- This topic has 10 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated November 7, 2008 at 1:58 pm by
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I have some tire clearance problems in the rear and am looking to raise the rear of the car a bit. It has the original springs and they are tired. I understand that re-arching only lasts a few months and I don’t really want to go to air shocks to raise the rear of the car. Any suggestions for replacement springs, bolt on add-a-springs or other creative solutions would be appreciated.
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I haven’t heard that re-arching doesn’t last. I would think that there may be some settling, but if they over-arch them slightly, they should settle around the desired point.
If you want to try something else, you could have some special longer rear brackets made to replace the stock ones that connect the springs to the rear mounts. If you make them, say about 1 1/2 inches longer, it will raise the rear about 3/4 inch I guess. Put some extra holes in so that you can change the setting easily.
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Beats me. I just did a preliminary search and found two places that advertised re-arching springs and they both said that the springs have a memory and would settle back to the original position in 3-12 months. They both also said to add a leaf. Maybe they were trying to sell their add-a-leaf products. I guess I could go back to a smaller tire and wheel but it really looks good with the 13s up front and 14s in the back.
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I have had a number of springs re-arched without problem, broken leaves replaced, and extra leafs added.
The springs will settle so the shop will lift them higher. Also if you tell them you want the ride height to be increased (such as an 1″) then they can do that also. The spring shop can tell you how much they need to increase the arch to achieve your goal.
Someone mentioned longer rear brackets (or shackles) I wouldn’t do that, since obviously your springs have aged (not gracefully) and the longer shackle will add some slop (flexing) to the rear suspension.
Paul B
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quote daddytiger64:I have had a number of springs re-arched without problem, broken leaves replaced, and extra leafs added.
The springs will settle so the shop will lift them higher. Also if you tell them you want the ride height to be increased (such as an 1″) then they can do that also. The spring shop can tell you how much they need to increase the arch to achieve your goal.
Someone mentioned longer rear brackets (or shackles) I wouldn’t do that, since obviously your springs have aged (not gracefully) and the longer shackle will add some slop (flexing) to the rear suspension.
Paul B
I agree but when I built my 62 I had to use longer shackles due to overall height and clearances for the uncut ford 8 inch rear end.I also added the straight shocks and in 20 plus years never had a problem.The shacles need to have the plate welded across to make them as per original.This eliminates that old sloppy feeling
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For rear springs check http://www.dalesresto.com
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At least it is nice to have the option of both sides of the fence. I had done some looking but was not aware that Dales stocked new rear springs. New would have been my first choice if I had realized they were out there. For comparison, new springs for my Ranger pickup are the same price. Granted, I will have to pay shipping but it will be nice to know that another 40 year old part has been replaced and I won’t have to worry about it for another 40 years. Well, maybe that is optimistic considering the driver would be close to a hundred by then.
I do appreciate all of the input. The forum works.
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With this screwed up economy, my priorities for the car have gone through some changes. I had to rebuild the front suspension a couple of months ago due to crossmember failure and spent a ton of $$ even though I already had many of the parts. I installed a pair of "new" forty year old springs and it raised the front of the car about 1.5". It looked kind of silly with the front high and the rear squatting so I made the budget driven decision to re-arch rather than replace. When I went to the spring shop, they recommended that I just add a leaf first and then see if I still needed to re-arch. They added a leaf about 50% thicker than the others and, to make a long story short, it raised the rear about 1.5" While I was at it, I decided to install the bolt-on Traction Masters that had been sitting on a shelf and will now have to find a deserted stretch of road to see if they really work.
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