http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/extraheavyduty.html

I'm going to put new shocks on my 63 and am considering replacing the leaf springs at the same time.

Would these be good? I'm not looking for anything over stiff or anything, but a good stock replacement or something slightly firmer.

I wasn't planning on replacing any suspension this year, but with the new rims and tires I bought, I think I'll need to raise the back end (And it will look cool with the new paint, etc.). But at the same time, I want to consider how the two will eventually work together.

I will also replace the torsion bars in the future and wouldn't mind something stiffer as well. would the 1" ones from Just Suspension be a good bet?

Otherwise, I did get a quote for 5-leaf springs from ESPO, so I see two good options for me.

Thanks for your help!!

Those will definitely be quite a bit stiffer than stock, and would match well to 1" tbars or similar. If you get these, I highly recommend the Edelbrock IAS shocks. Stock or KYB shocks will not damp these stiffer springs/bars adequately.

I haven't used Espo, but I've heard good things. They might make you something less stiff than the XHD Mopar springs, which might be good for your use (not sure).

What are you looking for out of the car? Performance handling? Mostly just more load carrying? What wheels/tires did you get?

Cheers,

Lou

PS: thanks for starting a new thread...

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I'm just looking for a nice driver. It's too spongy now.

My initial plan was to get the KYB shocks (which I now have) and address the springs and torsion bars in the future, since I'm getting the body done now.

My buddy who's doing the body work is going to machine some new shackles that will allow me to raise the rear up to 3", so I could just go that route alone and see what it handles like w/new shocks.

I've got four boxes of 14" Cragars and 4 195 70R14 tires in my garage waiting for the new maroon to be applied. (This is why the talk of springs came up, the rears might have some clearance issues)

I'm also having trouble locating some smaller torsion bars than the 1" ones. Where's a good source for smaller t-bars?

Sorry about almost hijacking that other thread. Thought it was more related and I was in a hurry.

I was looking at the 0.940" FFI tbars. They have 3 tbars under 1" but I hear they are a bit pricier than others.

I installed a set of 0.940â€￾ FFI bars, and like them. Not too stiff, and not too sloppy.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

FFI makes nice bars. You should be able to find 0.890" or 0.920" Mopar bars on Ebay or still in stock at some houses like Manciniracing.com. For a simple driver with a little more firmness, 0.890" or 0.920" will be more than enough.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Raising the car with longer shackles will not change the stiffness of the springs. If you look closely at your springs, you will see the arch is lost in the top spring between where the second spring down ends and the shackle is. This happened to my new springs as well, and in very short order. So I took the springs out, took the spring pack apart, and added a longer 2nd spring made by cutting the eyes off an old top spring. This raised it too much, but provided the stiffness I was looking for. I then took the front spring perch boxes and turned them over to lower the rear back down an inch. I think I swapped them from side to side to make this work. You can purchase lowering front boxes from Andy F. Actually, it has been a long time since I did this, and I might have simply bought the new boxes from him. But those are the two routes you can go. You can also put lowering blocks between the axle and the spring pack.

In any event, if you make the rear springs stiffer, you may end up wanting to lower them in some way. But I think the car will handle better with the stiffer springs.

Sam

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I know that raising it will not increase stiffness. I need tire clearance and a cool stance. I'll firm up the suspension with new springs and torsion bars in the future.

In my opinion, using long shackles to raise the rear is a very trashy-looking way to go about it.

Don't get me wrong, I did the same thing to my Swinger back in the 80's. But another thing I found was that it made the car's handling downright DANGEROUS when driven "enthusiastically".

If all you plan to do is putter around at or below the speed limit, you might be okay. But otherwise, there's a much safer/better/more tasteful way to raise the rear of the car: pay the $$$ and get high-lift leaf springs.

Just my $.02. Good luck!

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vm

I can't say that I thought I'd ever consider getting adjustable shackles before, but let's just say that I've been spending a bunch on the bodywork this summer, so I'm going to put off springs and torsion bars until next summer. (I'm only half in charge of our money )

I don't drive very enthusiastically, and I don't think I'll see the shackles sticking out under the rear quarters, so at least it won't look bad. I look at it kind of as a fix now until I can get the new springs next year.

Another option you might consider is having your springs re-arched and/or adding a leaf. You could check around for a spring shop that could do the work locally (I think it can be fairly cheap). We don't seem to have any such shops around here, but I hear guys talk about them elsewhere all the time on various forums. It's worth looking into, and a fix that would last longer than extended shackles.

Good luck!

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vm

My 73 had jacked up shackles on it when purchased. It was a bad idea that wrecked the springs. They were Ss rather than arcs. After searching around, I replaced them with a five leaf spring from McVeigh springs.

The price on the spring was good. It provided about an inch of lift over stock on the rear end. As messed up as my springs were it turned a tail dragger into a bit of a lifter. I like the stance. Ride quality is still very acceptable.

Normally, stiffening the rear suspension will make the car understeer more. I'm not able to advise you how just changing the rear spring affected my car. This was part of a larger project that included BBP/DB conversion along with adding a front anti-sway bar.

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You can't fix stupid. - Ron White

I put the Mopar Performance springs on my '70 Satellite (used two left springs; left/right set is only used with 426 and 440 engines). The ride is very harsh, and there's now a body resonance that makes a horrible drone. I still need to change the /6 torsion bars. I'm using MonroMatic shocks.

Take a look at www.eatonsprings.com for the specs of the various stock springs, as well as a wealth of general technical info. e.g. you can't just "add a leaf" and expect the spring to work as designed.

Ken

Raised shackles are a BAD idea , changes suspension geometry and the forces that act on mounting points and frame . Best to re-arch the springs maybe add a leaf , but make sure the shop adds the right leaf . I have seen cracked frames and all kinds of damage resulting from jacked shackles