I just upgraded to the NYU rear and FHB front leaf springs on my 1989. However when I installed the NYU, I discovered some stuff that isn't right. First off there are spacers missing on the bottom of the leaf spring mount on the drivers side. Second the passenger side spacers never are compressed so I'm wondering if they are missing one also.

Then when the car is jacked up there is no pressure on the ends of the spring like my previous spring where I had to jack up the spring to get the bolt off it.

Take a look at the pics and see if you see anything wrong please. The first pic is everything is tight and installed and car is still jacked up with the wheel off. I'm sure when the car is down it will make contact but im wondering if it is worn out and doesn't have the resistance it once did.


This is the side with the spacer, other side has no spacers on the bottom (just empty space...) There is still give to the spacers on the bottom. No pressure...

 

The lower at the ends are definitely not correctly assembled, don't see a snapshot that includes the upper mount at the ends BUT I'd guess it's not either - don't know of course but I'd guess.

In the center the two mounts both of them need to be equally built. You've described only one side as being "not there" - no snapshot so it's really difficult to tell. I'd say you need to supply a couple more snapshots. If you want to email them send them to me and I'll look at them. Did you get the front squared away?

1990 dot 653 at gmail dot com is the email.

 

I did get the front squared away. Thank you.

Here are the other pics. The first one is showing you how the "new" spring has less bow than the "old" one and I think this is the problem with the sides, not sure if this actually matters since once weight is on the spring is will compress.



Here is the top of the side not making contact on the outer part


Here is the bottom of the same side (passenger) and also the original picture I posted but interior view


Here is the other middle mount and see my finger, how much space there is? its missing the two spacers the other has but even the two on the other is not enough to make it tight...


both the sides are even in their mounts on top of the spring and that is what truly matters I guess, I'm afraid at the track on stickies a long sweeper at 90+mph could mean one side coming off the top...


Here is a quick snap of the other side. its identical but for some reason must have more of a bow because it contacts the rubber stopper just barely


I am 100% sure I put everything back the way I took it apart but I don't know if anything was wrong to begin. I remember taking apart my 87 vaguely but I don't remember having this problem or doing an additional step.

Thanks for your help

 

Your first snapshot looked like you just had a large flat-washer stuffed in there but the newest shot shows the cupped aspect of the spring instead so that aspect is or seems correct. The center needs attention. Do you have an FSM for your car? You need/could use one. The mounts in the center need/should be equal side to side and most spring combinations call for two on the top and a single on the bottom. They also call for different thicknesses in each location, that's all in the FSM and explained very well.

It's hard to tell but I'd say you're missing insulators also I'd suggest that since you're this far into bushing etc in the front do the cushions for the spring and upper mounts in the rear also.

In the center a typical install top to bottom would be an insulator, two spacers (various thicknesses), the spring, one or two more spacers, an insulator and finally the anchor plate.

 

I can get the spacers but what about the ends... why is there a gap? The original concern is that the spring is worn out since it doesn't contact the stops on the ends. Obviously I am missing some spacers but I've been driving it for a while like that.

The problem with all of this is I drive hpde4 and am instructing this weekend with nasa. I can't order all new bushings I have to have it ready to drive tomorrow....

I have an 87 fsm and have been referencing with success but now I'm missing some info.... I hate spending another 90 $ if I don't have to but I guess its about time.

 

Don't worry about the ends. The ends will be fine once you square away the serious stuff. The center and a correct stack is "the serious stuff" - I would think the assembly in the '87 FSM should be comparable to the car you have there.

I'd maybe start with a GM 14084056 (1.72mm) for the top and 2-14048950 (6.11mm) below on each side - that's three total per side 1 above 2 below plus the correct insulators.

You drive it?

 

Got it I should be able to get ahold of those tomorrow morning.

 

It looks to me like your spring bolts are non-stock. Are they the longer bolts that people use to lower their cars?

My stock spring bolts have a castle nut and a cotter pin to keep it from moving.

 

... There are differences in the "arch " of C4 springs ... the stiffer springs tend to have less arch ... I have a BMF on my car and there is about an inch between the rubbers and the spring when the rear is jacked up ... you're ok as long as you can maintain ride height when on the ground ..... definitely get the shim pack built properly or the spring may break ... if you need shims and spacers shoot me a PM .......... check page 3D7 in the '87 FSM ...

 

Absolutely.

My 84 Z51's spring has practically no arch to it. When you jack the it up off the ground there is an easy 1" gap between the spring and the outer spring cushions just as your pics show... makes taking the rear spring off real easy.

My 92's rear spring has a ton of arch... when you jack it up off the ground you still have to use another jack to take the strain off the outer spring cushions when removing the spring.
Will

 

with the last 2 posts. The stiffer the spring, the less arch. Just even up the spacers and drive away.

 

My stock spring had an almost 10 inch arch; my "sport spring" from VBP looked more like a 2 by 4

 

Now I have a problem... The front and back are rediculously high!!!! will they settle down after a few hours? cause the front has been on the ground for a day now and the rear has been down for an hour. I drove the thing and the rear was bouncing all over the place! it felt like an old truck with blown shocks and this is nothing how it felt with the old spring. I want the thing to be stiff but bouncing is off the table...

Could both of my shocks have blown? or are they set to a bad setting for this spring?

Here are pics, only thing I can think of is the nut on the end of the spring is too high and if I put it at the bottom it will lower it and the shocks will be in their functioning range....




this is the front


this is how the old car looked without new springs and bushings

and this

 

Not knowing what you did for bushings etc the car appears to have had the suspension components tightened with no weight on the suspension. Most common accepted practice I believe is with the wheels on the car and the wheels on the ground or wheels on blocks. It's said that if urethane is used with the proper lubricant that this procedure can be eliminated. I kind of doubt that.

You could loosen most of the suspension a few turns and find yourself some rumble strips like on the edge of the median or shoulder that are placed to "wake you up" - that should shake it out.

The rear if you left the same amount of threads that were there as yesterday could maybe stand being dropped maybe half of the exposed threads and try that. The rear height you will have to experiment with using the bolts, if you put it together with the shims I mentioned yesterday it's pretty much maxed at the center. How long are your rear bolts?

Of course you do all of this after you double check everything.

 

If your trailer has real stout x-members you could maybe use your straps and accomplish the same task. Your straps appear to be stout enough for the task. Loosen sway-bars at the frame rails also to allow it to rotate in the bushings.

 

On the front, the lower control arm bushings are supposed to be initially torqued to 45 ft lbs. Then drive a little to settle the arms and do the final torque with the wheels on the ground.

My 85 rear spring is an NYU that came with the Z51 package. On the center attachment it has a spacer and insulator on both the top and bottom of the spring. The stacked height of the insulators, spacers and spring are pretty much an exact fit for the gap in the attachment hardware. There should be no gap left when assembled and torqued.

By the way, the FSM was pretty worthless for me. There is very little detail on the spring mounting.

 

In a '90 FSM and I believe any that had multiple spring choices (more than 2) it supplied the placement and thicknesses of the spacers top and bottom. I've never checked an earlier but given you mention an '85 there wasn't much of a choice and there wasn't even a 'vert yet.

 

I fixed the spacer issue and I'm pretty sure it's correct. The only thing on top of the spring is an insulator and a very then spacer. I put two thick spacers under the spring and everything looks right. Will driving the car settle the bushings correctly or do I have to loosen them and reset all the suspension components?
Could increased height on rear suspension be the reason for all the bounce I'm feeling because it's worse than a dump truck going off road. Are the long bolts on the ends of the springs different sizes for different performance packages? Would buying a longer bolt help fix the problem or cover up an inherent problem?

 

I'd loosen it - with the bushings in a bind (so to speak) driving it to get it to settle is only going to wear the bushings to get it to settle. Loosen all of it - sway-bars and all. Did you lube your front bushings?

On the rear - the stock bolt at the ends is just a bit over 7 1/2" long so the bolt you have back there will allow you to lower it substantially, yours looks quite long. How long is it? On the rear loosen the sway-bar and only the dog bones. I believe I'd leave the camber bars alone.

Rumble strips will fix it!

 

The nut on the end bolt is at its lowest point. I'm driving to the track now when I get there I'll loosen everything to see how it settles.