C2 Rear spring cushions

[Garry E.]

I would like some advice from those of you who have replaced the rear spring cushions on your cars...... I need to replace all the hardware and the two rubber cushions at each end of the spring, since the originals on my '64 are cracked and crumbling. I plan on placing a screw jack under each end of the spring and raise it up slightly to relieve any downward presssure that may exist from the flexing spring. Then, remove the existing bolt and cushions and replace them.

Am I missing any other steps....? It appears to be a fairly straight forward job, but I am not sure....

Any comments are appreciated....

Garry

[Ken Edmunds]

Re: C2 Rear spring cushions

It is a straight forward job but, when you start to raise the jack it will follow the contour of the spring and slide towards the center of the spring. Take a vise grip plier and clamp it on the spring just inboard of the jack-this will keep it from sliding. I don't use a jack, I just take a long pry bar and insert it under the spring towards the end and hook it over the sway bar and either lift it up or jack it up, then remove the bolt and replace cushions.

[Gary B.]

'64 Rear spring retainer cups

Garry,

Since you're in the process of restoring your rear spring hardware, I thought I would give you a heads up about the metal "retainer cups" that insert into the ends of the rear spring. For several years now I have been buying GM service replacement retainers and modifying them to match more closely the geometry of 63-66 and early 67s retainers. Within the past few months GM changed the service replacement part and they are now plating the retainers so that have a very shiny finish. You can see your reflection in them. It's not chrome, but it looks like polished zinc or maybe flash chrome. In any case, the original retainers were not plated or painted and they did rust quickly. The new GM service part is less likely to rust, but they will also be blatantly incorrect to any discerning judge. If you plan on installing the new GM service retainers, you can deplate them by soaking in diluted muriatic acid and then going over them with fine steel wool. This will make them look much like the part that GM had been selling for the past 40 years. Why GM just started plating the part and made it so shiny, I can't imagine, but I doubt that I will continue to modify the GM retainers once my inventory runs out since I don't want to go thru the additional step of deplating them prior to my modification of the geometry.

Gary

[Gary S.]

Re: '64 Rear spring retainer cups

Gary, can you pass along the GM part number for those cups?

Thanks,
Gary

[Gary B.]

GM service replacement part is 3910701 *NM*

[Joe L.]

Re: GM service replacement part is 3910701

Gary------

I expect the reason that they changed the specs of the 3910701 retainer so that it received zinc plating is because the original "plain" style rusts rapidly and almost inevitably if it's in a box on a dealer's shelf for awhile. The vast majority of customers don't like to purchase a new part and find that what they're being sold as a new part is rusty. Of course, it doesn't affect the functionality of a piece like this, but folks just don't like it. No one expects to buy a new part and find that it's rusty (even though GM has been selling some new parts for years that show some signs of rust).

The amazing thing, though, is that it took GM this long to do this. You'd think that, at this point, they'd just figure this part's "future" with GMSPO is quite limited, so why bother?