Suspension Advice

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longarm

longarm

Car sold back to original owners
Joined
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I'm getting ready to do the suspension on my 70 Dart.

I will be doing the offset bushings when I do the disc swap.
This is the stuff I already have.
Moog rubber bushings
Moog joints and ends.
Flaming River 16:1 manual box with joint
Just Suspensions 1" torsion bars
Hellwig 1 1/8" front swaybar
Addco 7/8" rear swaybar
KYB shocks all round
Frame ties
New SS springs

My question is: I would like to use one of the SS springs and match
it with its twin.
Which spring would be the best to use, the lighter one or the heavy one?
Or would I be better off with something else?
 
Can I just throw in a quick recommendation if you haven't bought the KYB s yet, go with a Bilstein or Hotchkis/Fox instead. Huge improvement for not that much $$.
 
What are your goals for the car? If its anything other than dragracing, I wouldn't buy the super stocks.
 
tomswheels said:
Can I just throw in a quick recommendation if you haven't bought the KYB s yet, go with a Bilstein or Hotchkis/Fox instead. Huge improvement for not that much $$.
Click to expand...

This x 1,000!!!

And yeah, I'd stay away from the SS springs.

I run AFCO 20231M's on my Duster, they work great although you do need a different rear bushing for the 1" eye.

But you can also get the Mopar Oval track springs for super cheap. Like $85 each cheap. P4529415 for the +1" arch, I think that works out to +1" over zero arch, which would probably sit a little higher than my Duster. Not much though. They also have a reinforced front section, although its a little longer. With standard hangers it will set the wheels back about a 1/2", although, that's what it takes to center them in the wheel well.

https://monicattichrysler.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=814
 
72bluNblu said:
This x 1,000!!!

And yeah, I'd stay away from the SS springs.

I run AFCO 20231M's on my Duster, they work great although you do need a different rear bushing for the 1" eye.

But you can also get the Mopar Oval track springs for super cheap. Like $85 each cheap. P4529415 for the +1" arch, I think that works out to +1" over zero arch, which would probably sit a little higher than my Duster. Not much though. They also have a reinforced front section, although its a little longer. With standard hangers it will set the wheels back about a 1/2", although, that's what it takes to center them in the wheel well.

https://monicattichrysler.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=814
Click to expand...

Are those the "kit car" springs? if so, my experience with those, is that they are actually to soft, I forget the rate that I tried, but I went to afcos after that and never looked back.
 
Thank you for the replies, all the parts I have listed
are parts I have bought over time except for the
new SS springs that were on the car when I bought it.
I'm basically changing it from a drag suspension to a good
handling street car.
I'm pretty tight on cash so I'm trying to make do with
the SS springs by looking for a match to one or removing leafs.
I wasn't sure if I could do this and end up with something that
would work or start another round of savings to buy some later.
Everything I've done so far seems like a compromise.#-o


I'd like to try some autocross events for fun someday if things
would go that way.
 
im running the ss springs. only use them for looks and cruisers. with the mopar .89 or .92 (i dont remember) t bars, the hellwig sway bar, and kybs the rear feels supper soft and tippy. my shocks could be done but ill be replacing the ss-es and kybs with either hotchkiss or afco springs and adjustable shocks eventualy.
 
replicaracer43 said:
Are those the "kit car" springs? if so, my experience with those, is that they are actually to soft, I forget the rate that I tried, but I went to afcos after that and never looked back.
Click to expand...

Not sure if they're the "kit car" springs or not. I know the advertised rate on them is 120 lb/in, which is pretty much identical to the 20231M afco's at 121 lb/in. The 121lb/in afco's have worked well for me so far, although I run a 7/8" rear sway bar. It is on the lightest setting though, at least at the moment.
 
What's the wheel rate of a super stock spring? 180-195 lbs/inch? They're pretty stiff anyhow. Couple that with a rear sway bar and the increased ride height and you may end up with a car that wants to point back the way you came with little warning.
 
C130 Chief said:
What's the wheel rate of a super stock spring? 180-195 lbs/inch? They're pretty stiff anyhow. Couple that with a rear sway bar and the increased ride height and you may end up with a car that wants to point back the way you came with little warning.
Click to expand...

Not anywhere near that high. 140-160, depending on which ones you get.

Keep in mind though that the stock spring rate was 85 lb/in for the /6 springs or standard V8 sprigns. 110 lb/in for the XHD's. Most of the aftermarket handing springs (Hotchkis, etc) are ~130 lb/in, but I know guys are having to unhook their rear sway bars even with those on some courses. The rear spring rates were a lot closer to being right than the front rates on the torsion bars.

With the 121 lb/in afco's I've got I'm still on the lightest setting for my rear sway bar, and that's with 295/35/18's out back.
 
As I say the new SS springs were all ready on the car when I got it.
So could I possibly get by, by removing leaves on the SS springs?
Any way to get these down to the 110-120 rate.
And can I still run the snubber?
Probably doesn't make any difference but its an 8 3/4 with 391 gears.
 
I did mine the cheapskate way, had a set of xhd springs from mancini which were way too stiff and an old set off a parts car with 48k miles... took a set of bathroom scales and a long prybar and measured rate at three different heights and swapped in leaves from the old springs to get a 60lb drop from the xhd....I like the way they work....
 
I have a new (never installed) set of Mopar Super stocks springs and was thinking the same thing......maybe we should swap?


I want the car to sit level and keep some of the Mopar HD race engineering.

Mine are marked (I think...buried on shelf)
002
003

I am not gonna dig them out to verify # unless you are seriously interested in swapping one side for a matchup

Shoot...I am in Findlay.....we could meet 1/2 way....no freight/ shipping.

Let me know
Denny
 
Another thing that is VERY important on a leaf spring car that needs to handle, the leafs should be almost flat, at ride hight and fuel in the car ready to run. A high amount of arch causes a lot of rear steer as the spring compresses, and a arched spring will deflect side to side a ton.
 
HemiDenny said:
I have a new (never installed) set of Mopar Super stocks springs and was thinking the same thing......maybe we should swap?


I want the car to sit level and keep some of the Mopar HD race engineering.

Mine are marked (I think...buried on shelf)
002
003

I am not gonna dig them out to verify # unless you are seriously interested in swapping one side for a matchup

Shoot...I am in Findlay.....we could meet 1/2 way....no freight/ shipping.

Let me know
Denny
Click to expand...

That's a heck of an offer, and I Thank You.
Right now the springs are on the car and I am still planning.
It wouldn't take long to take one off.
The right side has 8 leafs and the left 7 if I remember right.
Let me see if I can get some number off them.
 
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