I just took the crappy air shocks off the rear, and installed new KYBs on the front and rear. now, at least i don't bottom out (as hard), but the rear tires are now rubbing the fender wall. they are 275/60/15. i want to install new springs all around. what were the stock spring specs (height, and weight)? will these be enough with the larger tires in the rear since i like the height in the front? what are some suggestions on the best springs (the only bad things i heard were about hotchkis)? thank you all.

Hi don,

I don't know what the spring rates and heights are (sorry). I have a 69 small block and didn't want to run air shocks either, so I bought "stationwagon/cargo" springs for the rear. Moog part # MOG CC607. These put the lip of the rear wheel well about even with the top of the tire. 15X8X31/2BS with 275/60 15's. I can stick three fingers between the tire and the body. As for the front, I used heavy-duty small block springs. MOOG part # MOG 5390. Moog may offer something like that for b/blocks as well. Price of these springs were about $70 a pair. smile.gif

that sounds like it will work, elmo. do you have any pics? and where can i get moog springs?
thanks

Summit Racing sells moog springs 1-800-230-3030, so do most local auto parts stores, you may try there first.

Don,

Check out this website.

http://my.core.com/~faldrich/mysprings.htm

Moog CC607s on a sedan. Can you feel the u-joints articulate everytime they rotate? The car must have topped out shocks at static ride height. Had a customer that did the same thing a few years ago. The car handled and drove poor. He came in to have the u-joints changed for the 2nd or 3rd time in like a year. It was my first time seeing the car. Told him his problem, put u-joints in it never saw him again.

Yes, 607's on a sedan! They are about 2" taller than the old stock springs. What's the difference between raising the body 2" with springs or raising it 2" with air shocks? I'll try to take pictures this weekend. smile.gif

You might also look into air bags, similar to an air shock they fit inside your rear coil spring and you can raise or lower with air but still use a standard shock.
These work great on El Camino.

Slo307,
So you are saying that having a set-up like elmo has is a bad idea, I have heard of alot of people doing this with no problems. :confused: I currently have the original springs and air bags on the rear of my 72 chevelle and was thinking about switching to station wagon springs so I would'nt have to mess with the air bags and maybe make it ride a little better.

Brandon

I have found that the a-body drives and handles the best when:
1) The front a-arm bushings & ball joints are level with the ground.
2) The rear lower trailing arms are level to the ground.

If you have to jack up the rear of the car to clear the tires you have the wrong backspacing on the wheels or the tires are to big. Or you are just stuck in the 70s with an 8 track tape player screwed to the bottom of the dash. If the car is jacked up in the back it puts more weight on the front brakes. If the rear is to high, chances are the car will wheel hop. This is from moving the instant center the wrong direction. This is why no hop bars were invented in the first place. In 1979 I had a 67 Chevelle with N 50s on 10" Cragar SS wheels, air shocks, a tunnel ram & ladder bars. What a pile to drive. I from 1st hand experiance know how bad a Chevelle can handle. Yes, I even had Led Zeppelin on 8 track in the car.

Hey slo307,

If my rear lower trailing arms were level with the ground, I would have about 1" of travel between the rearend bump blocks and the bottom of the frame. I don't understand how that set-up could provide the best ride possible. The rearend would bottom-out every time you hit a bump in the road! graemlins/clonk.gif I have the same size tire as seawolf, I have a 3 1/2" offset wheel. I could take the springs out of the car and the tires still wouldn't rub the fender! I don't bad-mouth the junk you put together or what year you live in, so don't bad-mouth me. :mad: If I want an 8-track screwed to the bottom of my dash, I don't see where it is any of your d@*n business. Seawolf asked for suggestions, not opinions! I gave him some info that worked for me. It may work for him, it may not. I don't know what offset he has on his wheels and you probably don't either. Mine works GREAT!

Elmo

P.S. I know now why your momma named you slo!

no need for hostility. thank you all and i'm going ot look into everything you guys have offered for the best bang for my buck, but i really don't think i want to deal with air bags, cause that's what i'm tryin to get away from. i think we'll all agree this is the best site ever invented. now, it's 2:30am in new orleans and i'm going out. see you all later.
thanks again

I agree with slo307, i believe the point being made is that by raising the rear of the car to clear the tires you creat a very poor handling, braking and launching car. Gm designed these cars to have certain ride height, and set the pinion angle accordingly, by raising the vehicle through the station wagon cargo coils you put the pinion in a horrorable bind. This runs the risk of eatting u-joints, and it can be deadly!, ever heard of the "Quarter mile pole vault"? By raising the rear of the car by 2" you also will effect the front end alignment, naming the caster setting which can also make the vehicle very unstable, the car will not track well at all. You are putting a tremendous weight bias on the front tires, causing poor handling in the form of understeer or plow, in NASCAR it is called a tight condition. The braking will be negatively effected due to the excess weight on the front. As to the poor launch, the tall rear height will change the instant center as slo307 stated, but the cargo coils have to much spring rate and will cause little movement of the rear suspension which will cause a loss of traction, which kinda defeats the propose of the over sized tires. BTW I have personal seen cars run 275 60 15 without the 1970's stink bug look,you just need proper rim offset, which is more than 3 1/2", in fact factory ralleys have 3 7/8" which is better. I believe a centerline wheel with 4 1/2" BS on a 10" rim was used to get the 275 60 15 under the car and still have correct ride height in the rear.