Richard, The reason your new coil springs are not as tall as the originals is probably because they were made with a thicker wire. This makes them stiffer. Springs are rated by what's called "Spring Rate", in pounds per inch of compression travel. If the spring rate on your old springs was for example 400 lbs./in, then a 1600 lbs. Load would compress them 4 inches. If your new springs have a spring rate of 500 lbs./in, the same load would only compress them a little over 3 inches. So to achieve the same ride height, the new springs need to be shorter. Stiffer springs is probably why your car handles much better. In 1961, Cadillac (and most everyone else in Detroit) assumed Americans wanted a soft cloud like ride in a straight line. Handling was sacrificed. Eaton seems to know better. Anyone interested in installing new springs (coil, leaf, or torsion bar) on their vehicle, may want to compare the spring rate of the factory originals to what is offered by replacement spring suppliers. If your ride is so soft that handling is compromised, you may want to trade some softness for handling. Discuss options available with the spring supplier. They may have more than one choice. Dave Homstad 56 Dodge D500 -----Original Message----- From: Richard Woodside [SMTP:rwoodside@xxxxxxxx] Sent: Saturday, September 11, 1999 12:18 PM To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [FWDLK] Eaton Detroit Spring Inc. Another source for new springs is Eaton Detroit Spring Inc., 1555 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI 48216. Phone: 313-963-3839. Even though they were and still are an OEM supplier to the manufacturers, they still advertise quite a bit for our collector car replacement business. Their web page is: www.eatondetroitspring.com Two weeks ago, I had new front ($130/pair) and rear ($150/pair) coil springs from Eaton Detroit Spring installed in my 61 Cadillac convertible. I can honestly say that I have never seen a single repair make so much improvement to a car's handling as these new springs made. Even last year's complete front-end rebuild didn't make as much noticeable difference. Many people will have stories about changes in ride height from new springs. My experience is that the front came up a little bit, while the rear came up ever so slightly more than the front did. But I was looking for some increased altitude, though, because my muffler was scraping on my garage ramp, every time. Once interesting thing, though, was that my mechanic thought, at first, that Eaton Detroit Spring had supplied the wrong springs because the new ones were not as tall as the old ones, but the results have worked out just fine. Maybe those 38 year old springs were designed to have more travel, but I am happy with less bouncing up and down. |