Chevy Impala SS Forum banner

Possible alternative for rear springs..

325 views 4 replies 0 participants last post by  DaytonaFBody 
G
#1 ·
I think I found a possible alternative to the rear spring problem. I installed the stock FRONT springs in the REAR of my 9C1 from a 93 Camaro Z28 (I have a set of stock springs from my other car).

They are slightly bigger than the pigtails in diameter, the entire way top to bottom, similar to Caprice/Impala front springs. The first coil is slightly smaller in dimater than the rest, which makes it hard to fit on the mount, but I bet if I cut that coil off it would sit PERFECT with 1.5 coils off the front. Currently the front sits with the 225/70/15 tires with a tiny wheel gap. The rear has about 2" of wheel gap.

The specs on the Camaro springs - They are a lot stiffer (260 lb/in), and lowered the car slightly from 9C1. I've only had them in for 1 day now, but I've had no problems so far. I think the load rating should be fine, since they're V8 FRONT springs from a heavy sports car.

What I did like is these springs are able to be cut, unlike the stock rear springs, and still stay in the mounts due to their smaller diameter. No pigtail BS, cut as much as you want.

What do y'all think?
 
See less See more
G
#2 ·
As long as the ends lock them in positively, you should be OK as far as "fitting". I agree that load rating shouldn't be an issue here.....they'll be fine.

Now as far as rate : I'm guessing you haven't tried a WOT launch from a stop yet with them
. On MY car, there is a HUGE difference (for the worse) in being able to launch the car from stock springs (160 lb/in) to 210 lb/in springs. Lots more wheelspin with the stiffer springs, the weight just won't transfer as well.

I would guess that with 260 lb/in, I'd be able to spin the rear tires (315s in my case.....can't imagine this with 225s :eek: ) at will at ANY time in 1st gear (T56, 3.73s).

It'll definitely ride rougher
. I notice a big change in ride quality (for the worse) from the 160 lb/in springs to the 210 lb/in ones.

Handling wise, they should help.....no doubt about that. You'd probably wanna play around with front rate (both springs and bar) as well as rear bar (but guessing here that the stock 9C1 rear bar will be a good match on this one....) to match things up as far as front/rear balance.

Sounds like an interesting experiment in the making....
 
G
#3 ·
If the spring "fits" well on the top and bottom perch then it should stay OK. I am concerned with a rate of 260 - that is almost twice the stock rate of approx. 140.

Cutting coils of the spring will cause this rate to increase even further.

difficulties I would expect to encounter as with rates this high are: ride harshness, less weight transfer during launch, and over steer especially when "on the throttle".

Sprung this stiff might be tough to live with on the streets! I tried a 220LB spring
on my SS and with the HA bar the car was so loose (Oversteer) it was not safe to drive.
 
G
#5 ·
Yeah I see what y'all mean! Wheelspin is hard to control even with a badly slipping tranny that's missing gears! I'd hate to see 3.73 gears and a 3000 stall. On the positive side, body roll was significantly decreased and handling was improved.

I guess off to the drawing boards again... I think I'm going to try to find something to positively hold a cut stock rear spring... I was thinking something like a hollow steel/iron pipe, a little less diameter than the spring itself, welded or bolted up to the top spring perch. It doesn't really have to hold weight, just stop the spring from moving around...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top