Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers?
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Instructor
Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Wesley Chapel FL
Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers?
What are the fiber/paper spacers at the rear spring clamp that attaches to differential. Shop Manual does not show them, just metal spacers. If I read correctly, metal spacers are positioned per type of suspension. But where do fiber ones go? What is purpose? Thanks
Team Owner
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From: SE NY
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Re: Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers? (Fla87)
My '88 GM Shop Manual shows two spacers and an insulator at the center of the rear spring mount. A spacer goes above and below the spring and the insulator goes between the top spacer and the mount on the diff. carrier. It also has a table, for spring color code, of part numbers with positioning, e.g. above, above, below for spacer, shim and spacer.
If you provide me spring color code and spacer and insulator part numbers I see if they match the setup for my '88 and come back with positioning for each part.
If you provide me spring color code and spacer and insulator part numbers I see if they match the setup for my '88 and come back with positioning for each part.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 234
Likes: 1
From: Wesley Chapel FL
Re: Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers? (65Z01)
Thanks for the reply. The spring has a yellow code marking and the spacers (insulators?) do not have any numbers. They are thin and made of some type of paper fiber. Suspension is Z-51. My shop manual (86) does not show these thin pieces and car is a late 87. If I understand correctly, Z-51 spring is set up with one above and two below (spacers) but was not sure where or how many of these insulators are needed. I will check again, but did not see any numbers on metal spacers.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2001
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Re: Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers? (Fla87)
The fiber ones are the insulators; they go on top. When I did mine, I also noted no markings. I figured out that I had two thin spacers and one thick one per side. The manual showed a pair of one part # and a single of the other part # so I could understand. On my green spring it was one thick and one thin above and one thin below. For the yellow it is one thin above and one thick and one thin below. While you're there, I got new design spring mount rubber from Jeff Kopp. They have an accordian shape instead of a single solid bushing. They really improved the ride.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 234
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From: Wesley Chapel FL
Re: Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers? (LouisBarton)
Appreciate the help. I did get the new style spring cushions...........glad to hear they help the ride. Diff is rebuilt and installed, still working on bushings, etc. for a complete rebuild of the rear end.
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From: SE NY
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Re: Help-------anyone understand rear spring spacers? (Fla87)
My '88 manual calls out, for the "option" yellow or white spring:
Above
(1) P/N 14084056
Below
(2) P/N 14048950
The illustration shows the insulator above the top spacer.
I assume the "option" means Z51.
Above
(1) P/N 14084056
Below
(2) P/N 14048950
The illustration shows the insulator above the top spacer.
I assume the "option" means Z51.
