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Veteran
Posts: 168
 
Location: SD | I am considering springs from Espo for my 57 Belvedere. Has anyone ordered springs from them, and if so, what do you think of them?
Also, they offer both 5- and 6-leaf springs for my car. Any opinions on which to get?
Thanks in advance for any replies. |
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Expert
Posts: 4589
 
Location: Northern New Jersey | I have gotten two sets of springs from Eaton. The first for my 54 Desoto had the car riding way too high in the back. I had asked for heavy duty leafs. They assured me that they wouldn't add to the arc. They said there was nothing they could do about it.
The second set was also from Eaton for my 60 Fireflite. All seemed well until about 8 months later. The rear was slowly sagging. Again they offered no recourse.
I finally smartened up and tried Espo for my 60 Fury. Not only were the springs exactly what I asked for, 6 leafs, but the right arc. Oh, and nearly half the price! Still OK after six months.
And they also have a great phone-side manner, not like the surly person who answers the phone at Eaton.
BTW, what's zrxkayboy translate to??? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 774
Location: Atlanta GA USA | Maybe mention them in "Vendor Discussion". |
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Expert
Posts: 3038
Location: N.W. Fla. | FIN_NV - 2010-05-05 8:04 PM
I have gotten two sets of springs from Eaton. The first for my 54 Desoto had the car riding way too high in the back. I had asked for heavy duty leafs. They assured me that they wouldn't add to the arc. They said there was nothing they could do about it.
The second set was also from Eaton for my 60 Fireflite. All seemed well until about 8 months later. The rear was slowly sagging. Again they offered no recourse.
I finally smartened up and tried Espo for my 60 Fury. Not only were the springs exactly what I asked for, 6 leafs, but the right arc. Oh, and nearly half the price! Still OK after six months.
And they also have a great phone-side manner, not like the surly person who answers the phone at Eaton.
BTW, what's zrxkayboy translate to??? Heard disgruntled opinions of Eaton on a Ford Forum also. |
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Expert
Posts: 3038
Location: N.W. Fla. | zrxkawboy - 2010-05-05 5:06 PM
I am considering springs from Espo for my 57 Belvedere. Has anyone ordered springs from them, and if so, what do you think of them?
Also, they offer both 5- and 6-leaf springs for my car. Any opinions on which to get?
Thanks in advance for any replies. Tex Smith once offer the following thought for performance cars, that one should use the weakest springs & the stiffest shocks. Any thoughts on this? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 774
Location: Atlanta GA USA | Mopar1 - 2010-05-06 6:33 AM
Tex Smith once offer the following thought for performance cars, that one should use the weakest springs & the stiffest shocks. Any thoughts on this?
I am always leery of catch-all phrases. Not all applications require the same philosophy. What might work for a racer might not be appropriate for a beater.
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Expert
Posts: 3038
Location: N.W. Fla. | 1956DeS - 2010-05-06 7:10 AM
Mopar1 - 2010-05-06 6:33 AM
Tex Smith once offer the following thought for performance cars, that one should use the weakest springs & the stiffest shocks. Any thoughts on this?
I am always leery of catch-all phrases. Not all applications require the same philosophy. What might work for a racer might not be appropriate for a beater.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1102
Location: Hayward, Calif | Back in the early 60's I had a 58 Dodge 2dr. Thought I would be a smart ass and put heavy duty shocks on it. It handled great on hard curvy roads, but it rode like a lumber wagon. That was the last time I ever put heavy duty shocks on anything. If you want to road race, great!! If not go OEM. Jerry |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Jeff, what I did, years ago, was buy a set of wrecking yard (62 Chrysler, as it turned out) leaf springs
and then kept my car's longest main-leaf, for spring-hanger-length purposes, and then mounted
the wagon leafs under it.
If you go this protocol, you can mix/match the MoPar springs with your car's leafs, for a custom set up.
The wagon will/should have a complete short-lowest leaf, while your car will only have a 1/2-leaf there
(ending directly underneath the axle).
If for some reason you have a problem with your set-up, the whole thing is completely reversible.
What I've also done is buy 2-way gas filled shock absorbers (available on the Epay), and the heavier-duty torsion
bars.
According to a couple issues of 57-58 Hot Rod, your car has 1" diameter T/bars. Any of the major salvage yards should
have a 57-58 PLY/DOD wagon on hand.
You can have them take off the T/bars from it, and they should be the Fury-rated size. Just be sure to have them record
on the T/bars which ends are the ft's/rr's and which side they came off of. You can't, necessarily, trust the factory's
P/N's as being 100% accurate, on a take-off deal, because the T/bars have to be inserted in the same orientation as to
the car from which they were removed.
If you want to get 'trick', and if the wagon is a Dodge, it should have a sway bar on it. The 'yard' can remove the whole
assembly, and cut-off the frame's mounting brackets.
Your car may already have slots in its frame rails showing where the mounting brackets should be welded-onto it.
Various suppliers sell the sway bar bushings that will need to be replaced.
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Veteran
Posts: 168
Location: SD | Thanks for all the replies...I appreciate it!
FIN NV: I ride a Kawasaki ZRX1200, so ZRX "Kaw"boy. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Jeff I'm driving my car today--I'll send you some pics of its leaf springs.
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Expert
Posts: 1497
Location: Fairfax, Minnesota | FIN_NV - 2010-05-05 8:04 PM
I have gotten two sets of springs from Eaton. The first for my 54 Desoto had the car riding way too high in the back. I had asked for heavy duty leafs. They assured me that they wouldn't add to the arc. They said there was nothing they could do about it.
The second set was also from Eaton for my 60 Fireflite. All seemed well until about 8 months later. The rear was slowly sagging. Again they offered no recourse.
I finally smartened up and tried Espo for my 60 Fury. Not only were the springs exactly what I asked for, 6 leafs, but the right arc. Oh, and nearly half the price! Still OK after six months.
And they also have a great phone-side manner, not like the surly person who answers the phone at Eaton.
BTW, what's zrxkayboy translate to???
I purchased a set of leaf springs for my '61 Chrysler from Eaton approximately 9 years ago. They are still doing the job well. When I ordered them, the guy on the phone seemed unsure of what options might be available and the price seemed higher than I thought they were worth to me, but so far everything seems to be working well. I stopped at their booth a few summers ago to talk about a strange noise coming from both springs. The rep told me to tighten the U bolts-= he was right.
I put KYB gas shocks on at the same time and I feel that the ride may be a little rougher than I wanted. i need to check out the whole suspension/steering system to see if some of the feel is coming from worn parts. If not, I will be looking into softer shocks, if they are available.
Edited by Ray 2010-05-08 11:30 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 421
Location: N. Georgia | If I remember correctly, Tex Smith was into drag racing. For that you're looking for rearward weight transfer for a good bite. Soft springs will allow more of that while the stiff shocks will hold the position longer than softer ones. But I don't think that's a good combo for road work. |
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Veteran
Posts: 168
Location: SD | d500neil - 2010-05-08 1:53 PM
Jeff I'm driving my car today--I'll send you some pics of its leaf springs.
I'd like to publicly thank Neil. He took the time to take pics of his car and springs, and then email them to me. Though I'm still undecided as to what I'll do with my car, I sure appreciate your help, Neil. You're a great asset to the FL community! |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | ...Shucks.
Glad to help.
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Expert
Posts: 1506
Location: Colo Spgs | Jeff
I have recieved a set of rear springs for an 47 236 cubed S-11 ( De Soto ) and an
66 440 cubed BY1-H ( Le Baron ). Both times they were here in COS by Tuesday
from http://www.springsnthings.com/ .
Rodger & Gabby
COS |
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leaf springs
