7 leaf in replace of 9 leaf

[Chiller]

Hi Everyone,
I made it back early from IRAQ. Thank you to all for the support! I need to get my vette back on the road. I need to replace the rear leaf springs. I was wondering if it was possible to upgrade to a 7 leaf set of springs instead of a 9 leaf set ? How much of a hassle is this? My understanding is that this will make the vette handle better.
Chiller :confused

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

My understanding is that this will make the vette handle better.
Chiller :confused

Not sure if you I would call harder suspension 'better', but it's your car. Swapping springs is a pretty easy job, easy to do at home in an afternoon.

 

[74bigblock]

Get a fiberglass spring and never touch it again.

 

[lnirenberg]

Get a fiberglass spring and never touch it again.

Make that 2 for the fiberglass.

 

[Chiller]

My understanding is that when you install a fiberglass spring you have to protect it from heat. How difficult is that ? (How long to install and expense?) How does the fiberglass react to cold weather? While I'm here. I had the two rear bolts that hold the spring assembly to the rearend shear off. Has any one had this happen to them before?

Get a fiberglass spring and never touch it again.

 

[JOE BYRNE]

I had one break off and had to replace the rear differential cover...not fun. You have to spray those bolts down with PB blaster and let them soak

 

[JohnZ]

I had the two rear bolts that hold the spring assembly to the rearend shear off. Has any one had this happen to them before?

Did the bolts break, or did the cast ears they thread into break off the cover? Failure to follow the Shop Manual instructions (don't torque those bolts until the car is on the ground with the spring under load, at design height) will almost guarantee ears broken off the cover.

 

[Chiller]

I have not tried to replace the springs yet. The bolts sheared off during driving. I think that it might have happened when the headers bottomed out in a dip in the road. The individual leaves started to separate(turn)

 

[74bigblock]

When I first bought my car it had the fiberglass spring in it. There was no insulation and the spring was fine with standard exhaust out the back running a 425HP big block. I now have Hooker side exhaust.

I have never had a problem driving in the cold. You may notice a slightly stiffer ride, but that is common in all vehicles in the cold.

As for your bolts getting sheared off... if you have the spring off already, you might as well just replace your rear end cover ($75 at Muskegon Brakes), or at least take it off so you can get the remainder of the bolts out easily.

The fiberglass spring also comes in different #age ratings... so you can customize your ride quality. Not to mention they only weigh like 5 lbs... saves you weight, and you can put it in without any help. Should you go this route... make sure to go with Poly end links (and if you want, get the longer link bolts and you can adjust your ride height too).

I just rebuilt my entire rear end... so this is all fresh in my mind.... see!

 

[80convertible]

I chose to stay with a steel spring when I rebuilt my rear suspension due to postings about cracked fiberglass springs... 7 leaf. I know this is a rare occurance but I decided to stay with steel. You can easily change to a 7 leaf. You may need to adjust the rear ride height but that's about it. Also, be aware that older vettes used a 2-1/4" width spring while your year used a 2-1/2" I think. Make sure that if you stay with a steel spring you order the correct width spring. If you replace your rear diff cover, I believe the catalog (Muskegon) offers a cover for both a 2-1/4" and 2-1/2" spring (don't have the catalog in front of me right now).

 

[ruby76]

I have not tried to replace the springs yet. The bolts sheared off during driving. I think that it might have happened when the headers bottomed out in a dip in the road. The individual leaves started to separate(turn)

replace that spring before going ANYWHERE else in the vette: Mine "turned" too when one of my bolts broke, then BANG screeeeeeeeeeeeech while driving...
It's fairly easy to replace the rear spring. I replaced my 9 leaf with a HD 7 leaf on my 76.

 

[Chiller]

Bolt tightness before let down.

How tight(torque?) should the bolts be before I let the car down? This info is not in the instructions.

Failure to follow the Shop Manual instructions (don't torque those bolts until the car is on the ground with the spring under load, at design height) will almost guarantee ears broken off the cover.

 

[JOE BYRNE]

snug them up .....lower to the ground and tighten to specs