Looking for Advice on Front Spring Replacements and Source for Springs (Page 1/1)
Mr. Farknocker AUG 28, 11:46 PM
I’m looking for a set of front springs for my ’87 GT and some advice on where I can purchase the springs.

I did an Archie V8 conversion back in ’96 and at that time, lowered the front and rear suspension by cutting the springs and installing KYB GR2 units on all for corners. I cut approximately 1.5 coils off the front springs which lowered the car approximately 2” below stock. The mods put the height of the car right where I wanted it with 17” rims. The ride over bumps and potholes, however, was extremely harsh because of the bumb stops limited the amount of control arm travel. I did attempt to trim the bump stops when I did the conversion but it became evident shortly after I slapped everything back together and drove the car around that my effort was insufficient.

After performing the V8 conversion the sprung weight (i.e. weight of vehicle and suspension) of the front was 1,240 lbs. and the back was 1,820 lbs.

After running with this set-up for 24 years (and probably putting around 10K miles on the odometer), I’ve decided to move ahead with plans to convert the rear suspension to coil-overs which utilize a pair of 350 lbs./in. springs that I found online to better-carry the added weight of the V8. I also plan to install Moog rubber control arm bushings for all for corners. Lastly, I plan to replace the front springs with stiffer units and install 2” Street Dream lowering spindles that I’ve had sitting in a box for the past 20 years. Since the front end drop will become a function of the lowering spindles rather than the springs, my plan is to purchase springs that have the same height as that of the stock springs but with a much stiffer rating than stock. Based on postings I’ve seen in this forum, I believe I need a front spring with and O.D. of approx. 4-1/8” (4.125”), I.D. of 3-1/8” (3.125”) and height somewhere in the 13” – 13.5” range.

I used to race the car on the ¼-mile strip in the 90’s but have since then relegated to using the vehicle as a weekend street cruiser. I have no reason to believe that this will ever change in the foreseeable future. Thus, I’m not looking for a car that “corners like she’s on rails” but rather one that is well-balanced but capable of a sporty ride when desired.

I would appreciate the thoughts and recommendations of the forum members on what an appropriate spring rate would be for my application as well as any leads on where I may able to find a spring that meets the recommended specs.

TIA

~F

P.S. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time scouring the forums and searching for postings that contained information about springs before making this post and found a ton of info on stock springs and their specifications. While there were a number of postings that discussed members’ experience with rear springs, I could not find much useful information on experiences with front springs.

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Farknocker's Superfly Yellow '87 GT
355ci Chevy
....chicks dig it, men fear it.

Patrick AUG 29, 12:01 AM

quote
Originally posted by Mr. Farknocker:

I did attempt to trim the bump stops when I did the conversion but it became evident shortly after I slapped everything back together and drove the car around that my effort was insufficient.



I suspect all you did was trim the rubber bumpers. Am I correct?

When lowering or cut springs are installed on an '84-'87 Fiero, the metal cones (that the rubber bumpers are attached to in the front) need to be shortened by 3/4". There are unfortunately no shortcuts, and if not done, the front suspension will bottom out.
Mr. Farknocker AUG 30, 04:34 PM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

I suspect all you did was trim the rubber bumpers. Am I correct?

.



Yes, you are correct. Only the rubber bump stops were cut.

~!F