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What is Spring Pad Trim?

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Old Dec 6, 2005 | 02:05 AM
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Default What is Spring Pad Trim?

Is it triming the end of my fiberglass spring for wheel clearance? Or is it triming the mounting pad where the spring mounts to the rear end? It seems that if the pad is trimed, maybe I'll have a better chance of tucking the spring end inside my 18" wheels while keeping a nice low ride height? I've seen the spring pad trim mentioned several times, but I don't know exactly what it is.
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Old Dec 6, 2005 | 07:13 AM
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The spring pad is the cushion between the spring and the diff cover. So trimming this will lower the car some without the typical bolt lowering of the outer spring bolts.
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Old Dec 6, 2005 | 09:21 AM
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How is it done? Can I do it myself at home?
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Old Dec 6, 2005 | 09:39 AM
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I have been thinking about doing this also. It is just a piece of rubber or hard plastic. I can't remember which. It should just be cutting or grinding it down. I have a PM into someone here who has done it to see how he did it.

Thanks to gearheadz it has already been done. Here is a post about it. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...um_id=3&arch=1

Last edited by Gordonm; Dec 6, 2005 at 10:07 AM.
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Old Dec 6, 2005 | 01:50 PM
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Excellent post. Thanks. I'm gonna remove my rubber pad entirely, and replace it with a 1/4" phenolic spacer. Now if I can only find out how to bend my sway bar inward slightly.
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Old Dec 6, 2005 | 02:30 PM
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ive also cut mine in half on my vb&p spring,i guess about 1/2" in lower it made it.
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Old Jan 1, 2006 | 11:16 PM
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I just pulled my TRW composite spring. There is a metal plate about 1/4", and a phenolic plate about 1/4" between the spring and rear end. I simply removed them. No cutting except I had to trim the round rubber thingie that goes up into the hole on the rear end. It moved my spring about 1/2 up into the wheel. I will replace the phenolic spacer, but leave the metal one out.
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 09:55 AM
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Food for thought... Do we need to worry about added heat transfer from the diff?? Fiberglass being much more susseptable to failure from the heat than metal.
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 09:57 AM
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There is still an insulater there. I have IR gunned the temp on my diff and it is usually only about 140 after a run on the road. Maybe if you are road racing it might get the temps up but I don't think it would be enough to do any harm to the spring.
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 05:42 PM
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140 degrees? That's all? Heck, I may not even put the phenolic spacer back. The closer to the rear end, the farther from the exhaust. Hey,
Gordo, once again you come thru with some valuable info. Thanks.
Got your wheels yet. All I need now is my adapter/spacers.
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 06:04 PM
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Supposedly the holidays have held the wheels up some. I'll find out more tomorrow. I'm getting impatient.
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 06:20 PM
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Gordonm kinda funny you are impatient as I am impatient as well and they are not even going to be my wheels lol. Can not wait for the great info you will give with this problem.
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Old Jan 2, 2006 | 06:53 PM
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Originally Posted by SHAKERATTLEROLL
Gordonm kinda funny you are impatient as I am impatient as well and they are not even going to be my wheels lol. Can not wait for the great info you will give with this problem.
You guys will be the first to know when they come!
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Old Jan 3, 2006 | 07:23 PM
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Say,
I also like the idea of the spring being positioned farther away from the exhaust.
TJ
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