Thor-HoG

Sorry for the cross post, but this was originally in Newbies:

I’ve got a few next step projects that I could use some opinions on (if these should be posted in another forum, please let me know). For one, the suspension seems a bit rough. If I go over a speed bump to fast (even though it is still very slow) the back end slams down a bit. The ride overall is OK on smooth road, but I can “feel” bumps easily. What does this point to? Should I look to the suspension itself (as in the springy things) or is this a shock absorber issue? I would just like a little guidance.

1965cutlassragtop

Def make sure your exhaust pipes or exhaust clamps are not hitting your under body or the rear axle. I had a clunking noise coming from my rear end everytime I would go over a bump, which I immediately thought shocks/struts, but I noticed the exhaust clamps were hitting the underbody when the car shook or took a big dive. So I lowered, repositioned, and tightened up the exhaust, leaving plenty of room to avoid contact.

But aside from that, definately replace your shocks if u havn't recently, and possibly some new springs if yours are tired. Lastly, any flaw in your steering linkage will make feeling the bumps in the road more noticeable.

Thor-HoG

Awesome - thanks for the advice. I bet the shocks haven't been changed in 10 years - I'll go for that first. Now all I have to do is figure out how to change them Any particular shock I should get or is stock OK?

Lady72nRob71

Welcome to CO!

Your shock choice will be based on how you want the ride. Soft or firm, for comfort or performance. I have Bilsteins on the back of mine and they seem pretty good.

Hard to intrpret what you are experiencing...

It is possible your springs could be saggy, and bottoming out if there are over 120k miles on it.

Now when you say you feel every little bump, it sounds like the springs could be too stiff! Do you have the heavy duty springs?
I have them and I feel bumps more than with the old soft springs. A little stiffer than I hoped, but good for performance.

Rear springs change out super easy if you are doing shocks.
Here is what you would be up against:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post167869

1965cutlassragtop

I went with air shocks, but before that I used a set of Gabriel rear shocks, they were fair price and better than factory performance. If u don't have coil over rears, which I don't believe u do, u can just unbolt the old ones and bolt up the new ones. Best thing to do is jack up the rear end directly under your rear differential housing, jack stands under the axle, this way u have room to work and reach the upper shock mounting bolts. Remember to block the front tires so it doesn't roll. The springs support the weight of the car on the axle, the car will not lower itself when the shock is removed.

Thor-HoG

You guys are awesome. This is very much appreciated. ragtop, I'm glad you mentioned the air shocks. My '72 Cutlass S came with this Delco "air ride" type thing where I supposedly can adjust the shock pressure. I've mucked about with it but don't discern any difference between, say, 20 lbs and 40lb psi. Is this something to be concerned with in your opinion?

1965cutlassragtop

u should feel no difference in the ride quality no matter what the pressure....the air shocks only affect the ride height of the rear end, they help with clearance for bigger tires, and give cars that "nose-dive" hot rod look. i put them in to allow for larger tires and lift the rear a bit. it's mostly for cosmetic reasons, the ride quality should feel the same no matter what air pressure you run them at.

Thor-HoG

Just finished replacing the back shocks - that totally fixed it. rather than slamming down, it just tightly returns to level. It was a lot easier than I thought, and the shocks only cost something like $30 each. And yes, the old shocks were Delco "pleasure rides." I think the quarters ran out on those things There was nothing pleasurable about them. However, you bring up a great point. I wouldn't mind lifting up the rear end a bit more... Would different shocks be the way to go on that? Again, the help is much appreciated. Doing the front shocks tomorrow

Lady72nRob71

From what I have heard, the shock mounts were not designed to permanently hold the weight of the car. If left like that all the time, the upper mounts could fatigue and crack.
If the rear is too low, taller springs would be needed. OR, use the airbags that fit inside the springs.
If you have original springs, they could be saggy and need replacing..

z11375ss

Pleasure rides! LOL.

Thor-HoG

Thanks Lady72nRob71! z11375ss, you've got a beautiful ride there. /me jealous

Front shock replaced now as well, but I'm taking Lady's advice and replacing the back springs - I can't rightly go on knowing my springs are saggy!

In fact, I think they are at Napa today - looks like tonight is the night! Wish me luck - I've never done anything like this, but I'll figga it out!

Thor-HoG

I meant "Rob's" advice, but I guess I can take the vehicle's as well

1965cutlassragtop

i know alot of cars running rear air shocks and never had any problems like that....if i remember correctly, the upper mounts are right in the middle of a thick solid piece of the frame. as long as you don't have any major rust or rot around the upper shock mount, u should be fine. also, i should mention that i do have wagon rear springs on my car, which are a bit stiffer/taller, and do help support more of the weight along with the air shocks in place.

Thor-HoG

Hey gang - I meant to follow up earlier but work is nuts.

Had I known I was going to swap out the rear springs, I would have waited for rear shocks, but hey, removing them again is good practice

The springs totally gave me the lift I wanted. Though the old ones and the new ones "looked" the same, the amount of spring was very different. Taking the old ones out was easy, but bench-pressing the new springs in was a lot harder than I thought - and I'm not exactly a "frail" dude. The second spring in was much easier because I figured how to use a little lever bar to do the dirty work for me.

I've got pics of the old and new springs, side shots of the rear tires showing about 26 5/8 inches high before and right at 28" afterwards.

Thor-HoG

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Lady72nRob71

Apparently you did not have the car jacked up enough, cause if you did the old spring would fall out and the new one would go on effortlessly. Mine were a piece of cake when she was high enough. Oh - wheels and tires had to stay on for weight.
Yes, you are back to a better ride height and there should be no more easy bottoming out over dips!

What springs did you end up getting? How does she ride now?

Thor-HoG

I had it jacked up about as high as I was comfortable with. I've got the standard 2.25 ton floor jack, and it was about as high as it goes. I let it down a bit when putting the fixed stands under it, but I did one side at a time. That is, I only jacked up one side at a time rather than putting the entire back-end up on stands. Is the suggested method one-at-a-time or both (as far a jacking is concerned).

I'd say I had to compress the springs a good 2.5 inches to get the coils up on the ledge of the center donut hole thing. Then I just nudged them with a mallet until then snapped into place.

I got the stock springs that Napa ordered for me. Both for $60, which I thought was pretty good. I definately don't have any more problems over speed bumps, but the ride is fairly tight - but I like that.

I guess the next project (after new instruments and then paint/body work) is to jump into the suspension and handling for the front. The drive seems a bit "loose" up front, and is almost like it "skips" when I cut a semi-tight turn.

Any ideas on how to go about that?

Lady72nRob71

I did mine one side at a time. I had to put some 2x6's under the jack to give it a little more lift. Once the spring was loose, I yanked out the old one and poked in the new one, all from the side without even getting under the car. I did place a stand at the side anyway in case the jack let go...

Welcome to the dark side...
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post264807

Which leads to the unknown...
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post292889

oldcutlass

The only issue I had with changing to station wagon springs were shock length. With the additional 1.5 inches in height the stock shocks were not long enough and used to top out. So I then went to air shocks. That created problems with car height at minimal air pressures, and air shocks have such a small oil reservoir with no precharge that they would not pump up if they sat for a while. So I went with a longer Gabriel shock that gave me what I was looking for in ride quality.

The next thing I will invest in would be a set of ladder bars.

1965cutlassragtop

i swapped out the old springs/shocks for the station wagon springs and the air shocks, installed them both at the same time, and everything has been kosher. i get a stiffer ride, but not untolerable, i like it personally. the air shocks are only at about 40lb pressure, and they are rated up to about 80lb i believe....i know i wasn't even at half pressure the last time i checked. no problems lifting or lowering the rear end at all, they seem to work great together. all in all, my rear wheel wells are probable only about 2" higher then the factory height, it probably wouldn't work if i was trying to max out the air shocks and get 4" of lift. i think i found a good combination for the height i was looking for. to each is own, it's all dependant on what your after and how much money you want to spend i guess.

Cutty72

To add my two cents I lifted up the rear of my 72 Cutty and put jack stands on both sides. I did take the tires off so I had maximum room to work. Removing and installing the springs took some gentle persuasion. As Rob says having the weight of the tires on the axle would have probably made it that much easier. I also did not have to get under the car to do the job.

I used variable rate Moog Springs and KYB Gas Shocks in the back.

I'm replacing the front shocks this PM. Any words of wisdom for this newbie?

Lady72nRob71

Don't let it turn into a frame-off resto...

The shocks ~should~ drop out through the hole in the control arm.
The upper nuts could give you trouble. Beware of those. A proper special socket to hold the shaft top is recommended.
The lower nuts could be rusty - soak em in penetrate oil and pray they do not break off the clips and spin.

oldcutlass

No special socket required. Sometimes you need to hold the upper shank with a pliers while you remove the nut/'s. Bottom is 2 bolts! If you are installing gas charged, which most are, then you may need a jack to help you keep them compressed while you attatch the bottom fasteners!

Lady72nRob71

One of mine were frozen and the pliers just slipped. I had to cut the nut off.

Cutty72

Will I need to remove the tires or can they stay on?

Big power outage here so I will have some time tomorrow!