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For the most part a 7 Leaf Spring and a Rear Sway Bar means Yes. However if Your referring to an early Car with a Big Block this may not be true. And You can also add in there were some cars were ordered with a Trailer Towing package which also had the above.
For the most part a 7 Leaf Spring and a Rear Sway Bar means Yes. However if Your referring to an early Car with a Big Block this may not be true. And You can also add in there were some cars were ordered with a Trailer Towing package which also had the above.
It's a '79 so it only came with a short block 350. There's no hitch and no sign of anything that could have ever held one.
Body roll when cornering is on par with my Seville STS with active adjustable suspension. General ride comfort is a few degrees better than when said STS had a steering wheel position sensor malfunction that caused the shocks/struts to go to continuous, bone-jarring 100% damping.
Last edited by SwampeastMike; Sep 29, 2015 at 04:43 PM.
Am I correct that the leaf spring and presence of rear stabilizer bar mean Gymkhana suspension?
While I won't call the ride torturous, it is certainly very firm with extremely little roll when cornering.
It suggests Gymkhana but it was common practice to bolt up a rear stabilizer bar. There were additional performance features that were included with RPO FE7. Heavy-duty shocks complimented the 7-leaf spring and a monster front stabilizer bar, the largest ( 1 1/8") ever offered on a Corvette...larger than big block bars (9/16"). FE7 front springs were rated at 550 lb/in versus 280 lb/in for base while the rear spring rate was rated at 304 lb/in versus 170 lb/in for base. While all these are bolt on parts, the heavy-duty shock part numbers and date codes are best indicators of an original OEM Gymkhana Suspension.
A few highlights...All the Gymkhana cars in the late 70's and all C3 SB's with the Gymkhana suspension had a rear 7/16 GM style rear sway bar (not aftermarket bars with the front type endlinks). No rear 7/16 inch sway bar, (like in your picture which is correct for the sport suspension)...no gymkhana suspension. On your 79 (and my 78), if you had the 1 1/8 inch front bar also which was coupled with the 7/16 inch rear bar...definitely a gymkhana car. GM was on the right path with the front bar at 1 1/8 inch which by today's sway bar standard is very common...most C3's have a front bar that is way too small for any type of handling, just as a general statement.
Lastly, spring rates which were generally VERY soft back then in my opinion and again not optimized for handling probably since the steel rear spring has VERY harsh ride characteristics. C3's never came with 550 front springs from the factory..the 550 spring is the aftermarket replacement recommended for gymkhana cars...theme here that the GM rates were not optimal for handling. The 79 front base rate was 295 and 370 for the sport suspension. The rear 9 leaf base spring was 198!!!! and the gymkhana 7 leaf rear spring was 292 lbs/in.
With all that said my 78 gymkhana C3 uses the OEM front bar 1 1/8 inch with poly bushings, 550 front springs 1 inch lower than stock, Bilstein HD shocks, and has a front spreader bar. The rear is a 360 composite, 3/4 inch OEM type rear bar, Bilstein Sports, Heim joint competition Struts. The car rides, steers, and handles 10X better than any base or sport late 70's C3. The ride is firm but not harsh and very forgiving. Numbers don't tell the whole story if you mix and match components correctly. My 78 rides MUCH softer than my 2010 Z06 (even with DRM Bilsteins) and my 2008 Chrysler 300 with Bilsteins all around. Hope that helps!
Last edited by jb78L-82; Sep 30, 2015 at 06:48 PM.
Go here: http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...x.php?cmd=area and see if you can obtain a copy of the original dealer invoice for your car. The invoice will list the options installed at the factory for your car, including the FE7 if it had it..
When a Car was ordered with the Trailer Towing Package it didn't come with a Trailer Hitch. That would ensue a whole bunch of liability the General didn't want. Basically it came with the Gymkhana Suspension and a Heavy Duty Radiator and not much if anything else. Both of these could be ordered separately, it might save a few bucks to get the package, even if you had no intention of Trailering. 79 was the beginning of the end of separate options, in 1980 they started making more options standard, and making additional options came in packages and groups. It was the beginning of the end of " this car has every available option " as most Corvettes in this era were heavily optioned.
Once I replaced the front shocks (basic "heavy duty") I'm reasonably pleased with the handling. Considered that the shocks were there in name only (the piston moved freely both directions) I was surprised that the car cornered reasonably. The only thing that bothers me about the handling is how when powering into a sharp curve I get the feeling of understeer for a moment. At first I would back off the throttle significantly and/or over correct the steering. Then I realized that the sensation of understeer was false and likely related to the fact that the geometry of the car finds your butt essentially in the back seat (as related to the distance from the front axle) of a modern vehicle.
Gymkhana Suspension
