Just finished installing brand new front coil springs in my 68 Firebird 400 and now the car sits higher in front by about 2 inches than before. Is that correct and will they settle down once I get back to driving it around. And the springs are seated properly and the control arm bolts have not been torqued down yet. Has anyone else had this happen or maybe they sent me the wrong rate springs. I would really hate to have to take the suspension all apart again. Thanks.

ft end sits too high with replacement springs.
join the club.
it might settle a little, but i wouldn't expect more than about 1/2".

i've been trying to figure out why this is, and if anyone has gotten new springs which put their car within ride height specs, let me know where you got them.

the only thing i can think of is they are using camaro specs (same part #s), and the 'bird engine sits further back. shifting the center of gravity. dont know if this would take a car from correct height of about 81/2" at the rocker, to 11" give or take, but it sounds reasonable.

This may sound stupid , but what about your rear springs?
Why did you replace the front?Were they worn out? if so maybe the rear are too? Maybe both sets need to be redone?

(I am assuming you do have a Pontiac engine in...400,so nothing had been altered before and the springs you took out were for another lighter engine...)
Bjorn ( just trying to eliminate possibilities)

Maybe it's the perfect opportunity to stuff some really big wheels and tires under the fender!

Reason I changed the springs was because a previous owner in the 1980s had even taller springs in it, car sat up like a 4x4 pickup. So they had to go, plus I rebuilt & detailed the whole front suspension. Anyway just ordered another set of springs, this time from Ames, so I will try them. The other set I had ordered from the local parts store, so maybe they weren't even the correct rated springs considering the morons that work there. So this weekend everything will be coming apart again. The rear springs are 5 leaf and they will also be changed to the correct 4 leaf. Hopefully I won't scratch the #$%@ out of my nicely painted control arms too much. Thanks.

Do you have pictures of it? I'm curious to see the ride height. I put new springs on mine but its the subframe only, no front end or engine. I won't know how it sits until its put back together, about 2 years. Sorry not much help. Hopefully yours drops back down to factory. Keep us posted.


68 coupe, 400

Also what should be an acceptable distance from the top of tire to the fender edge, I was hoping for about 2 inches from seeing some other Firebird 400s in magazines. And my car still has its 400 in place with all accessories & sheetmetal in place. I have pictures of the car when it looked like a 4x4 when I bought it if anyone wants to see then, just email at the address below. Thanks.

Formula455HO@aol.com

I put front springs from Ames they fit good.I have pick but don't know how to postit
Jaromir

my notes show ride height specs as 8.4"front, and 8.1"rear. i believe this is measured next to the wheel from the ground to the rocker panel, with stock wheels.
larger wheels and tires will increase that distance, but decrease the distance from the fender lip.

fastbird, can you measure your current height at the rockers with the ames springs and post it for me? also wheel and tire size? i appreciate it.

My car had the front and rear springs replaced by the previous owner and the front does look a bit high but the owner of the body shop down the road said it sat pretty good.

Don't know if this will help much, but here are a few shots of my 67. New springs front and rear. 5 leaf in the back. It sits a little lower in the back than the front, and has 15 Rally II's, and the driveway is sloped down hill... but you get the idea... I hope? All in all it's a pretty stock ride height.

Brett - 67 Drop Top 455!
http://www.brettliukkonen.com/1967FirebirdPixPage.html

Is it possible that you don't have them in the "groove" on the upper control arm? I've did that before.

brett, mine looked like that after i chopped two coils out of my springs. my back end is a bit higher than yours with new rear springs, and it still looked like it was going uphill till i chopped them.

then i tried to get some moog springs which were not chopped. they dont actually list springs for a 68 6cyl hdtop without a/c, so i used the ones for a '69, (i think they were the same prt # as for a 2bbl 350 w/o p/s or a/c) but still, i could have two people on my front bumper and it was still too high. i ended up collapsing the bottom 2 or 3 coils with a torch just so i could drive it.
i didnt feel like taking them out again that late at night, and i was very upset, and wanted to melt something..
they are definitly installed correctly.

BTW your car looks really sweet.

4spdshifty, let us know how it turns out.

Sixstarved front is 7 in with 225/50/15. 24 in to fender lip with 2 in drop spindles.rear 9 in with 255/60/15 and 28,5 in to fender lip.
Jaromir

fastbird,
you have a 2" drop spindle.
even taking tire sizes and front to rear angle into account, it seems to me it should be more than 1 1/2" drop from specs.

your front tires are about 1 1/2" shorter then E78/14s, and your rears are about 1 1/2" taller. that still gives you at least another 1/2" drop at the front of the rocker. . making a total front drop at least 2 1/2" from specs.

looks like ames springs are too tall too.
someone please find a flaw in my logic.

Let me complicate things. I just put new moogs factory ride height on the front of my '67. The notches for aligning the springs are opposing each other from top to bottom on the a-arms. One book says locate spring at notch in upper arm the other book says align with lower arm. What gives, who does what ?

the notch in the lower arm was built into the control arm, and must be used to locate the spring. i've been told to try to locate the end between the two drain holes.

the upper part may not even be notched, but does have a 'crown' for the spring to go around. the top goes inside the frame around this crown..

in reply to the front end rise with new springs your "must rearch,or replace the rear springs when tampering with front springs to maintain ride profile". Ist genbirdman very sweet looking car, but it's to bad you installed a camaro spoiler, and just a note the 15" wheel's crowd the wheel well and don't look right and I hope you installed the correct speedo adapter for the change in tire size. :rolleyes:

b&g, what if you have new rear springs?

my fronts wanted to top out my shocks. i had almost no alignment shims left to take out. i had to either chop coils, or collapse them just to make it straight, and keep my camber from going too negative.

i have 255/60/15s on the back with lots of room. 235/60/15s on the front. i am not concerened about my speedometer at present.

currently i have my engine out, and it's still not as high as before i collapsed the bottom coils with a torch with the engine in. part # cs5230 on '68 coupe 6cy 4bbl p/s, no a/c. i tried it with the 1bbl, but it didn't get any lower.

my first set came with the car when i got it, and had the same problem. i chopped out 2 coils, and had 225/50/16s under it in the front. with new rear springs. the front was about 1/2-1 inch too low for my present tires, which is why i bought the 5230's. with them, i could have two grown men sitting on my front bumper, and it was still a bit too high. (but it was real close IIRC)

i know i've said all this before, but i am still looking for the right solution.

please tell me the answer.

yo Scott- some suggestions you may want to try your 1968 bird stock spring # is 397910 which any local auto jobber should be able to supply after crossing over part#. In any case I have right in front of me a set of springs I removed from a 69 400 car with is the same. the dimensions are as follows, lenght 17.5", width 4.75" 11 coils with .625 wire. I measured a six cyl. spring and it's approx. the same but measures roughly 9/16 wire. As for the control arms the top is attached to the frame through the pivot rod and the bottom is attached by "U" bolts the distance between is say for example 12", that distant remains constant,if you install a longer spring the lower control arm is forced farther away from the spring saddle {which is part of the frame}pushing the car higher because the wheel is on the road.

chapter 2 If you install a spring say that is simular in length but heavier wire , with the same weight factor {engine/and optional equipment} the profile of the vechile may be slightly but ride would be harsher. The fact the the shocks are fully exstented sounds like you got too long a spring. Try and remember the control arms are just two parrell arms moving in a vertical motion.H=LENGHT R=WIRE SIZE hope this helps BILL

doh! my springs are too long. wish i'd thought of that before i chopped them.

wow. i just came back and re-read that. i think i might have a mean streak in me. sorry.

anyway, i was just poking around on the camaro site, and their replacment fronts ride too high too.

detroit eaton was reccommended, which i have had recommended to me before. this last post i read over there said if eaton's springs aren't right, they will make them right.

someday my ride height will please me without chopping or melting, so you can all stop worrying about idiot me and my stupid springs. now if i could just get my damb pistons!

Read your spring delema.Hope all is well now.Just want to suggest that you might want to check out a parts website www.P-S-T.com ,they have a great sellection and free shipping.
I replaced both front and rear springs on my 69 400 Conv ( online carshow #234 ) and they worked great.
Good Luck,
Frbrd6t9

Thanks B&G, but I bought the car with the spoiler on it... I may, and I May not have put it on anyway (probably not?) as I like the stock Pontiac letters and the 400 emblem.

And the car is FAR from stock, so there are so many changes, that the Speedo, is just about as close as it will get. I prefer to have the wheel wells stuffed, instead of all that dead space....
and the 15" gives a buch better ride and better performance. And with the 4 wheel disc brakes, and upgraded suspension, there was no way anyone could stick with the 14" wheels and tires...

And that why I love this board, everyone has thier own idea of "The Perfect" Firebird... mine is still undergoing transformation... but it's the way I would have odered my car built, if I could have... and that's the way it should be if possibel (sans rare, or close to original cars)

Thanks - Brett - 67 Drop Top 455!