Last Weekend it was the front end..... This week I am installing the rear springs. As suggested I ordered the Pigtail springs from Afco.

It took only a few minutes for me to drop the old spring out. This is when I discovered a problem. The old Springs.. have pigtails on both ends, while the new springs only has the pigtail on one end.

It looks as though the pigtail will rest on the axle and the flat top will go into the pirch. My problem is that after connecting the shock(car is still off ground), the spring just falls out of its pirch. It is about 2 inches short.

Is this normal with these springs? What am I missing here?


Thanks,

David

It`s normal with higher rate springs which tend to be shorter. You have a few choices. You can make up some retainers for the top of the springs to keep them from falling out. A lot of 4WD trucks with coil springs have retainers of some kind to keep them in. Or,and this is probably easier. Install shorter shocks to limit the droop travel. Since you now have 0 spring rate at that amount of droop you can`t use it anyway. Last you could pick up some travel limiting straps and run them from the frame to the rear. Most off road supply places carry these. We generally use the shorter shocks. Mark SC&C

I take it then that the shorter springs will expell my ability to use my air shocks. I could go get a pair of shocks, but my only concern is that my car will be lower in the back the in the front.

I did let all the air out of the shocks... and the old springs (37 years old) were already crunched... Do you think the sag in the old springs verses the shorter new springs we equal out or will the news one (even though they are shorter in uncompressed length) will actually put the car higher?

Finally.. Shorter Shock.. If i went down to napa to pick up a pair of cheapies just to get the car back on the road, what springs to I ask for?

I didn't feel like waiting for an answer so i just installed them to see what would happen.

With the new rear springs, which are shorter than stock. The car actually sits about an 1" higher than it did before and that was with a little air in the back shocks. Those old springs were shot... with the air out of the shocks.. the old springs were fully compressed.

I took a look at clearances and it looks like I have 3 to 4" inches that my car would have to bounce in order the springs to move around their upper pirches.

I will just make sure I don't do any dukes of hazard stuff until I get some new shorter shocks on there..

keep 'er on all 4s LOL

I had the exact same issue with my 71 Chevelle.. I did the same thing -- just installed the shorter springs and had the same result -- my car actually sat about 2" higher than it did with the taller (and shot) stock springs.

My thoughts were also the same, keep the car on all fours... only real issue with this is when I jack it by the frame (or take it to a garage that needs to lift it.

I'll probably end up putting shorter shocks on, though just haven't gotten to it yet.

A spring retainer is super-easy to make.

All you need one 2" washer in the bottom of the spring mount, and one 3" washer on top of the spring pigtail with a 1" long bolt through them with a nut and lock-washer. Problem solved for ~$3per side. :)

did you know that gm actually has a spec for the rear springs, how they are installed-as i remember the end of both springs points toward the pass side-why, i dont know, just something i came across in the assemb. manuel-my guess is so they all come off the asmb. line the same, and everybody does them the same way????????