Team Chevelle banner

Rear coil spring insulator question

7K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  lucifershammer 
#1 ·
So, I'm replacing the 10 bolt in my '72 with a 12 bolt.

I just pulled out the 10 bolt, and it had spring insulators on both the top and the bottom of the spring. The uppers were in great shape, the lowers were absolutely trashed.

Everything I've read says only put insulators on the top, and the bottom just has the spring sitting on the rear end, metal to metal.

Is that correct? I'm guessing a previous owner replaced the springs and put insulators top and bottom.

Any downside (or upside?) to having insulators top and bottom?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I replaced mine when I had the rear out and just put them on top like it said to do. Another thing I found out from the Assembly Manual is that your supposed to put the springs in a certain way as far as clocking the bottom of the spring.
 
#3 ·
I put new ones top and bottom two years ago, today they are all cracked. That's what I get for buying five dollar e-Bay parts.. I don't know who sells decent insulators.. I am going to put them back on the upper and lower sides again. It made my car ride smother and quieter.. I used BMR 2" lowering springs, with two insulators the ride height was perfect for my 69 el Camino..
 
#4 ·
I put new ones top and bottom two years ago, today they are all cracked. That's what I get for buying five dollar e-Bay parts.. I don't know who sells decent insulators.. I am going to put them back on the upper and lower sides again. It made my car ride smother and quieter.. I used BMR 2" lowering springs, with two insulators the ride height was perfect for my 69 el Camino..
These are what comes with the Poly bushing kits, and is what I have on my car. Might give them a try.

https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/3.6108
 
#7 ·
My '69 only has them on the upper side - I'm not sure how much value you get from the lower side since that's not in direct contact with the body.

Hank -

I wasn't aware the springs needed to be clocked. The perches are flat on both ends - what would clocking achieve?

jim
 
#10 ·
So I put the new rear suspension in along with the 12 bolt. I put the insulators on the top only, and clocked the springs according to what I've read the manual says.

After jacking up the axle and installing the shocks, my pinion angle is off - but I expected that, as I have the TA performance no hop bars and also adjustable upper arms which I set to stock length for a starting point, so it landed pretty much exactly as I thought it would.

The interesting thing is how the springs are sitting on the rear end perches. I can see why they said to clock them as I did, as the way the spring is shaped, with them clocked as they are (upper spring end is pointing towards the passenger side of the car on both springs) the lower spring coil actually catches the spring perch on the axle nicely as it rotates up. If they were clocked differently the spring wouldn't maintain as nice of a contact with the axle spring perch as the axle rotates under acceleration.

Next will be to shorten the upper arms to get the pinion angle back where it should be.

Thanks for the help all.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top