I have a '71 Malibu with a small block. I can't afford a big block right now so the small block will do. However I do plan to convert to big block in the near future.

I need new coils. It's my understanding big blocks came with stiffer front coils as compared to small blocks.

From what I've gathered, small block coils in a big block car = front end squat. And big block coils in a small block car = front end sits too high.

I only wanna have to do this once. Therefore I'd like to know if anyone makes a front coil that will accept both big and small block engines and still keep the front of the car at the same height?

I hate to bust your bubble,but most of the time when someone says (including myself) that they dont have the cash to build a bb it means its gonna be atleast 2-3 years before you build it. Leaving plenty of time to get some bb springs.

I'd go ahead and get the sb springs and use what you have,springs dont really cost that much compared to building a bb anyway.

As for doing it once,it only takes alittle time and the right tools to swap springs,an hour and a half at the most.

Well, to be honest I don't know when I will get the BBC. I've even considered going with a 406 sbc. I have another hot rod right now that I will probably have to ungratefully sell to support my engine upgrade fund.

But the thing is I like only having to do things once. It would be nice if someone made coils that could keep the front at the same height no matter if it's a big or small block.

We were just talking about this in another post called "Front BBC springs." I use my SB springs when I dropped in the BB. No problems here(going on 2 yrs), drive it every week and handles pretty good w/ a thick sway bar. The stance is really nice too, not to high, not to low. One of my old friends told me it would be fine before I installed it, and he was right. No problems w/ rubbing or anything. At first it sat at stock height, but then after driving it for a couple of days, it sagged a little bit not to much though. Good Luck w/ your BB.
*I'll post a picture of the car tonight on the other post.

Hhmm....I was under the assumption a BBC with SBC coils would squat in the front. I know going from an inline six to a sbc will cause this.

BTW I'm not sure yet what my bbc will consist of so we'll go under the assumption it's an all cast iron engine.

When I replaced the original 350/TH350 in my '70 (A/C car) with the big block/TH400, the car actually ended up sitting too high!
With aluminum heads, radiator, intake, water pump, a glass hood, no PB booster, A/C removed, & plastic inners, the car only gained 80 lbs!

That leads me to another question....I'm guessing the coils used on the non A/C cars were different than the onces with A/C? What's the diff if any?

BTW I'm keeping my steel hood, how well do those plastic inner fenderwells work?

I would use a lowering spring for a BB car and a stock small sway-bar. When you swap in the BB, just upgrade to a bigger sway-bar.

Oh yeah, I also had some KYB gas shocks and switch to nitrogen filled ones after the BB. You feel a difference. Some good shocks will do good too. The edelbrocks are awesome if you got the money.

Install some QA1 coilovers with BB springs. It will be a little stiff but you can live with it.
Ride height adjustability is a big feature of coilovers.

I've been looking at either getting the Eibach or Hotchkis front coils, the small block style for my car. Hopefully they will make it sit level.....whatever coils are in there now make the car sit too high....one of the coils has one of those cheap spring stiffners.

Looks like a cheap jury-wrigged set up to me so that's why I want to just replace it and be done with it.

How does the Eibach or the Hotchkis coils sound?

But now the QA1 coil overs....are those a direct replacement for both the coil and the shock together? Also I take it the coil itself is so stiff it will support both the weight of a small block as well as a big block?

I put the Eibach lowering coils in my BB elky, not realizing that they were for a SB. The elky sat so low that the headers scraped on the ground over the slightest bump... :mad:Only 3" of clearence. Plus the tires rubbed on the fender wells. I took them out and put reg. SB springs back in it. Sat a little higher but was still close. Not bad IF you had shorty headers. I'm going to be doing my 66 soon which has the same Eibach front springs that I'll be removing and putting in BB springs with a coil cut off to get a lower stance...Point is DON'T use the SB Eibach springs with a BB...

graemlins/waving.gif
Rick

Thanx for the heads up. Besides my question to my previous post what all is required to install new coils on the Chevelle/ Is this something I can do at home in my garage with a 4,000 jack and some jackstands?

Yes, but you'll also need a coil spring compressor and some ball joint/tie rod forks to pop the lower joint off. Maybe some vice grips to hold the shock piston shaft, depending upon how old the shocks are! :D Plan on changing the shocks if they are old and the shock nuts are rusty. Damn things will spin like crazy if they are.