tonight i noticed how flat my rear spring is...
is this normal?
the rear end is about the only thing i havent rebuilt on my car so i am thinking about tackling it soon...
i have a lot of documentation with my car and the rear end gears were replaced/rebuilt in 1996 so i am NOT going inside of the pumpkin...
the swing arms were also replaced at that time as well so i will NOT be replacing them either...

what i DO want to do is...
a new spring...(metal)
all new u-joints in the half shafts
new shocks
new bearings

i am looking for tips and ideas from any of yall that have been there/done that...
where is a good place to buy the spring?
what will i need that i have not mentioned above?
what about that material between the leafs? does that come with the spring set?

thanx!

 

Any particular reason why you want to stay with metal spring? I just installed the "Street and Slalom" kit from VanSteel. Was a breeze and sure does look pretty and sits great. I'm sure VanSteel can hook you up with the metal spring and they(VanSteel) are a PLEASURE to work with. Dan is awesome. :flag

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=658019


[Modified by SIGNGUY, 12:05 AM 12/24/2003]

 

I bought a 7 leaf heavy duty spring from Zip.
I thought my car sat to low in the rear, and I hoped the 7 leaf (being stiffer) would raise it. It didn't. The car is actually lower now than before. I wish I bought a fiberglass spring.
My seven leaf is flat when the car is sitting on the ground. I would assume it should have some arch.

 

I put a Street/Slalom set on with the fiberglass spring, too, and it's fantastic. The only thing I heard bad about the fiberglass spring was they were susceptable to the heat from the exhaust pipes, so you had to wrap either the pipes or the spring. (I forget which) I have sidepipes, so it was no concern to me. I do know one thing...If you're like me, and are crawling around under the car, trying to lift the spring and bracket up and get a bolt started, you'll appreciate the 30+ pound difference.

Also, you say you're going to replace all the u-joints in the half shafts. If you do that while the spring is out, you'll have a lot better access to the nuts on the u-bolts. I changed the u-joints a couple of weeks before I did the suspension kit and had holy heck getting to the nuts.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=584140
I still think the car sits too low in the rear. I guess I need to lower the front now. :hurray:

 

Here's the before and after pics...The way it's adjusted, the car sits right above the rear tires. http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/mookem


[Modified by VietNam_Vette, 11:33 PM 12/23/2003]

 

What size leaf spring bolt do you have maybe you just need a shorter bolt.

 

I would go with a fiberglass replacement. I just put one on my '74. It was pretty easy to put in, I did it myself in about two hours. I did notice a little bit of a lift after I got it in. I haven't drove the car enough for it to settle yet. But other than that it's great. :rolleyes:

 

i do appreciate the input from yall but i am NOT going with a compoaite spring that i DO know...
done deal...ive made up my mind...
heres another good example why... http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zero...=706428&page=1
steel was fine in my car for 25 yrs and it should be fine for as long as i will be enjoying it especialy since its a daily driver and isnt raced...

having said that i would like to let the material of the spring NOT be the issue here...but rather concentrate on the original questions...

"i am looking for tips and ideas from any of yall that have been there/done that...
where is a good place to buy the spring?
what will i need that i have not mentioned above?
what about that material between the leafs? does that come with the spring set?

arnt there a number of bushings etc that i should replace "while im in there"?
and what about bearings and seals in the trailing arms?

thanx

 

I have had a Vette Brakes 360 rear spring on my 70 for 13-14 years and no problems. Put another Vette Brakes 360 rear spring on my 68 5-6 years ago and no probems. Made sure there was required clearance of exhaust from the springs. One of the things I like about these fiberglass springs is that when you get on it, it just goes. The Vette squat is pretty much gone. My 85 still has it original fiberglass springs front and rear.
The reason I first installed the Vette Brakes fiberglass spring on my 70 was that the original steel spring would allow the rear to bottom out when it was loaded for a road trip. I did't stop with the just the fiberglass rear spring, the front complete Vette Brakes performance system was installed 7-8 years ago.
A friend installed a Vette Brakes rear fiberglass on his 72 a year ago and likes it, wishs he had done it sooner.


[Modified by 70ZZ3 96LT4, 12:46 AM 12/27/2003]

 

I too will probably replace my 7 leaf with another metal spring. I only drive my vette about 1,000 miles/year so weight is not a major issue. Gulstrand sells a metal rear spring that is shorter in total length for clearance issues. His price is more than most, but maybe he is on to something regarding a shorter length spring. I was just looking in my catalogs the other night and Muskegon has a rear metal spring for an attractive price.

 

If you can afford the down time, I'd say have your original spring re-arced and refurbished at a local shop. I replaced my nine leaf with the standard replacement from ZIP's and ran into ride height issues just like the composite guys. I now have nine inch spring end bolts to bring my rear down and the ride is no softer with the extra arch.

 

thanx guys...but...
OTHER THAN THE SPRING...
what else am i going to run into?
what ELSE should i do (replace)...

please lets forget about the spring itself...
there are other threads pertaining to the spring issue and as i said...
i have already made up my mind as to what i am going to do about the spring...

what i need to know is WHAT ELSE???
OTHER THAN THE SPRING...

 

If the spring is parallel to the ground, it is probably in need of replacing. I am surprised that this wasn't replaced back when the differential was re-done. Much less that the bearings and shocks need replacing if the trailing arms were done then to. :confused:

That being said, there are some very good supporting vendors here that can supply the things you need. Just look in the tool drop down menu near the top of this page. I would make sure to get a new bushing set with the new springs. Also inspect the strut bushings and replace as necessary. Be prepared to buy longer shock bolts in case you run out of adjustment length.

Aside from that, if all the stuff was replaced as you said, then just worry about the spring. Jack, stands, sockets and ratchet, and torque wrench will be needed.

Check yokes for end play or slop when replacing the u-joints also.

Hope some of this helps! :D

 

Go with the fiberglass spring.. I love mine!!!

 

GGRRRR....!!!
the spring and which type is a NON ISSUE!!!

sorry Oliver...i couldnt resist! PEACE! :D

 

the bearings, shocks etc might be fine...i cant remember if they were on that repair slip or not...
i just figured that "while im in there" i may as well replace everything that wears out...after all, its been 7 or eight years...
and...i dont want to be taking the rear apart again soon...if ever...
thanx for the advise! :D

 

How about a dragvet.com rear supsension kit, 3 1/2" half shafts, 35 spline spindles, Moroso wheel studs, Koni-Spa-1 rear shocks, spicer joints, and a Tom's 12 bolt center section to boot!

All kidding aside, I would just change the spring, bolts, poly bushings, posi-additive, fluid. check everything , install your new STEEL spring and go.
You can have mine, it's a 7 leaf brand new with 600 miles on it, and my 427 squats it to the ground (meaning the exhaust hits when you load up the converter) so I can't use it. I'm going with a 600 l.b. unit from VBP or VanSteel. There great for stock cars, and the ride is nice, but if you ever plan on more power you will be changing it to a composite or fiberglass at some point.
peace :D

 

direct answer to question.
The three metal springs generally used are the "9 leaf" has large arch soft for street driving (stock), 7 leaf medium arch for that middle category (F41), alot of people sell both of these and lastly the "5 leaf" hardly no arch at all for race, these generally have a shorter bottom leaf which helps if you are running more rim/tire offset to the inner side. Get the longer spring bolt kits from Guldstrand engineering so you can set the height where you want it. Move up to the 3" halfshafts Zip has best price and I would change the yokes because they wear and cause unwanted movement and go with adjustable camber strut bars from Vette Brakes, and you don't need the smart struts. When you are all done the halfshafts should not be at a ridiculous angle. Heavier suspension they can be practically parallel to the ground. The softer the suspension you have more angle because as you accelerate and the suspension settles compresses, then the halfshafts should be parallel at acceleration so you don't throw a u-joint. I hate the lube type u-joints and prefer solid ones but I will get under the car and service them (repack). Hope this helps. Regarding metal spring vs composite, metal naturally has the characteristics that match the setup that you have been using (shocks). If you know how to reshock the car so they work with these springs and are interested in lighter weight quicker smoother action then composite but you can get 1g handling using the metal ones. The composites it is harder to get 1g if you don't know what you are doing but when you get it right, it can give a faster smoother suspension response. Remember the metal tries to return to the orginal shape so non adjustable shocks or single adjustable and the composite/fiberglass goes boiing boiing in both directions so I would recommend a double adjustable shock. Stock spring 9 leaf use a stock hd shock, F41 go with a bilstein, 5 leaf use the adjustable Koni's shocks. Composite/fiberglass a good quality double adjustable (both rebound and compression) Bye!


[Modified by TCracingCA, 1:09 PM 12/27/2003]