cuttysupreme72

Ok so my coil springs on the front appear to be a little shot. The shocks on the front look new. Paint is a bright yellow with no chips or rust on them, so I doubt they are the problem. But the the ride is terribly spongy when going into a dip. And I got under it and looked at them, and the coil loops are alot closer together than they should be in my opinion. Now.. I was told by my step father that there was a way to tighten them up somehow. I know nothing of this because I have only done suspension jobs on modern cars. Any idea what he's talking about?

Lady72nRob71

If the springs are original, they are probably sagging and in need of replacement. The metal coiled wire gets fatigued by miles of bouncing and bending. Also 40+ years of thousands of pounds of weight on them permanently bends them downward.

Take a look at my front end rebuild thread (link below) to see how to change the springs. While you are at it is a good time to do control arm bushings and ball joints if needed.

cuttysupreme72

I was afraid of that. I'm pretty sure they are original.. The problem is that I dont have the 250 bucks to dish out in to replacing them.

Dave Siltman

The springs aren't $250.00. They are more like $80.00 to $100.00---I would recommend buying stock replacements and not anything heavy duty. Moog, TRW, etc., make good choices. However, INSTALLING them can be tricky to a novice and I would NOT recommend doing it UNLESS you are skilled in that area.
From your description it sounds as though they are the problem with your front end.

Allan R

What do you mean by the ride is spongy when going into a dip?? Does it mean the car comes out and bounces a few times?? If that's the case its NOT the springs it's the shocks. Shocks can look new and still be shot. Do a bounce test on the front end to confirm. It's way cheaper and easier to replace shocks (at least on my car) than it is to replace springs.

Not saying that your springs aren't bad. My originals are still on the car and I have 120K on them. They are still just fine in spite of the pounding they had in the cars earlier service life. And believe me it took a pounding.

EDIT: check the ride height of your car and compare it to the ride height specified in the CSM. That will tell you if the springs are sagging.

cuttysupreme72

No it doesn't bounce really. It just sits so low, and almost bottoms out when I go over a slump like coming off of a small bridge on rt152. Also the drivers side sits lower in the front than the passenger side. It sort of sags. And I have checked out the suspension, and the only thing wrong under there is a loose sway bar link.

cuttysupreme72

It sort of feels like falling off of a cliff when you go over a hump lol

Dave Siltman

You should also inspect other components in that front end. Ball-joints, control arm bushings, tie rod ends, idler arm, drag link, etc. If the car has a bunch of miles and is for the most part old and original, more than the springs could need attention.
For safety and piece of mind, do yourself a favor and look into the condition of what you have. I'm not trying to scare you, BUT if something cuts loose while you're driving, especially at highway speed, you will have your hands full.

cuttysupreme72

Its like I said up in the other post. I have already went through the whole car. Only thing wrong suspension wize is a worn out sway bark link.

Allan R

Ok, sounds like it's spring time! You can go with HD or original height. If your old springs are as compressed as you say, they will almost pop out on their own once you have that lower control arm lowered. A new stock height spring will go in very nicely. Once you have the upper seat of the spring into the frame properly use a 3' pry bar under the lower coil and it will pop into place. Then rotate the spring to the right place in the LCA, raise the CA and connect to the spindle. It's basically labor intensive work.

Just be careful working with springs - they have an incredible amount of energy stored in them and can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly.

cuttysupreme72

Ok thanks alot for the advice man! I appreciate it. I guess I'll start saving for new ones. Any suggestions on brand? Naturally billistein. But anything cheaper that will perform and handle well?

Lady72nRob71

Moog springs from Rockauto.
Bilstein shocks are my preference, but you could reinstall your old ones to see how they work with new springs. Shocks are easy to change with the suspension assembled, as long as they fit through the lower control arm hole. Just trying to save you some cash as they sound new.

How old are the control arm bushings? Replace them is over 10 years old as the rubber deteriorates over time and dry rots.

MDchanic

With apologies to Norm (may he rest in peace):

Of course not. Everything with shiny paint on it always works perfectly.

Onion or Lobster-Artichoke?

How close together should they be?

Interesting. Many of us would like to learn his secret.

Absolutely none.

Oh. The slump after the bridge on Route 152. In East Weaselsquirt. Of course, now I understand.

Put your car on a smooth, level surface, look in your Chassis Service Manual, find out the ride height (called "carrying height") specifications for your car, and measure it.

If it's sitting low, you need springs.

As others have said, MOOG, et al are all very good, and nowhere near $200.

- Eric

Majic Jack

Shop Rock Auto, most springs today are mfg. in either Canada or Alabama. If the stock numbers are the same amongst brands then a spring is from the same company as most brands today are merely pass through. They simply do not have the manufacturing plants anymore.