Took a look at my rear spring today only to find ther are cracks at each of the rear bolts that hold the spring to the diff. any one encounterd this? and can it be welded? thanks for any help on this. :sad:

 

common problem, replace it with a Muskegon HD cover.
Gary

 

Thanks Gary What causes this and how much is a cover?

 

Ken,
A hard jolt, like going over railroad tracks fast could do it. Other times replacing the spring and not torquing it correct procedure will break them- ask Pedro :smash:
You can check the Muskegon web site for current pricing shopuld be around $80? we had a group purchase here last year and about 12 people bought them. Check th eparts for sale and Ebay too- there are 2 styles depending on the rear spring width changed around '78 but you better double check before buying.
I'm sure others will post on the best installation procedure they used. I think it was to tighten the 4 bolts first then torque them to 50ft/lbs then tie in the end links. The question came in on whether to retorque them after the car weight is on the ground but it might be hard to reach them them?
good luck,
Gary

 

Thanks Gary . I guess in Canada the price will be almost double but thats still not to bad. I also noticed both my rear wheels are leaning in at the top could it be related?

 

Ken,
If the wheels are leaning in then it could be a bad spring, worn differential yokes, bent strut rods(bad alignment trick), out of alignment. Have you had the car long? maybe someone was working back there and broke the cover when checking on the spring? The stock 9 leaf spring should have some arch to it, the 7 leaf is a little flatter. The stock springs had small curls at the end of each leaf, the aftermarket ones are straight and some have bands around the leafs on each end in case it was ever changed.
Gary

 

Gary I just got the car a week ago but the spring looks original has rubber between the leaves so it should have a slight arc to it [1977]?

 

It's supposed to have the liners in between the leafs. Is this your first vette or just first time dealing with the rear suspension? If so you might want to give the rear suspension a good lookover. Look at the rear end for leaks around the yokes or pinion seal, check the rubber bushings in the front of the rear end bracket they get dry rotted and compressed causing a knock accelerating fast. See if the srut rods are bent, they should be straight, check the U-Joints for rust around the caps and looseness by hand.Look at he spring again should have a little arch to it-depending on the number of leafs. If you want to go as far as disconnecting the 1/2 shafts then you can get a good idea on th eyoke wear in the differential by pushing/pulling them in the housing - I would replace them if there's more then .080" end play plus you'll have to replace the cover anyway. Check the Tarms or rear control arms for rust at the seams and play in the front bushing.If you have the 1/2 shaft disconnected then you can check the end play in the rear bearings and feel how the rotors spins by hand-feel for any roughness or grapping.
check the exhaut for hitting the frame or body.
Hope this helps, you may already know most/all of this?
Good luck,
Gary