I was watching a new show called the( car prospector) or something like that.This guy with a cowboy hat on buys older cars and sells them for a profit. Well he looked at a I think a 1971 Cutlass convertible the other night and he said the car had leaf springs. I don't think he knows what he's talking about, but maybe there is something I don't know. So when did they have rear leaf springs and when did they have rear coil springs. I know I'll find the answer here. Thanks Barb.

 

All A, B, C, and E-body GM cars had rear coil springs.

X-bodies had rear leaf springs.
That'd be Ωmegas, Venturas, Apollos, and Novas (and their Camaro / Firebird counterparts).

F_rd liked leaf springs a bit more, though I can't quote all of the models.

Chrysler had a long stretch where they used torsion bars in front.

- Eric

 

Except for my station wagon. There are definitely leaf springs on the rear of my '73 Custom Cruiser. The CCs of this era were built on the 98 platform, I believe, so doesn't that make them C-bodies? Or is the wagon body considered different? I really don't know.

 

I looked it up. The Custom Cruisers did have the same wheelbase as the 98.

 

Good question. Interestingly, my '73 and '75 CSMs say that the Wagons were considered B-bodies, and show the rear leaf springs with a caption of "88 Wagon."

The non-wagons definitely had coil spring rears, though.

- Eric

 

Correct, the 1971-76 clamshell wagons used leaf springs. I suspect this was done to make room for the clamshell tailgate to lower down into the floor.

 

[QUOTE=MDchanic;607859]All A, B, C, and E-body GM cars had rear coil springs.
66-70 Toros were equipped wirh rear leaf springs.

Henry

 

That guy got a lot more that the rear springs wrong. He said they used the same frame for 14 years and plenty of other errors. He's mis-spoken about other cars too. I watch this show when there's nothing else on. Bad information bugs me more than no info. Who pays top dollar for cars to guy that seems to be a bit of a B.S'er?

Tim

 

I like leaf springs on an Olds.