I have a '77. I am currently working on the front suspension and have a question about the way the front coils fit in the car.

Is there a particular direction the springs need to sit in the car? If I understand correctly, this IS the case with the lower control arms and there does appear to be a recessed area for that.

What about the upper spring mounting area? Is that "direction specific" as well? My meaning is - where the "end" of the coil sits. Sorry if I'm not using the correct terms - this is my first time rebuilding a coil spring suspension.

Thanks for any advice on this,
Adam

 

in the lower control arm,theres an area with a hole drilled into it,,thats kind of like a stop for the end of the coil,, when putting the spring back in after your front end rebuild,you can insert a screwdriver into that hole and spin coil tll it hits the screwdriver,,thats pretty much where you want it..once its apart,dry fit it and you will see what im talking about.

 

Hi Tom,

Makes sense. Thanks for the tip on the screwdriver idea Part of the reason I'm asking is the car came with a set of new springs which may or may not work. The coil "ends" are different than the originals (not in the same place top and bottom). Will this keep them from working correctly?

Say I line up the bottom per your tip - will the top then be incorrect in it's placement if it's not the same as the originals?

Hope this makes sense?

Thank you again,
Adam

The springs that came with the car are listed as '68 - '74 SB w/ac or BB w/out ac. Most places just have springs that cover '68 - '82 so I'm confused about that.

 

I believe the springs need to seat just so at the top as well as the bottom.

 

 

You can't wind the spring up or unravel it, so when it's correct at the bottom (within 3/4" of the hole) the top is where it is. The closer coils go to the top in the older ones (69), probably the same for 74.

Steve g

 

The springs that came with my car are from Covette Central Part #572052

Corvette Central

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to link directly to the part - so the link just goes to Corvette Central's home page.

They list them as being for '68 - '74 only which I don't understand since other springs they carry cover '68 - '82.

 

On most all their lines GM had multiple different springs depending on the options, however in the aftermarket you will find usually only a couple of options that are felt to be "close enough".

Steve g

 

Springs are made with the coils in the same positions as necessary. So when you have the bottom one correct the top it too.

 

I've heard of car manufacturers "reverse winding coils" for better straight line tracking. Left side coil wound one way and the right side coil wound the opposite way. I guess the idea is that the vehicle would not tend to pull to one side or the other. I never paid close attention to the vettes. Maybe this is old technology and the vette coils are already wound this way??

 

To install, the tighter coils go to the top and stick a short bolt temporarily into the upper guide hole and butt the end of the spring against it. After assembly unscrew the bolt. That will automatically align the bottom and leave the drain hole open.
HD springs have evenly spaced coils and can go either way.

 

Sorry for the delay on this. I have been working to get the control arms rebuilt so I could get to the stage of dealing with the springs.

What I have found is that some springs just were/are not cut correctly during the manufacturing process. The top and bottom "ends" should be in line with each other to fit correctly into the chassis and lower control arms. On my '77 the end of the springs (top of spring and bottom) should end up facing towards the center of the wheel (roughly).

The springs that came with my '77 (still in the box) have ends which are 180 degrees off of each other - meaning they will not fit correctly into the car.

A local C3 shop told me that he has returned springs for this reason - the replacement set (same springs) would show up and be cut correctly. It's just a "take a chance" thing and hope they ones they send are cut correctly. The incorrect springs will still "work" but they will never sit correctly, can make noise (clunk etc) when going over bumps and make it very difficult to get the ride height even from side to side.

I'm surprised the something like a coil spring has so many possiblities of being screwed up It's just the way aftermarket parts are I guess - you order and hope they are made well - if not, send them back and try again.

 

One other thing this C3 repair shop told me is the springs he has had the best luck with are ones I would never have thought about purchasing - From Autozone! Part #FCS5758S. He said they fit well, give a decent ride (stock feeling) and a great ride height once installed - you don't end up with your Vette looking like it has Blazer front springs in it.

I did some checking and they are NOT chinese made springs (sorry, I don't have my notes here with the manufactures name). The guy at Autozone gave me a phone number for the manufacturer - I called and got some pretty specific answers about the springs. They were a little surprised I was given their number as they don't deal with retail sales there, but he was really helpful and took time to answer all my questions.

Bar size: .656"
Inside diameter: 3.825"
Free height: 12.94"
Installed height: 10"
Design rate: 474 lbs.
Design load: 1400 lbs.

I have ordered a set for $64.00. They come in tomorrow (Saturday 12.31.11) so I'll let you guys know how they work out.