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I have recently purchased an otherwise perfect early 70's Corvette Roadster with very low miles. Inside it even smells "chevy" new! Recently while viewing the car from the rear however I noticed a significant lean to the drivers side. On closer examination one can see about 1-2 inches less of clearance in the rear wheel well to tire height on the drivers side versus the passengers. I brought the car to a mechanice who seems to know alot about vettes. He diagnosed the prob;em as a broken 9 leaf rear spring. My questions are first, Is it possible that these steel springs can break? And second and most important what avenue should I follow to assure the originality of the car is not compromised. (ie would it be acceptble to purchase a rear 9 leaf spring and mounting kit and replace the existing spring) Would this cause any NCRS problems. I am a novice in NCRS and obviously want to maintain the car but do so properly. I have already decided against a fiberglass rear spring for this reason.
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Re: c-3 rear spring 9 leaf
Well Charles I'm sort of going through what you are going through now except that my whole back end is lower, not just one side. At any rate I'll make a suggestion for you, keeping in mind that most of my knowledge is from restoring my 69 and by learning from some very inteligent people on this forum that have helped me along the way.
If you want to keep it "original", I would suggest looking for a good used one. However this might be hit and miss. As far as I know most replacement spring assys don't look original because the ends of the leaves are just cut off and not "curled" and tapered like your original one is. I don't even know if they have the sliders installed. One place that I believe does have the correct set up is eatonsprings.com. Maybe check them out. If I remember right the complete leaf assy was around $160.00.
I posted a question similar to yours a month or so ago so if you search the archives under my name you will get some very good info to help you out. -
Re: c-3 rear spring 9 leaf
Charles-----
Many Corvettes of the 60's and 70's have a "lean" toward one side or the other, although the left lean is the most predominant. This condition usually has existed in the car from the time that it was originally built. There is no practical way that I know of to correct this condition when it's the result of the original build.
It's possible that the condition in your car is caused by a broken spring leaf, though. Very often, a broken spring leaf will be apparent on close inspection of the spring while it's installed in the car. A leaf end which appears "irregular" or "displaced" may give a clue.
Otherwise, your best bet is to remove the spring from the car, disassemble it, and inspect the leaves. It would be a good time to rebuild the spring, too. If there is a broken leaf, I'd recommend locating another original, used spring and using it as a donor for the leaf you need. Rebuild the spring using new liners of the original configuration.
My bet is that you won't find any broken leaf and the body "lean" is as the car was originally built. In which case, you'll pretty much have to live with it, but, at least, you'll know that it's original.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Addendum
Also, you should check the rear spring cushions (there are 2 on each side) at the upper and lower ends of the spring end bolts. One of these may have deteriorated to the point of "seperation". All of the spring bolt cushions should be replaced every time that the bolts are removed and, even, at regular intervals.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Addendum
One other thing to add. While under the car as it sat on a level surface the spring's curve did appear to be starting to turn in the opposite direction. Whether this is a natural tendency or supports the "broken leaf" theory I don't know. At any rate I guess I will replace it and save the original for a later rebuild. I will keep my flags crossed that the new spring remediates the problem. If not I'll clean up the old spring and throw it back on. Also is there a way to shim or adjust before taking the old spring off?Comment
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Re: c-3 rear spring 9 leaf
My rear spring was replaced with a fiberglass one with the 8" bolts. It sits perfectly, but I'd like to know how "wrong" it makes my car. EVERYTHING else is correct,including the smog (latest project.) I contacted Eaton Springs and they say their part is manufactured correctly, but is painted black instead of grey. How badly do I get hurt with the spring I have?Comment
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Re: c-3 rear spring 9 leaf
Dunno about C3, but the rear spring, mounting, and cushions is worth ten points (5/5) on a C2. Just tell Mike at Eaton not to paint the repro spring (or strip it), paint it yourself and install new liners (both from Quanta). I did that to the repro I got from him last year and I'm happy with it. Mounting bolts have been changed to correct ones since the photo was taken a year ago:
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Re: c-3 rear spring 9 leaf
What is the correct paint to use?Comment
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Re: c-3 rear spring 9 leaf
Originally the springs were coated on the tension side ONLY with a product called Lonokad. As Joe Lucia stated in an earlier post, this was rolled on. You can purchase it from Quanta and apply it with a brushDick WhittingtonComment
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