I am replace the front and rear coil springs on my 69 sportwagon. I replaced the original 350-2 a/c with a 430-4 a/c. Should I stick with the stock replacement springs or should I choose something different? The local parts store carries TRW brand springs. Are these a quality choice. This car will be used for weekend cruising not for racing. Any help would be appreciated.
Just trying to educate myself on classic restoration/improvement; When it came time to replace the shocks and springs on my '96, there is a *wealth* of knowledge on performance-tuning the B-bodies (due in large part to the Impala SS folks, but also because there are a lot of gear-heads ho fell in love with the LT1-powered wagons (see this month's Car&Driver). I ended up going with progressive-rate performance springs from Voigtland on all 4 corners and love them. They offer the luxurous big American ride for the first few inches of travel, but then firm up quickly, so the car corners nice and flat. These would have been great on a number of 60's and 70's muscle cars I've owned (or the '62 Lincoln). I'm wondering if progressive rate springs are a common upgrade on classics nowadays and how easy they are to source for something like a '69 SportWagon. -Scott
On my 69 sportwagon 400 I used stock -GS350 with air- front springs. The rear I used stock as well,but added air bags.I also use the 15" steel wheels to get road clearance.Good luck with the wagon!!!
I would think with the heavier big block, if you stayed with the stock springs your front would sag slightly and have more bounce because the spring rate would be less than big block springs. You may want to go with a slightly stiffer spring up front and keep the stockers out back.
if you really want a stiff suspension and raise it up a few more inches u can put 1/2 truck coils under it. i do that to my derby cars. makes a big differencs
what result are your looking for? Gasser look (real high) stock look (ass-end lower then the front) muscle car/hot rod (jacked up in the back) low rider, etc.? RE: Is really a crap shoot finding right springs for a classic wagon. Few of the performance companies make wagon-specific springs & upgrades like spindles, engine, radiator, etc. change weight & therefore what stock equipment will deliver. Variable weight or cargo springs are cool, in theory, but try finding ones for a 40 year old wagon from a catalog. My recommendation is to find a spring shop in your area & talk with them about what you've got & what you want. RE: Is likely that not even they know what exactly to put in your ride & once they have it in their shop, they can pull a variety of springs, & see what works best. There are a few spring shops in my area, all of which focus primarily on truck (heavy equipment) market, but at least one of them has car springs in stock & willingness/expertise to f around with my 66 special wagon. Alternatively, find a mail order/web-supplier that will give full refund (no questions asked), as you'll go thru a few sets before you find just what you want.
I used chevelle bigblock w/ac coils up front and 68 3/4 ton chevy truck coils in rear. I cut the the pig tail off the top of the rear, and they sat right in the perch, and the bottom had the right size pigtail to bolt to my rearend. I did this after ordering 4 different sets of springs and they were all to soft. the car sits level and at a nice driver height. It also corners a whole lot better! The whole spring ordeal was a nightmare. everyone knows front springs are a pain, without having to do them 4 times. By the way, my sportwagon has a 455 with air. good luck
Im just looking for the car to sit like it did from the factory. I just figured I should put beefier springs in front because of the bigger motor. The local parts house has a listing for big block chevy A-bodied wagon springs which should be the same but have not gotten that far yet. Thanks to all who replied.
I highly recommend these guys. http://www.eatonsprings.com/ They made springs for GM. for years. My wagon is A 70 sportwagon with A 455 and no air. It was sagging bad in the front from the engine swap and the rears were just shot with rubber spacers crammed in. I called them up told them I had A 455 in the car and wanted it to sit about one inch higher than stock and the results were perfect.
