Hello all! New member/owner here with a question. I just purchased a 1973 Lesabre for a summer cruiser. The rear sits a bit lower than I would like. I work in a fairly large performance/tire/service shop so I can get parts pretty cheap. My question is, will the Moog rear springs designed as an OEM replacement for a 73 Estate wagon (pn 5549 $63.00/pr my cost) make the rear of my car sit taller and/or will they actually work in my car. If not, does anyone else have an idea of what I can use? I did a search and chased a couple of leads but a lot of what I found concerned lowering springs. I will be replacing the shocks as well as the springs in the rear/front. Any thoughts?
I may be wrong, but I think the '73 Estate Wagons used leaf springs. Maybe an earlier wagon, perhaps a '70 may fit. Since you don't need to connect the shocks just to test them, what we used to do when I worked for Firestone was to try different springs until we got the height we wanted. Try some cargo coils, perhaps from a Cadillac hearse or something. Only thing you can do if you can't find one to your liking is to use a spacer on the spring seats if they still make them.
Well folks, It seems that I have found what I need. I talked to a MOOG tech guy yesterday and he gave me a good part number. He said the MOOG 5549 was a heavy duty spring for my car and will lift it abount an inch in the rear. I have a set that will be here at my shop today and only cost me 65.00 for the pair. Any things I should take into consideration with the install?
Just be careful.......if you raise it up too high, the shocks will "top out" as you drive over bumps in the road. You would need to install shock extenders if you raise her up too much.
I am going to add the heavy duty shocks for the rear that match the springs. Everything should come out great.
