[shiftydr]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the PY forum community again as the forums have once again proved to be an invaluable resource! I recently began a rear end swap on my 1970 LeMans coupe and ran into a curious situation when attempting to preload the new rear springs and control arms. No matter how I tried to attain the proper clearance between the axle tube and frame I was no where close to the measurement in my assembly manual. Everything looked normal. After all, I pulled the axle assembly out of a 1969 442 that I parted out 20 years ago. I had disassembled the rear, replaced all the bearings and seals, even cleaned and painted it. I tried compressing the new springs by lifting the axle from the center with a floor jack - no dice! With the shocks disconnected the whole car would lift off of the jack stands, and I still couldn't set the axle any closer that 7-8 inches away from the frame rail. The specification calls for 4.68 +/- .25 inches. WTF? This has gone on for a couple of days, with valuable spare time expended. I then did what I should have done in the first place, searched the forum for info! Sure enough I found this thread, and I might not have even stopped to read it, but then I saw Greg's picture of those "booster spacers" that he found under his rear springs. Zow! They look just like the ones on my axle. I would never thought to even question those - they were as dirty and corroded looking as the whole axle assembly! I live in the northeastern part of the country so everything older here usually has a slightly rusty patina.
So it looks like I'll be headed back out into the cold garage to remove my recently installed axle, new springs, and at least the upper control arms, so that I can get those old speed shop spacers out of there! Gee I wonder if that's why my 1967 GTO sits high in the back as well? Yet, another job for some other day.
Thanks again to all who participate on this forum for lending me your knowledge, and common sense, it is truly invaluable the older these cars become.
Shiftydr

[Blue '66]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

You're sharp as a tack JTT99.
Here's what I found under my springs. Just never noticed them before I went to change the wheels and pull the drums while I was at it. Just like that, I noticed these 'things' under the springs.






As you said, easy to take out. Springs still had the old paper tags on them. Rubber insulators were not even cracked. This car is really in better shape than I first thought. It's been sitting for several years. It was in a bit of high water and has dried mud, sticks and leaves in almost every crevice so it just needed a GOOD cleaning up. After over 2 years, I'm finally getting to all that.

Some of the spacers (homade) were installed on my car back in the mid 80s when my car was restored.They could not find a suitable set of rear springs to make the rear set up.It sat too high for me too

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by shiftydr

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the PY forum community again as the forums have once again proved to be an invaluable resource! I recently began a rear end swap on my 1970 LeMans coupe and ran into a curious situation when attempting to preload the new rear springs and control arms. No matter how I tried to attain the proper clearance between the axle tube and frame I was no where close to the measurement in my assembly manual. Everything looked normal. After all, I pulled the axle assembly out of a 1969 442 that I parted out 20 years ago. I had disassembled the rear, replaced all the bearings and seals, even cleaned and painted it. I tried compressing the new springs by lifting the axle from the center with a floor jack - no dice! With the shocks disconnected the whole car would lift off of the jack stands, and I still couldn't set the axle any closer that 7-8 inches away from the frame rail. The specification calls for 4.68 +/- .25 inches. WTF? This has gone on for a couple of days, with valuable spare time expended. I then did what I should have done in the first place, searched the forum for info! Sure enough I found this thread, and I might not have even stopped to read it, but then I saw Greg's picture of those "booster spacers" that he found under his rear springs. Zow! They look just like the ones on my axle. I would never thought to even question those - they were as dirty and corroded looking as the whole axle assembly! I live in the northeastern part of the country so everything older here usually has a slightly rusty patina.
So it looks like I'll be headed back out into the cold garage to remove my recently installed axle, new springs, and at least the upper control arms, so that I can get those old speed shop spacers out of there! Gee I wonder if that's why my 1967 GTO sits high in the back as well? Yet, another job for some other day.
Thanks again to all who participate on this forum for lending me your knowledge, and common sense, it is truly invaluable the older these cars become.
Shiftydr

I'm glad that helped you shiftydr. I know I spend way too much time on these forums but I know that what all the users here are doing is building a vast library of knowledge posted here by experts and novices alike. Sometimes you have to fish through a bit of MIS-information....guilty of that myself.... but usually, the RIGHT answer is forthcoming and is within a few posts.