Author Topic: rear spring replacement (Read 448 times)

blue65coupe · « **on:** October, 13, 2008, 05:22:58 AM »

Ride height is perfect now with the "old" parts. Don't want to lower/raise anything. I get tire rub in the "dips" and need to eliminate. Need suggestions on what to replace the rear springs with. 4/4.5/5/stock/mid????? I'm not planning on changing the front springs anytime soon but when I do, I'll replace them with a stock spring as far as height goes. I'm leaning toward the 5 spring.....................................school me on springs please. BTW, fender rolling is out due to the 18 yr old paint.

cmayna · « **Reply #1 on:** October, 13, 2008, 10:37:52 AM »

Shiot man,
Just quit eating so many burritos.

If you won't roll the fenders, you will make it much harder to resolve this issue. What leafs are you using right now? Can they be old and weak causing you to dip out too much? I assume it is 4 leaf standard eye? If you go mid, you lower it an inch or two. Then again if the stock is really weak and soft, maybe it is lowering the car down below what a new 4.5 mideye would give you.

Just to make sure, when you say Ride height is perfect, is this the car's stance with no one sitting in it? If not clarify.

Some people have been able to roll old paint successfully by using a heat gun or hair dryer to soften up the paint a little during rolling.

blue65coupe · « **Reply #2 on:** October, 13, 2008, 11:07:54 AM »

Stance with no one in it. I'm really trying to decide between a stock 4 leaf and 5 leaf. I know the height is gonna raise a little til they settle, but I'm wondering if the 5s typically stay pretty close to the stance of 4s? I figure the extra spring will absorb a lot of "bounce". I pretty much need less "give" without changing the stance but also know different springs from different vendors sit different ways. Rolling is out of the question for my comfort level right now. Thanks

Starfury · « **Reply #3 on:** October, 13, 2008, 11:54:53 AM »

If you're getting rubbing, springs are not going to fix the problem. Fixing the problem means eliminating the clearance issue.

Rolling the fenders is the way to go. It will eliminate your clearance issues and keep you from having to swap springs. A heat gun helps. If you're really concerned, take it to a performance suspension shop and have them do it. Many of those shops have actual fender rolling tools that help minimize damage to the vehicle.

Swapping to 5 leaf springs is going to severely affect your ride quality, and still won't fix your problem. I have 4.5 leaf mid-eye springs on my '67fb and I love them, but I'm the type that likes a fairly harsh ride. I think 5 leafs would be too harsh even for me, and worse still on a lighter '65 car. And when going to aftermarket springs, you're never sure to get the proper ride height.

shbrandt · « **Reply #4 on:** October, 13, 2008, 01:31:47 PM »

My fenders are not rolled for the same reason. Don't want to take a chance and screw up the paint. I have four leaf springs with KYB gas adjust shocks, tin-man SFC and 225/60/15 tires. I found that the only rubbing I get is inside the wheel well toward the front on the car. There is a body seam there. My tires do not rub on the outter fender lip. I took a four pound hammer to the inside wheel well and fixed the rubbing problem, for the most part. If the car gets really twisted, then it will still rub slightly on one side.

tarafied1 · « **Reply #5 on:** October, 13, 2008, 01:51:02 PM »

I have 5 leaf "Grab-A-Track" std eye rear springs on my 67 Hardtop. Car sits higher then stock and ride hard. No rolled fenders and still with 3 people in the back seat, on a hard bumb the tires rub slightly. I hope this helps you a little.

blue65coupe · « **Reply #6 on:** October, 13, 2008, 02:17:08 PM »

Well, this just sucks. Thanks for the info guys. Looks like rolling is the only solution unless I run some bicycle tires. Not real comfortable with this considering the age of the paint and knowing how easily it chips. Thanks guys.

silverblueBP · « **Reply #7 on:** October, 15, 2008, 03:32:46 PM »

FWIW, I just rolled my front fenders last weekend. I painted the car in 02, so the paint is now old! I was able to use the Eastwood roller, a heat gun and lots of patience on the driver side to roll without paint damage.
On the pass side, my patience seemed to wander a bit and I rushed it......got a slight bit of cracking down low in the lip. It was my own fault, it CAN be done without damaging the paint.

I needed the extra clearance for a set of Bluestreaks that I'm running at the track this weekend, hope it's enough.