Bolts are the exact same size as the ones on my 1970 9 piece steel spring?

 

I doubt that. The originals were about 6 3/4". Yours look like 10".

 

Then you have two cars to worry about. The bolts should never hang below the rim of the wheel.

 

Then you have two cars to worry about. The bolts should never hang below the rim of the wheel.

Even the VBP-provided 8" bolt is close to the limit.

(I see that I have some cleaning to do this spring!)

 

Yes, your car is filthy- shame!

Just cut off the extra threads and you're all set.

 

You obviously missed the dirt on the inside of the tire . And those unrestored half-shafts.

I'll leave the threads as is. VBP knows what they are doing by going to a limit of 8".

Your point re a heat shield/barrier was a good one. I hope people listen. In my case it was a mat used for firefighters' uniforms. I have a friend in fire research facilty that provided it. The SS attachments straps were from a local auto store.

 

Echoing Mike Ward. Do not let the spring get below the rim. Speaking from experience that is extremely dangerous. Lose some air, take a hard turn and the spring will hook up the tire. When that happens it doesn't really handle all that well (ha!).

 

I guess I do! The PO said he put all new bushings front and back, he must have replaced the orig bolts with the wrong ones. I will cut them to the correct size.

 

Those are grade 8 bolts. Don't try to cut them. That is a difficult job given their hardness. Just get new ones. They are not expensive.