http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=475935

i found a tag on my front coil spring of my 69 A/C Coupe and it has

HT
3931824 on it for a number, anyone here know what it means? and are these 460 or 550 or what ever rated springs...

Thanks In Advance
Corz

 

The number on the tag I believe is the part number for the spring. The HT indicates that it was the spring for an A/C car. The NCRD technical manual calls ou the correct spring tags for each year/model. The differences usually center around big block vs small block and A/C vs non A/C. The tags were on the cars from the factory. I'd hang on to it.

 

Corz,
I don't know about '69 but in '73 there were 4 different front springs used. With all the engine options that were available in '69 I would assume that it would have had more available. The '73 springs were rated at 260, 280, 300, and 315 lbs/in deflection rate.

tom...

 

tom, I'm clueless when it comes to spring rates.. i just want to lower my car

 

WHAT???!!! You want to WHAT???!!! (Snicker, snucker...HeeHeeHooHAHAHAHA!!!)

Well hell, son, (HeeHeeHee) why didn't you just come out and say so...I think I can (Snicker) help you with this factory correct resto problem.

First, you go out and rent yourself a hydraulic crane...Not too big, you understand, to keep expenses down.

Then you go buy yourself a 36" deep X 12" wide flange beam about 25 feet long and about 190+ pounds per foot. Burn a hole in each end of that wide flange and rig it up to the crane hook using some heavy duty shackles and a wire rope sling about 1" in diameter.

Then, hoist that wide flange up about thirty feet in the air and manuever your Vette underneath the beam until the crossed flags on each end are directly below the ends of the wide flange. Then crawl up in the cab of the hydraulic crane, yell "CLEAR" real loud, and let that wide flange sail.

I guarantee your Vette will be "LOWER" afterwards, and it will be a quicker way to ruin it than what you are comtemplating. Oh yeah, be sure and get you some of those chrome-plated spoked wheels and balloned out little tires after you have "lowered" it. :thumbs:


[Modified by Chuck Sangerhausen, 4:14 PM 1/21/2003]

 

Chuck S, you're back :) Glad to see you here. I'm tired of being the only "Chuck" on the BB. :) Chuck G

 

Thanks, Chuck, but IMALURKER.

Some questions, however, demand a swift and knowledgeable answer, radio silence not withstanding. :jester

 

Chuck, good to see ya back Bro! :cheers: This place ain't been the same without ya. I guess this time we'll have to put a leash on ya so you don't wander off again! :lol: :thumbs:

 

Tom,

Five different coil springs and two different leaf springs for 1969...

FRONT SPRINGS

350 (no A/C) - Part #3931823 - "HS" - 250 lbs/in
350 (with A/C) - Part #3931824 - "HT" - 264 lbs/in
427 (no A/C) - Part #3931825 - "HU" - 284 lbs/in
427 (with A/C) - Part #3931826 - "HV" - 325 lbs/in
F41 (all) - Part #3832518 - "EA" - 550 lbs/in

REAR SPRINGS

350/427 (except F41) - Part #3850839 - "EA" - 70 lbs/in (per side)
F41 (all) - Part #3828811 - "EB" - 152 lbs/in (per side)

The springs were actually chosen based on sprung curb weight, but it usually took the addition of air conditioning to require a change to the higher rate spring (which is why I listed it as "with a/c").

Corz,

The only production springs in 1969 I am aware of that actually dictated a lower ride height were the F-41 springs... ¾" lower in the front and ½" lower in the rear if I remember correctly.

Regards,


[Modified by Rowdy Rat, 12:07 PM 1/22/2003]

 

even with the extra wieght of an I beam, you'll still see nothing but my BUBBLE tail lights.. thats right, my tail lights arent stock either.

I ask a serious question and its people like you that figure "hey lets pick on the kid cuz he wants to have fun with his car" you know what pal, i dont care what you think, your just another typical "if it aint stock, it dont matter" guy... its people like you i cant stand.

why dont you go to the C3 forum and say the same thing, see how long you last

 

WTF……there’s an intelligent response, that of an intelligent 12 year old :rolleyes:

 

I totally agree !!

This guy comes in here with a question that does deal with factory correct information. He wants to know what the stock spring rates are on his car.

and then "someone" comes into the room with the wonderful NCRS attitude of "if it ain't original then it ain't a Vette".

It's people like this that give Vette owners a bad name :mad

Don't disrespect someone's Vette, no matter what he wants to do with it. It is HIS Corvette, and he is making it the way that he wants it to be.

If everyone kept their Corvette 100% stock then we would be a boring azz bunch of snobs like some other clubs. But we're not, we are Corvette owners.

WE ARE DIFFERENT !! Each and every one of us, each and every one of our cars.

If you don't like what he plans to do with his car, than just don't answer his question and stay home and play with your own car.

I would rather have 100 of Corzvette69's on the forum playing with their car's to make them better, different, worse or even making Vette wagons out of them than 1 more person with an attitude like yours.

By the way, my 1980 that has been lowered all the way around, has a 700R4, 3.73 rear gears, composite rear springs, adjustable shocks, headers and 17" wheels and tires may not be stock.....

......but is sure is fun !! :steering:

 

Corzvette69, I'm glad someone was able to answer your question and provide detailed information about what the factory supplied for your car but, as far as Chuck Sangerhausen and his attempt at humour goes, you're wasting your breath.

Chuck S used to be a frequent contributor on Factory Correct Resto and his knowledge of Corvettes is extensive but, for reasons he has chosen not to share, he no longer posts here regularly. It's been that way for the past few months although apparently he still lurks.

My best guess at why is that in Chuck's black and white world, classic Corvettes can only be as the factory supplied them and anything else is worthless. Most of us believe the world exists in living colour and Chuck got tired of explaining the truth to us, so he doesn't often post any more.

This is not the first time Chuck S has decided to walk away and sulk. The last time, a number of us coaxed him to come back and eventually, he did. Strangely enough, nobody coaxed this time. :nonod:

My point is Chuck S does not reflect the majority opinion of the FCR Forum as you can tell by the others who provided detailed answers to your questions. Don't be insulted. It's your car; build it your way. If you have any pictures, I'd like to see them!!

 

thank you bryan.

what you may think of me, as a 19 year old vette owner as being a 'rice boy' is far off.. I got into an accident in this car (not my fault) and i made the car look STOCK again, i repainted the car MYSELF. no i didnt paint it lime green with a huge wing on the back. i kept the stock body lines. i even painted it a Corvette color. The only reason i want to lower it, is because the suspension has NEVER been touched and the car no longer has A/C so it has a reverse rake stance, so that drives me nuts.

so the car may have original suspension, but i really dont feel comfortable with the way it is.

 

thank you mac. and for the others that replied seriously. as for pictures...


crashed


after i repainted it

 

WOW! :eek: Talk about your 'before and after' shock pictures!!

I hope no-one was hurt in the collision, regardless whose fault it was. You've done a remarkable job of restoring the car. Congratulations :thumbs:

I would have a hard time not adding a G/S style racing stripe with that colour of blue! My car almost begs for the 71 style ZR1 nose stripe but I've resisted so far.....

 

Corzvette69, my apology for bruising your feelings; clearly you were deeply hurt, and I didn't set out to do that. I was overly harsh in my attempt at sarcastic wit.

My attitude is not due to NCRS membership: NCRS membership has nothing to do with it. I had this attitude when I joined NCRS and I will have it after I leave. My attitude about these cars is that they are irreplaceable examples of automotive history. I would no more consider LOWERING a Corvette than I would a Deusenberg or a Bugatti (sp?). You, of course, are entitled to have whatever attitudes you wish, bubble tail light lenses not withstanding.

Since you are a newbie, you don't know that there used to be a lot of original humor here (perhaps not as harsh as my last attempt) with a lot of give and take; now it's mostly "what happened to me today" with a lot of other fluff, jugs, and jokes. Occasionally, there is a real technical restoration question, but not many (It's called 'Factory Correct Resto'...Remember?).

Gentlemen, you ARE the C3 Forum. Except for a few individuals I can name on one hand that contribute here and KNOW Corvettes, the rest of this is the same claptrap that you see on the other forums. There is no point in being redundant in my mind...no point in differentiating...just have one big forum and call it "Corvette Forum".

In any event, I had a response to flay the flesh from you and Officer Dudley DoRight's bones, but I was reminded of a previous episode where such exchanges only served to alienate me and another great Corvette guy. We both thought we were right, but in the end, we were both wrong for being overly sensitive, inflexible and obstinate.

Officer Dudley, in life there are technicians and there are administrators; you are clearly of the latter ilk. I would keep someone close that knows Corvettes if I were you. ;) :seeya

 

Calling Herr Doktor.......calling Herr Doktor. Time for yer meds. :lol:


Corzvette69, the ol' West Texan damn near ran me off when I first dipped my toe in F.C.R. many moons ago. He's not really a bad guy....he's just a Texan. (There is a difference you know ;) ) :lolg:

There's room for everyone (well almost everyone ;) ) under this here tent. Just remember to wear your flak suit and it's all good. :flag

P.S. Rumour has it that Chuck S. really is a kittycat. :D


[Modified by 67HEAVEN, 10:46 PM 1/23/2003]

 

P.P.S. Say Dok, why didn't you tell me about the hydraulic crane idea months ago. Could've saved me a bunch of cash on that complete VB&P suspension.

Note to Reader: I don't for a moment intend to desecrate F.C.R. ground with my postings here. Never have. I truly admire original cars and respect Corvette purists. Is speaking to the enemy permitted? :lolg:


[Modified by 67HEAVEN, 11:11 PM 1/23/2003]

 

How can I reconcile posting in F.C.R. in the midst of a non-conforming project like mine? Easy. There is lots of knowledge and experience here......not to mention quite a few interesting and amusing characters as a bonus. In my wildest dreams I would never advocate taking a vintage "factory correct" Corvette and making difficult-to-reverse modifications to it.

Why am I doing what I'm doing to my Corvette? That too is easy. Ignore for the moment that I modified this car for autocross and track racing many years ago. I'm just doing what my Corvette hero did (to the extent that the G.M. brass would let him).


Zora was all about pushing the limits. After all, who was it that took this....

:)
...and turned it into this....


Now, which approach was right? In my opinion, both approaches were right. The reality of mass production and buying-public acceptance meant that the "stock" 1963 Corvette was pushed to an appropriate level for the early '60s general marketplace. But we all know where Zora's heart lay. Push the design to the extreme....do what the brass would let him get away with (or what they didn't know about). Why? Because the "stock" design was never enough to satisfy my Corvette hero.

Look at all those great things that he did (all the while fighting the corporate battles). Duntov cam, 4-speed, injection, IRS, disc brakes......even the big block (yes he was reluctant).

It's easy to admire a Dave Hill or a Dave McLellan......both highly regarded and obviously well-talented engineers. But most of us "revere" Zora....an engineer who had racing in his blood and was always in search of something beyond the ordinary. He was a bit of a rebel and I loved him for it. By the glint in Elfie's eye, I could see that she knew he was something special too. ;)

You guys with the factory correct cars......your cars will always be worth more dollars than mine. Your cars will meet with broader acceptance and much higher critical acclaim than mine. I don't feel animosity because of those obvious facts. I just want to hang around and pretend I belong......can I get anyone a coffee? :D




[Modified by 67HEAVEN, 8:20 AM 1/24/2003]