new spring

[kraz]

hi i just replaced my rear monoleaf spring in my 93 i got it from vbp thay said it would be a direct replacement but the vbp spring is mutch thicker then stock the mounting blocks on the new spring is thicker to so i put it on and to no suprise the mounting brackets do not snug up flush is this sefe to drive like this? thnks keaz

 

[boomdriver]

you need special shims for that mount. I would NOT drive it loose. Thats how things break.

 

[kraz]

hi, could you tell me what type of shims i need and who sells them? do you think regular washers will do? thanks kraz

 

[gmjunkie]

hi, could you tell me what type of shims i need and who sells them? do you think regular washers will do? thanks kraz

NO,You can't use washers,Do it right or "Please Step away from the Car"!!! The Life you save might be 1 of my family,grandchildren or friends!!
There should have been plenty with the old spring!!The shims are getting harder and harder to get!!Last ones I bought I ordered at my local Chevrolet dealer about 2 years ago,They come in different thicknesses!

Good Luck!!

 

[kraz]

hi, i dident explain my problem to well those shims you are showing do not go back on the new spring the new spring mounting blocks are larger in thckness then the stock spring so my problem is the MOUNTING BRACKETS thay are to short with the new spring and if i add the shims you are talkingabout it would be even shorter thanks kraz

 

[Hib Halverson]

First thing I would do, if the VBP spring doesn't fit the way they said it would is to contact Vette Brake, explain the problem as ask them what to do.

Do no discard those shims because, like the Junk man says, they are nearly impossible to obtain.

If you remove the rear shims and the spring is still too think for the mounting caps, then I'd call Vette Brakes and ask them why a spring that is supposed to be a direct fit does not fit.

 

[boomdriver]

yep,
Like Hib says, Send it back or call the people you bought it from. They sent you the wrong spring. These springs have a 1/2 doz different designs, but ONLY ONE mounting profile....with shims to get it perfectly snug, not loose, not jammed tight,.

 

[kraz]

hi, i called vbp the place i bought the spring from and thay said to use washers to fill the gap and thay also said that it was the right spring thay sent me .

 

[boomdriver]

Great customer service !

I guess their highly engineered OEM reproduction spring was designed to work with washers? I wonder what was wrong with making a part that actually FIT right and was safe to use?

I'd send ANYTHING back that was soooo generic and poor in quality that the mfg advised a "fix" with washers. It should fit RIGHT or go back where it came from. 2nd rate parts do not do well on 1st class cars.

Buy a spring from a reputable vette store like mid america, ecklers, someone that has a reputation for quality products.
Who knows what else this spring will fit, but its safe to say that it does NOT fit a corvette.
I'd send it back and demand a refund.

 

[kraz]

hi i got the spring from mid america and thay got it from v.b.p. kraz i tryed to buy it from gm but the spring is nolonger made from them kraz

 

[boomdriver]

well, to me thats seems odd....
I have to believe that something as simple as the dimensions of a composite spring would be EXACT in reproduction parts. Those are reputable after market parts dealers. I have bought things from them before, but everything that I saw actually fit right. It's just very hard for me to believe that it's OK to re-engineer with washers as they tell you to do....I'd love to speak to the guy that said that.

It's your decision, but for me, parts fit right, or if they don;t, I will not accept them.When one of these parts "salesmen" wants to use washers on HIS car, he can...

If washers were acceptable, GM would have used them.
Used springs are available in ALL the c-4 suspension kits and weights and cost 1/2 of what these repro springs cost, and do the same job. Composite springs do not get 'weak' with age like steel does. It either holds it shape or it breaks. Nothing much inbetween. Used springs are very cost effective. Just buy one thats in good physical shape with no dings or cracks. I have an original Z-51 rear spring off an '84 thats as solid as a rock (in more than one way) and only cost $150.

Those little aluminum rear spring mounting brackets are real easy to break. They crack with uneven torque on one of the 2 bolts, and I think its safe to assume that a poor fit under a stack of washers qualifies as an improper fit. Breaking a spring or the mounts while driving can ruin a good day. On the freeway,. it could be worse.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Schrade]

hi, i called vbp the place i bought the spring from and thay said to use washers to fill the gap and thay also said that it was the right spring thay sent me .

"said" use washers?

GET IT IN WRITING from them. Words go away when the sound stops. Paper don't lie when the court case goes to the bench.

 

[rcr29kh]

Think I'd be sending the spring back and continue shopping--no way on the washers, either verbally or in writing.