I'm wondering how you guys decide if coil springs should be replaced other than obvious damage. I plan to restore my Skylarks suspension for street use, but I'm not sure if money would be better spent elsewhere.
That leads me to me my second question. How do you know what the right springs are to use? I've read that everything factors into the decision, such as ac, power brakes, etc.
In my experience in my 71 Cortez Gold GS with a 455 no air I installed Moog 5536 front spring and Moog CC501 rear springs. In my 72 Blue GS with 455 with air I will be installing Moog 5450 front spring (not installed yet) and Moog CC501 rear spring. I added the photo of both my GS's.
Don’t but heavy duty springs or car will sit to high and float down the road. There is an article out there that tells numbers you should used. I used them on my GSX
The Duralast number he shows is pretty much same number used for most companies http://www.buickperformanceclub.com/springs.htm
I knew I had to replace my rear springs when entering the alley behind my house the rear end scraped. With the new coils and new shocks, the car rides level again.
They were worn out when I got the car. I found that the back end of the car was lower than the front end. Now, the car is level. Yeah, I love my car!
I found the spec for the curb height in my service manual, and my front end does seem to be sagging. My plan after I do all of my bushings is to get new springs and replace my gas shocks with hydraulics.
Jayden, why non gas hyd shocks? or do you mean air shocks? All gas shocks are hydraulic - the gas just keeps the fluid from foaming.
I've read that gas shocks' resistance creates a rougher ride in older cars of that era. I thought it might be worth a try.
Air shocks - the kind you put air in and changes the ride height - will cause a rough ride. Gas shocks are the ticket.
