Took her for a test drive today, and got up to 90 MPH for the first time ever! NO Vibes!! New leaf springs, shocks and rear bearings are working fine.

BUT, she's sitting too high in the rear now! At least 2-inches higher than before. I'm buying four bags of 80-pound concrete tomorrow for the trunk.

At least you wont hit that chrome pumpkin!

A side picture would be better than these!

Congrats on the "no vibrations"! Good job ,feels good now doesnt it? A shiner would make a good reward , or two...or three?

put you some 275/60/15's to make use of your new found height!!!

Happy to hear you found and cured the vibe problem.

She is setting kind of hight but I still think she'll settle a little bit once you put some miles on.

Are you happy with the shocks?

Sounds good Bjorn!

Greg, I don't WANT the height. I felt like a wacko high school hotrodder driving down the road tonight (which I was back in 1979)! I want the straight look back. I'm going to figure this out, folks, trust me. She seems to have settled a little bit, but not enough for my taste.

Dennis, shocks are great. Solid as a rock. The car will obviously NEVER bottom out again.

Bjorn, what are you talking about...I don't have a chrome pumpkin. Shheeeesh, yer seeing things! Me? Its just a clean new rear end, thats all. :p

you just dom the whole neighborhood don't you nash..

pictures look great... good job

What brand shocks did you end up going with?

I am glad to hear that the vibe is long gone,,, but in typical Nash fashion, a new problem exists. Job security right?
Oh and that chrome pumpkin looks beautiful baby! I cant wait to get one of my own.
I thought that Suzy Q would like a butt lift after 39years? Ungrateful women,,, whats a man to do?

Joe, sure the old girl was sagging a bit prior to this, but now "she" seems to have a "woody"!!?? I'm like "down girl, down!"

Even if it takes 10 bags of concrete, I'm going to put her butt back down where it should be.

Derding, I bought the KYB gas-adjust shocks everyone here talked me into. 139 duckies for front and rear set. Maybe its the darn rear shocks holding her up so high?! Nah, probably not. Its the new 4-leafs and the old car doesn't know what to do about them.

Hey, I want to thank ALL of you friends for helping me out through this overhaul with your comments, thoughts, jokes, PARTS, and positive responses to questions. I've wanted to do this for three years, and now its done. These past three weeks have been the longest time the birds been up on jacks since I've owned her. She missed the streets, thats for sure.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Its just a clean new rear end, thats all. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">clean and 'reflective' maybe...possibly the flash....
ok, now just get a couple of spring adjusters, and stick them in up front and level her out! LOL

just ride around for a bit ,maybe "borrow" 3 fat chicks and stick them in the rear seat for a few miles

Glad to hear that the vibe's gone. Yes, you have to get the tail feathers down because the higher it sits, the less it will hook up, and we need all the hook up we can get.

Baby got back!!...and bling!

I took her to work today (awesome 60 degrees and sunny here), then left early and tore up the countryside for almost two hours! Up and down, left and right, country roads from hell! If anything will work these springs in, its country roads. I think I noticed a slight lowering once we got home. Shes's running great.

Bjorn, I just can't do the fat chick thing. I'm sorry. I love all women, trust me. How about three Hooters girls from Nashville? They ALWAYS want a ride.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> three Hooters girls from Nashville </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">it may work, just get the "biggest" ones!

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">just ride around for a bit ,maybe "borrow" 3 fat chicks and stick them in the rear seat for a few miles</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That reminds me of a good joke:
What do fat chicks and mopeds have in common?

They are both fun to ride until your friends see you on them

OK. How about 6 Hooters girls?

John,

Don't do the bags of concrete. If you want to put some weight in the trunk, use Tube Sand. You should be able to get it at Lowe's. It's exactly what the name says - high strength tubes/bags filled with clean sand.

You might also try loosening the spring shackle bolts and put some weight in the back and then tighten.

Tom

Nash, before you do anything to the spring's give them awhile to settle they may end up where you want them to.

What trmjr1 said. Did you make sure to NOT tighten the shackle bolts and front spring eye bolts until the full weight of the car was on the ground? That will make the back end sit too high and also tear up the bushings. Went through that when I replaced mine.

it took my rear springs took 500 miles to settle about 1"

Nash, did you check ride height on the car? In the front section of the '68 Service manual there are specs & illustrations for measurements for ride height. What springs did you put on, HD truck springs, lol!!! I used the Eaton 4 leaf springs I bought from PY 3 years ago & it brought up the rear a little bit. That's because the old ones were sagging a bit!!

Steve

Mine sag so bad even the helper springs are sagging. I guess I'll have to do this project soon.

Its a piece of cake, Miles. Easy Project.

Winward, I'll loosen the hardware up and then retorque with the weight on. Might help.

DOUG!! great to hear from you my friend. Thought we had lost you.

All, she HAS come down a wee bit over the past three days of driving. A few hundred more miles might settle her out. Thanks all for thoughts and ideas.

No I'm still around just a little less than before.

Nash, I hear that putting a 1" block or so between your springs and rear-end is "easy".
Food for thought.

It is "easy" You have to use the supplied U-bolts, and no more T-bolts, and you have to move the brake line a little to do this.

I have the same problem with springs i put in about 10yrs ago. Still too high. I've heard the Nova front eye brackets could lower it a bit too.. up to 75 Nova.

I took out the second (from the bottom) leaf for a while, but the height change vs. the softness was not worth it. I have bigger wheels in it right now (255/60/15) but would like to go back to the right height. Without that leaf they would rub the fender over speed humps, but the height was not more than 1/2" diff.

Been absent for a while. What cured the Vibe John? Did the new leafs do it? Wasn't the pinion angle change was it? I hope not.
Good to be back. missed you friend!

Scott ,it was a bad axle bearing , plus axle...

Plus a few other things!!! The vibe is definitely gone.

you sold the Vibe!?

They sell for a lot on EBay.

What i said about the Nova front eye brackets I think is opposite... now that I'm more awake. It would raise it more.

Thanks for clearing that up Scott. Wheeeeww!!!

After seven days and 500 miles, she is sitting back down ALMOST where she was before the replacements. Maybe another 3/4 inch to go.

No sandbags, no concrete. Seems they do need time and use to settle down. Thanks all.

Nash, this is probably a dumb question but, if you want your rear where it was before you replaced the springs, then why did you replace the springs? not trying to be a smart a$$, just wondering...

Greg, she would bottom out (hard) on pot-holes and big road cracks. Even with just me in the car, and I only weigh 190.

Putting someone in the back seat was always out of the question with the old springs.

Plus, many folks here thought the springs might have been contributing to the rear vibe. They may very well have contributed to some extent.