Welcome to the Corvette Forums at the Corvette Action Center!

Coil Springs what would you do?

Vref

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
115
Location
Conroe, TX
Corvette
65 Roadster
Would you blast and powder coat or buy a new one? Its 40 years old do they wear out?
The car was sitting low, but all the rubber is gone and the ball joints move with my fingertips.
65 327/350

Coil.JPG
 
BE SAFE...... DO the right thing. Ball joints etc.There are two things I don't take for granted steering and brakes. Just my 2cents. Mark.
 
If the car isn't sitting the way you want it to, replace the springs. If it is, don't. New springs may equal new ride height!
 
Agreed if the ride height is correct, leave well enough alone. There may be height problem with new springs
 
Someone already replaced the springs - the originals were variable-rate with progressive coil spacing, and those are constant-rate; 1963 was the only midyear that used constant-rate front springs.
:beer
 
John I emailed the guy who bought the car new in 1965 and asked him if he changed the springs, here is what he said

Negative, That stuff in the front end is what was on it when I bought
the car in 1965. There would be no reason for me to change something like that.
The only thing that I could think of that might have some baring on
that, was that the auto workers at Chevrolet were on strike around
that time. That is the reason that there are a few things that are
not 1965 items like the metal plate that was under the filler cap for
the oil in the differential, all the experts say that in 1965 that
was a red fiberboard plate. but when the factory needed to complete a
car they used what ever they could get there hands on from stock.
I have no idea what would be the difference in a coil spring what is
the difference in the two that the expert says, is different. Sounds
very strange to me. Leo
ps I' an not that much of an expert on some of that stuff but I don't
believe that the Corvette had different springs than were installed
on any chevy passenger car coming down the assembly line.
 
The guy probably means well, but he's read too many "stories about the assembly line", and, unfortunately, believes them :eyerole . Front springs were unique to the Corvette, and weren't used on any other car line.

The only '64-up midyears that used constant-rate springs like the one in the photo were big-blocks or RPO F40 HD Suspension, and in '65, F40 was only available with the L78 (396/425hp) or with L84 (Fuel Injection).

There's always the possibility that the car was built with the wrong (F40) springs and got past the inspectors, but that's highly unlikely. F40 springs had a free length of 14-1/4" and were wound from wire .600" in diameter - how does that compare with yours?

:beer
 
JohnZ said:
The guy probably means well, but he's read too many "stories about the assembly line", and, unfortunately, believes them :eyerole . Front springs were unique to the Corvette, and weren't used on any other car line.

The only '64-up midyears that used constant-rate springs like the one in the photo were big-blocks or RPO F40 HD Suspension, and in '65, F40 was only available with the L78 (396/425hp) or with L84 (Fuel Injection).

There's always the possibility that the car was built with the wrong (F40) springs and got past the inspectors, but that's highly unlikely. F40 springs had a free length of 14-1/4" and were wound from wire .600" in diameter - how does that compare with yours?

:beer

They actually measure 16.5" free length, and the car still sat low. All the rubber is fried and ball joints are still original so go figure? The surface rust on the frame and the A arms are consistant with having the appearance of never being off the car. I am lost on this one.
 
To add, I just found a green sticker on the spring that has the letters ED printed on it.
 
In case your interested

As far as an assembly line strike, it happen during the month of October 1964, and lasted one month, so if you think it might have contributed to your spring issue, check your cars birthday.

Mine was scheduled for an early October, but the strike moved it back to November 16th 1964, and my serial number is 10280*

Stepinwolf
 
The springs had the "ED" tag swapped from another pair of springs at some point, or were mis-tagged from the spring plant to start with. The latter is unlikely, as the guys installing springs knew the obvious physical difference between variable-rate progressively coil-spaced standard springs and the constant-rate constant-spaced shorter (and much stiffer) F40 springs. At the time your car was built, F40 was only available (as an option) on L84 F.I. cars, and they were less than 3% of production. Photo below is a pair of original #3851100 springs, and the progressive coil spacing is quite obvious; the A.I.M. notes that the closely-spaced coils go at the top, in the frame pocket.
:beer
 
I'm counten approximittly 12 turns on the 1st top pic posted by "Verf"

I'm confused here.. I thought the max turns on the mid year springs were 10.

So what does this all mean??? Are they in fact the wrong springs Installed in Verf's Corvette. for his drive line option..??

:confused
 
This is one of those things, the guy who owned the car for 40 years has never changed them, he did the maintenance on the car himself, the tag is original and I have had 3 other people email me and tell me they also have constant rate springs in their early 65 and 64's, that were from the factory. Which leads me to believe its original, maybe not "correct" but original.

Maybe a small lot of springs got mis marked, maybe the dealer changed them, who knows. We all know it was kind of a sloppy assembly line in 1964 with some unhappy workers returning from a strike. So the mystery continues.
 
Viet Nam Vett said:
I'm counten approximittly 12 turns on the 1st top pic posted by "Verf"

I'm confused here.. I thought the max turns on the mid year springs were 10.

So what does this all mean??? Are they in fact the wrong springs Installed in Verf's Corvette. for his drive line option..??

:confused

Mark,

The specs I got from Chevrolet in the information packet they sent me are

Part number ---------------------------------------- 3851100
Type -------------------------------------------------- Right hand helix, variable rate
Material ---------------------------------------------- AISI A-5160, heat treated
Cutoff Length -------------------------------------- 168.50
Number of Coils (active, total) --------------- 10.67,12.00
Wire dia (theoretical) --------------------------- .600
Outside dia, max. at ends (theoretical) --- 5.19
Pitch dia (theoretical) ---------------------------- 4.40
Height Free ----------------------------------------- 15.40
Working (inches @ lb) -------------------------- 6.58 @ 1957
----------------------------------------------------------- 8.56 @ 1340 (design load)
-----------------------------------------------------------10.65 @ 932
Deflection rate (lb per inch) ------------------ @ design load @ Spring195
-----------------------------------------------------------@ Wheel (wheel rate)80


Dave
:beer
 
contact tony at kustom enterprises 724-468-5691 as he has the springs made and supplies most sellers.
 
Dave65 said:
Mark,

The specs I got from Chevrolet in the information packet they sent me are

Part number ---------------------------------------- 3851100
Type -------------------------------------------------- Right hand helix, variable rate
Material ---------------------------------------------- AISI A-5160, heat treated
Cutoff Length -------------------------------------- 168.50
Number of Coils (active, total) --------------- 10.67,12.00
Wire dia (theoretical) --------------------------- .600
Outside dia, max. at ends (theoretical) --- 5.19
Pitch dia (theoretical) ---------------------------- 4.40
Height Free ----------------------------------------- 15.40
Working (inches @ lb) -------------------------- 6.58 @ 1957
----------------------------------------------------------- 8.56 @ 1340 (design load)
-----------------------------------------------------------10.65 @ 932
Deflection rate (lb per inch) ------------------ @ design load @ Spring195
-----------------------------------------------------------@ Wheel (wheel rate)80


Dave
:beer

Thanks Dave.....:beer
 
Just my 2 cents, but several years ago, I compared the height measurements, front and rear, on my '65 roadster to those in the assembly manual and found that the rear was OK (new spring by previous owner), but the nose was down by more than 1-1/2 inches. I installed new springs and shocks and now the measurement is the same as the spec. Looks better as well. I avoided the "roas race/sport springs' and went with bone stock.

:D
 

Corvette Forums

Not a member of the Corvette Action Center?  Join now!  It's free!

Help support the Corvette Action Center!

Supporting Vendors

Dealers:

MacMulkin Chevrolet - The Second Largest Corvette Dealer in the Country!

Advertise with the Corvette Action Center!

Double Your Chances!

Our Partners

Back
Top Bottom