[catzodellamarina]

My Malibu with a 327 has some front spring issues. They look newer (no rust) but are not very firm. My tires are 215-65-15. Driver side height from ground to fender chrome is 26.25 in. Passenger height = 25.5. I get quite a bit of body roll when taking corners. The passenger side really dips. One time I hit a pot hole on that side and my rally ring and cap went flying off. I am considering coil overs and a new sway bar. For now I want to bandaid the situation. Would it be OK to put in one of those rubber coil spring spacers on the low side?

 

[Kirk's67SS]

When putting a 1" Rubber Spacer on the Front End of a Car it will Raise the Height by 1.5"

Other wise putting it on the Low side should be okay

 

[B52bombardier1]

I'm running a UMI 1.25 inch front sway bar and their 1.00 rear sway bar - not much body roll here. UMI Viking front coil overs on very stiff compression and rebound settings - all in all, not a bad ride.

Rick

 

[oldcutlass]

Your issue in height could be as simple as the springs not being clocked correctly. How old are your shocks?

 

[bobm67]

I have a 67 327 with factory A/C, F70-14 tires 29.40 inches tall. My car height is 27" to center of fender chrome. I have eaton stock springs and I am very happy with the ride and handling. Hope this helps.

 

[Kirk's67SS]

Before I changed the Stock Front SBC Springs on my 67 with the BBC that I Swapped in
the Ground to Under Fender Lip was 27" with a Wheel / Tire Combo of
15"x 7" BS 3.50” / 205/75R15 – TreadWidth 6.25” /SideWallsWidth 8"/ Dia 27.1"

 

[hydro462]

I use factory 69 el Camino springs, Bilstine shocks, Hellwig front sway bar no rear bar. I have SC&C front control arms and Spohn rear adjustable arms. Absolutely no body lean on tight turns...

 

[dasa2131]

Take a look into the various choices of front coil-overs. I got the QA1's with 550 lb/inch springs - they are worth every penny! When you start shopping for any coil-overs, make sure you also get the needle-thrust bearings and the two adjustment wrenches. You'll really like the ability to quickly change your ride height. All you need to do is jack up the front end of you car, remove the wheels/tires, and start adjusting the coilovers. A few others already suggested a good front sway bar - look into getting the 1.125" or 1.25" dia versions.

Let us know what you decide to go with - good luck!

Dave

 

[catzodellamarina]

Thanks for all the wonderful input. I like the idea of being able to adjust my height with a coilover but I also don't mind going traditional with a good set of coils and new shocks. My shocks appear to be same age as my coils. Probably mid 90's with only Sunday or good weather milage.

 

[2/75NastyNewbs]

I use factory 69 el Camino springs, Bilstine shocks, Hellwig front sway bar no rear bar. I have SC&C front control arms and Spohn rear adjustable arms. Absolutely no body lean on tight turns...

In your opinion, is running no sway bar in the rear better than running one of the kinds that bolt to the rear lower arms? I’m asking because I’m too lazy to install my fancy spohn sway bar and just bolted back in the old sway bar. I’m wondering if running no sway bar would be better. I mean I could just pull it out. Takes less than 5 minutes. 4 bolts. Did I mention I’m lazy? Lol

 

[billdini]

I am running Moog HD 17 inch free height 11 inch springs installed on my 68 and sits a bit high. I think a normal Moog spring would be a better choice unless you want better handling and although mine rides good it could be a bit softer. However I am also running larger front end rear sway bars and Bilstein shocks that I highly recommend.

 

[catzodellamarina]

I lucked out 20+ years ago when I replaced my springs and shocks on my 69' Camaro with lowering/performance springs and KYB shocks. The springs had a blue rubberized coating. I didn't do months of research. I just picked the stuff from a catalog (Summit, NPD, or Year One) because the parts were affordable and cool. I had my local Midas shop install them. The upgrade was an amazing difference. That would be ideal if I could luck out again with an upgrade like that.
Now days there are so many options, so confusing. On average, is a traditional "set it and forget it" Spring/Shock combo less expensive than Coil-Overs? I see YouTube videos of guys replacing an upgrade they were running for a year with another upgrade. I don't have that kind of budget to experiment with my money. I see that coil-overs are rated at pounds per inch. Not sure which one is a good fit for me. I'm glad that I have this forum as a resource to reference when I'm comparing products.

 

[catzodellamarina]

I bought a pair of BMR front lowering (1 inch) springs. They looked so much shorter than the stock springs. When installed they stiffened up but kept the ride height about the same. I guess the old springs were really worn. Now the low passenger side is only 1/2 inch lower. Bugs me but I guess I gotta live with it.

Sway bar upgrade is next.

 

[LaVelle]

Issus in the rear can affect the front.
A stuck rear shock or bad spring, can make a front corner dip up/down.

 

[catzodellamarina]

It is exactly 1/2 inch lower on the same side in the rear. I'm planning on replacing the air shocks too.