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I have a 66 that is to high in the rear. It also bounces pretty bad when going over a bump. i have installed new blisten shocks and it didn't help. Also my have shafts are angled down. see pictures. the spring is a composite that was installed when i bought the car with 7" bolts. Should i get longer bolts and lower the rear? will that get rid of the bounce also? Thanks
It looks like someone replaced the original metal transverse spring with a composite spring. VBP and a few others manufactured these aftermarket parts. When I purchased my 66 someone had done the same swap. I found the ride to be way too harsh and that the car would buck me out of the seat on some bumps.
From the research I did I found that the VBP spring was too big (spring rate was too strong) which is what caused the bouncy ride. I replaced the spring with one with a lower spring rate and purchased better rear shocks to control the compression and rebound. In that process i also purchased longer rear spring bolts and shims to dial in the rear ride height.
TRP IV said it best. The rating on your spring is to much, probably the 360 or 400. The 300 and 330 will make a big difference. Go to Van Steel.com and look at the tech info on composite springs. VBP is no longer business having been overtaken by Van Steel. Dennis
The boingy, boingy ride is due to the composite spring. Stock metal leaf springs have inherent damping due to friction between the leaves. That composite spring doesn't have that built in damping. You need to compensate by installing stiffer shocks.
Ride height can be adjusted by installing longer spring bolts.
This said, if the spring rate is too high, you'll still have a harsh ride, even with stiffer shocks and longer bolts.
That explains partially the wheel well gap, but the overall diameter is about 1.25" shorter than stock, so if the rear sits high, you're back to the spring.
One last question. My car is not numbers matching and i use it for weekend drives and cruises. I have read a lot about composite vs steel springs ie composite is more bouncey. It seems there are more composite springs out there for sale. I am looking for a smooth comfortable ride. So i am thinking a 300 (is the 300, 330, 360 the more important factor?) spring, but composite or steel. i am leaning composite????
One last question. My car is not numbers matching and i use it for weekend drives and cruises. I have read a lot about composite vs steel springs ie composite is more bouncey. It seems there are more composite springs out there for sale. I am looking for a smooth comfortable ride. So i am thinking a 300 (is the 300, 330, 360 the more important factor?) spring, but composite or steel. i am leaning composite????
02-14-2024, 07:49 AM
66 sitting high in the rear
Dennis
