I`ve got a wounded composite spring now. I`m going back to steel what parts will I need besides the spring. Should I go 7 or 9 leaf.

 

I have a 360 lb fiberglass spring that's been in my 78 L-82 4 speed for 23 years with zero problems which I bought from VBP. I would carefully consider your choice of going back to steel since the steel spring weighs 50 lbs, reacts very slowly to changing road conditions, has inferior handling and ride quality, and to top it all off, will eventually sag which a fiberglass one will not do for a very long time, if at all. Try a reputable manufacturer for a different fiberglass spring. Steel just has too many negatives. Just my thoughts.

 

i put a 340 trw spring in my 80 L82 love the handling would never go back to steel spring

 

If you are set on going back to the steel spring, The new spring and a new spring bushing kit with longer bolts is all you should need. If you have a small block, the 9 leaf spring was standard. the 7 was for the BB. Not all new springs are arched the same. The longer bolt kit will let you lower the car to your liking.

 

I like the composite spring but they have problems. I had a trw spring and the car was to high even with longer bolts. I switched to vbp2 or 3 years ago and now it`s coming apart, must be to close to exhaust. Steel is cheaper and I know I can get the ride height correct and I don`t have to worry about heat.

 

If you go with steel, the most correct fitting spring is make by Mike Eaton, http://www.eatonsprings.com/

 

When I first finished my 69 the spring broke on the maiden voyage. I contacted VB&P about the spring breaking and they sent me a replacement spring immediately.

I swapped the steel spring for a 360 lb spring in my 79 and it is drag raced all the time with no problem. I'd also recommend simply replacing the composite spring and enjoy the benefits. GM didn't make composite springs standard equipment for no reason.

My spring is protected from exhaust heat with heat wrap material. If you have standard under car exhaust you will need to protect it from exhaust heat. This is a picture of the wrap I used.
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I need to add that I bought a 1 inch aluminum strap from a building supply store and hose clamped it to the bottom of the pipe wrap. It was needed because anytime you drove over something it can potentially shred the wrap material. It is only needed along the low spot under the differential.

 

When the spring broke what kind of damage occured. I`m nervous about driving with the spring delaminating. I`m thinking if it breaks it would snap in two and the result would be real bad.

 

If you do go back with steel I would suggest 7 leaf.When you bolt the 9 leaf in place it will sit high and then when it does finally settle down it will keep on going and then sit low in the future.The 7 leaf is pretty much where its going to be when you bolt it in place.The 7 also seems to maintain its ride height for a long time.The 9 rides better than the 7.Thats my experience with 7 and 9 leafs.(I still prefer the composite.)

 

Yeah....you would think something like that would result, but it didn't happen that way. Because the springs are made with layers of material bonded together, they crack and split along the length. It would be extremely rare for one to break completely in half and offer no support to the car. The first time out with my car I couldn't resist jucing it some and heard a crack after a 2-3 shift. I immediately started listening for something wrong, but couldn't detect anything, so went back to driving the car. After putting about 15 miles on the car, I pulled it into the garage and looked for anything out of place. I noticed the driver side rear was a little lower than the passenger side, so I got under for a closer look. At the time it was wearing original size BFG Radial TA's on Rally wheels. That was when I saw that the spring was split along its length and cracked about half way through. I must have driven the car 8 miles after I heard the crack and I didn't baby it. There was no damage to the body as a result. If the car was very low there may have been a problem, but I've never heard of that happening. Believe me, installing another composite spring was done with a great deal of skepticism. VB&P said at the time I bought that spring as a Grand Touring package back in the 80's, there was a problem in manufacturing and a few bad springs got through. I haven't heard of any new composite springs breaking and would only choose to use one in the future.