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So my dad put a new 9 leaf rear spring on his 1969 corvette back in 1991. The spring sat so high that going down the road it would buck and try to spin, so to fix it, he put longer bolts on the the ends of the spring (10 inch). it lowered it and is driveable but even after 30 years it still sits 3 inches too high. Should I get another spring off zip corvette or have this one re-arched for better fitment. I would like to get the original bolts back on it due to the spring being only 1/4 inch or less away from tires.
i have added some pictures of the car so you can see the height of the car.
Last edited by Mobifire; Dec 13, 2020 at 05:19 PM.
Can you post a few pics of the spring, its attachment at the differential and the outboard ends with the bolts and hardware? It sounds like the spring is inappropriate to the installation or something was added that is way out of whack compared to stock.
Can you post a few pics of the spring, its attachment at the differential and the outboard ends with the bolts and hardware? It sounds like the spring is inappropriate to the installation or something was added that is way out of whack compared to stock.
i will get pictures of it tomorrow, i can tell you that ALL hardware is stock, anything i have replaced has been replaced with the exact part, just went under rear suspension restoration last 2 years.
Edit: of course i didnt replace the spring considering how new it is
Last edited by Mobifire; Dec 13, 2020 at 07:31 PM.
here's a 45 minute permanent fix,jack the car up,take the tires off and take the spring off. remove the bottom leaf,put the spring back on,tires back on and take it off the jacks. Done,it's a spring,that's all it is.You won't notice any difference except it'll sit lower.I did it to my f-41 aftermarket over arched spring about 15 years ago and it still goes flat around the corners.and still sits right. save the leaf for the next owner or if your's ever flattens out.
here's a 45 minute permanent fix,jack the car up,take the tires off and take the spring off. remove the bottom leaf,put the spring back on,tires back on and take it off the jacks. Done,it's a spring,that's all it is.You won't notice any difference except it'll sit lower.I did it to my f-41 aftermarket over arched spring about 15 years ago and it still goes flat around the corners.and still sits right. save the leaf for the next owner or if your's ever flattens out.
by bottom one im guessing you mean the smallest one? If, by looking at it under the car, i removed the bottom one, i wouldnt be able to mount it to the trailing arms...
i would also like to get it to the point where i would have original sized bolts for the trailing arm bolts, so with your method, in theory, i would have to keep the same 10 inch bolts.
Last edited by Mobifire; Dec 13, 2020 at 08:18 PM.
I'm just going to point out the obvious here. Now is a good time to install a new mono spring. The car will ride better and sit properly. call Van Steel and do this once and right.
I'm just going to point out the obvious here. Now is a good time to install a new mono spring. The car will ride better and sit properly. call Van Steel and do this once and right.
thats my thought too, id love to keep the stock spring but the mono-leaf is pretty nice.
My '68 had a flat "spacer" on top of the spring pack. I remove it AND the next flat leaf...I may have removed a 3rd leaf/it's been a while.
It caused the whole assembling to "rise up into the wheel well" 1.5" while using 7" length bolts. The rear suspension quit "hopping over bumps". Win/Win.
thats my thought too, id love to keep the stock spring but the mono-leaf is pretty nice.
I have a hard time imagining anyone who works on their own car without a lift, and who has removed the steel rear spring, ever putting it back in the car. I can't recommend the mono-leaf spring strongly enough. 6 lbs vs. 50, and a smoother ride (and can be stiffer than stock if you want, too!).
The VanSteel low-arch spring is likely your best bet, but I'd call and ask for rate recommendation for your type of driving.
I had the same issue. Bought a used one in good shape- rebuilt it and problem solved. You can try longer bolts on the trailing arms but the could hang too low and hit the tires. Bob
I have a hard time imagining anyone who works on their own car without a lift, and who has removed the steel rear spring, ever putting it back in the car. I can't recommend the mono-leaf spring strongly enough. 6 lbs vs. 50, and a smoother ride (and can be stiffer than stock if you want, too!).
The VanSteel low-arch spring is likely your best bet, but I'd call and ask for rate recommendation for your type of driving.
i will definitely look into that. It depends on the day how i drive it. Some times its a nice cruise and some days its pedal to the metal, well fiberglass. I definitely want it to handle like a sport car. Not like a boat!
I had the same issue. Bought a used one in good shape- rebuilt it and problem solved. You can try longer bolts on the trailing arms but the could hang too low and hit the tires. Bob
OR....You can invert the bolts so that the head is on the bottom and the extra length is inside the trailing arm, which looks much cleaner....
You can see the bottom leaf with the bolthole is beginning to fail/reverse-arch. Later I bought a spring leaf and modified it to fit the Vette springpack. The original main leaf that was failing was replaced with the modified main leaf.
Mono spring and never look back! throw that heavy harsh riding multi leaf steel spring as far as you can and never go looking for it again!
From a guy who put on a mono spring over 25 years ago!
good set of shocks to match it (Bilstein B8's) and you wont believe it's the same car!
I can see the car does not have a spare tire or carrier maybe the weight of a tire & wheel and carrier might bring the rear down a bit.
its a possibility, i need to clean it up and get it put back under. I normally put the car on jacks for the winter, should i just leave it on ground to maybe let spring settle?
So my dad put a new 9 leaf rear spring on his 1969 corvette back in 1991.
There were 2 springs available but haven't looked in a parts book to see applications; a 9-leaf and a 7-leaf. Are you sure your dad installed the one that matches the suspension option on the car? Not sure how much difference it would make in ride height, but something is off.
Can you post a few pics of the spring, its attachment at the differential and the outboard ends with the bolts and hardware? It sounds like the spring is inappropriate to the installation or something was added that is way out of whack compared to stock.
here are the pictures you asked for, dont mind the paint on the spring 😳. Its overspray from me marking my exhaust.
by bottom one im guessing you mean the smallest one? If, by looking at it under the car, i removed the bottom one, i wouldnt be able to mount it to the trailing arms...
i would also like to get it to the point where i would have original sized bolts for the trailing arm bolts, so with your method, in theory, i would have to keep the same 10 inch bolts.
the bottom one,the longest one,next to last without the hole
Rear spring
