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#1
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Front coil springs
Bought a set from eaton, 1 inch lowering springs last year, i have the spc upper arms with the taller ball joints, & the umi lower arms with the taller ball joints.............since everyone that got the stock springs claimed they were too tall and you would need to cut...........thought i would just get the 1 inch lower...........that didnt turn out well, lol, the car is sitting a little too low for me now...........question is, when ordering new springs, do you take in account if you have alum heads, alum manifold, alum radiator..........looking to get a set from ks, cant remember the name right now...........already wasted 200 bucks on these eaton springs, dont want to waste another whatever the price of these new ones will be.
As long as im wasting your time on this, they say to index the springs top and bottom, how do you manage this when the springs ends are the same, not like stock. Rich |
#2
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Call Eaton. They should replace them for you if you bought through them. When I dealt with them, thats what they did for me. And yes, they should be taking into account all you've done to lighten the front end. As far as indexing goes, if you have the stock A arms the springs index into place. If they aren't doing that for you, I don't think its the spring.
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. Mark S . Who needs nice and pretty, when you can have mean and nasty? KRE Aluminum headed 463CID 73 LeMans. Used to run 10.6x @ 124.55. 3700lbs . So much for 2020...shootin for 9s in 2021...and in 2022 apparently.....looks like 2023 as well. >>My 73 Build thread |
#3
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73, i did check with eaton, they said when you order the 1 inch lowering spring, its yours forever, no refunds on these, i dont have the stock arms, they just told me to index it in the lower, so not much help there...........gonna give another company a try.
Rich |
#4
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If Eaton will not accommodate you there is a solution that I used .
Years ago when I restored my 70 I used stock replacement springs and all was fine. Then four months later I added 90 lbs to the nose of the car with a blower and 2 carbs, and to top that off I put on wider but lower front tires. My solution was to install load leveling ft shocks with the springs on them. This was just enough to bring the car back to stock ride height and yet not really effect the ride quality. PS. To tell you the truth I don’t know if they are made anymore!
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I do stuff for reasons. |
#5
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Quote:
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1966 Pontiac GTO (restoration thread) 1998 BMW 328is (track rat) 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Limited (daily) View my photos: Caught in the Wild |
#6
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Hey thanks Karl, and 25 steven............Karl, the springs i got from eaton, didnt have a pigtail on them and the top was not flat.........guess when you pay 200 plus, you dont get these options. lol...........will check into the umi springs seeing i have there lower control arms............
25 stevem...........will look into this also...........that last line of yours got me worried. lol Im gonna see if i have some better pics of my install, all i know from umi was to put the rubber insulator in the lower control arm and but the spring into that.........the top goes where the top wants to go............odd |
#7
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The lower A arms with the tall ball joints lowers the car 1/2"
See if you can exchange them for a lower arm with the standard BJ
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Ed 1968 GTO (Thanks Mom) 2006 Silverado 2007 Cadillac SRX 2015 Chevy Express 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ |
#8
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Im probably looking at this all wrong. Rich |
#9
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Make up a shim of whatever thickness you think would be the correct ride height. Install above the spring. The idea of the longer ball joint is to make the spindle taller for less camber change during bump and roll. Street cars it may not matter much but race cars it does. If a shim is made you may not have to buy more parts just some trial and error to get it to your liking.
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#10
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Here's a list of Moog choices I put together in order of spring rate.
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'69 GTO Convertible - Acquired October 2020. An all original project car. Restomod is underway PROJECT THREAD '83 Chevy Choo Choo SS El Camino - LT1 350/4L60e, Owned for 30 Years, completed 2nd restomod in 2018 PHOTO 2019 BMW 440ix - Twin turbo I6, 8spd auto. PHOTO '55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe - Ram Jet 350 / T56 Magnum 6spd, Restomod Completed Sept. 2012, Sold Sept. 2021 PHOTO |
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#11
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Assuming your talking Abody, I've never seen a spring that didn't have a pigtail at the top that engages the index slot in the frame to keep the spring from walking around in circles and squeaking.
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Triple Black 1971 GTO |
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#12
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Global West also has some different spring spacers that are contoured to have the spring end lay in the control arms better.
I just swapped put the drag front springs and put back in my Guldstrand autocross springs I used to run in the 78 TA. They were out for maybe 20 years plus dropped 50 lbs off. The freaking front end was up 4"! that is not just the difference in aluminum heads being uncompressed also had to make an impact.
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Skip Fix 1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever! 1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand 1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project 2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4 1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project 1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs |
#13
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Skip, will look into the global west springs, and see what i can come up with. Rich |
#14
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Ok, couple pics i found, neither spring looked anything like ZeGerman Ham posted, the pic of the old spring i took out, not idea if stock or not.........but it did have different ends, longer top to bottom, the eaton springs were identical top to bottom........from pics of moog springs they look similar. Maybe this is why im getting all sorts of squeeks and rattles. lol
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#15
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Front springs for 1964-67 GTO are square in both ends and indexed at upper end (spring end visible in frame pocket hole at upper control arm shaft).
1968-72 GTO front springs has one square end and one tangential end. Square end down and indexed in lower control arm hole. NO pigtail end on front springs! |
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#16
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Poncho Huggen, Gear Snatchen, Posi Piro. |
#17
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Anyone have a good pic of a 66 front spring, so i can see excately what i need to look for. Rich |
#18
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If you're just wanting to raise the front 1/2", simply replace those taller lower ball joints with stock height joints. Taller lower BJs lowers the car. Taller upper BJs have no effect on ride height
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66 GTO, 495, M22, Strange S-60 w/4.10 Sold new at Royal Pontiac. 70 Formula |
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#19
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https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sps-95332
SPC makes these shims that fit under the spring pocket of their lower control arms. Those or something similar may work on the UMI’s also. To figure the ride height change you would double the shim thickness because of the suspension geometry. 1/4” shim would raise the front 1/2”, 1/2” shim would raise the front 1”,etc.
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68 GTO,3860# Stock Original 400/M-20 Muncie,3.55’s 13.86 @ 100 Old combo: 462 10.75 CR,,SD 330CFM Round Port E's,Old Faithful cam,Jim Hand Continental,3.42's. 1968 Pontiac GTO : 11.114 @ 120.130 MPH New combo: 517 MR-1,10.8 CR,SD 350CFM E's,QFT 950/Northwind,246/252 HR,9.5” 4000 stall,3.42's 636HP/654TQ 1.452 10.603 @ 125.09 http://www.dragtimes.com/Pontiac-GTO...lip-31594.html |
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#20
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Quote:
Rich |
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