Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

[Bill Braun #33186]

Dale and all others:

A lady I work with has fairly clean '59, which she recently had to bring for vehicle inspection (once every six years for historic cars here). They noticed that one leaf in each spring is broken and has to be replaced before she gets the sticker. I remember Gary Beaupre's article about some repro C2 springs causing incorrect ride heights. My question:

Assuming that GM C1 springs are long since history, is there a reliable manufacturer of repro C1 springs, and which offers the most correct ride height?

Upon graduating from college, the parents of the young lady in question offered to buy her the car of her choice, so she picked a '59 Corvette. Pretty cool, eh?

[Dale Pearman]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

C Central markets a reproduction spring set that works pretty well functionally. It has no grooves and won't judge 100% but it works. A pair will cost you less than $250.00. A set of used original springs in good condition will set you back about $550.00 to $700.00.

If it were me I'd pop for the ORIGINAL spring set at $700.00. After all this IS a 1959 Corvette and deserves the very best!

Dale.

[Christopher R.]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

The OEM, Eaton Spring, still offers them. Chevrolet offers them through its Restoration Parts program. I suspect the Chevrolet spring is the Eaton one. I do not know if they stand judging. They were relatively cheap - ~$250 for the pair.

A spring shop could fix the original ones. One of the usual parts places (CC, Paragon, etc.) offers a rear spring rebuild kit.

I have no first hand knowledge of any of this. Just seen the catalogs.

[James F.]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

Bill, If the young lady doesn't give a hoot about originality or ever having her '59 NCRS Flight judged, then I suggest the car or springs be taken to a good spring rebuilding house. They will be able to replace the broken leaf (they do it on trucks all the time) The spring won't be 100% NCRS correct, as Dale said, but on the other hand she won't be paying $ 285 (CC's price) for something she might not care about. Regards

[David K.]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

It could look at this another way.If the original springs lasted 40 yrs. and the correct springs last another 40 yrs.I would chose the correct ones.

[Bill Braun #33186]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

First, thank you all for your advice. The car, while original in appearence, does not have the original engine. I think it is unlikely that she will have it judged, but it is, as Dale said, a Corvette worthy of proper repair.

Dale - you mentioned that the original springs "have grooves". Being even more ignorant about C1s than I am about my C2, where do these grooves appear? If I can confirm that the present springs are original, then it would be worthwhile having them reconditioned. If it's not possible to recondition the originals and replace the broken leaves, I'd like to tell her that she should at least keep them for the future, while installing repops for driving.

[David K.]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

I am not Dale,but the groove run the length of each leaf of the spring.With out going out to look at the car,the groove is about 3/4" wide.Of course to match that groove is a tongue that is in the next leaf,so that the springs nest together.Something like a tongue and groove hardwood floor.

[Bill Braun #33186]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

Dave,

Thanks for the info. I'll have a close look at the car using the description you provided. I've always liked the C1s, but I'm just too tall for them. Before I bought my '67, I had a serious close look at a '59, but the steering wheel was too big and I couldn't safely reach the clutch pedal. If my car didn't have the telescopic steering column, I'd have had the same problem.

Bill

[Dale Pearman]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

Bill the original spring set had a unique deep groove about 7/8 ths wide and 3/16ths deep on each leaf that ran the length of the leaf and was visible looking upward at the chassis. It was a "dumb" design from an engineering point of view (in my opinion) because the groove weakened an otherwise thick spring leaf. The shortest leaf contains a GM part number (ending in 1438) and a Julian date code such as 257 E 1, which would indicate made on the 257th day of 1961. The "E" stands for Eaton.

Corvette Central tried to reproduce this authentic spring set a few years back but stopped due to a 100% failure rate! Spring shops will repair these spring sets BUT they use a solid leaf which will be obvious on the car. I have never found a custom house willing to cut grooves in these spring leaves and fashion them to appear as original.

Original spring sets can be repaired using only original leaves if you want original appearance. I have a collection of individual leaves and broken springs. Others also have such collections. I would install C Central's repop springs for use and attempt to have the original set restored. Restored and detailed original spring sets are worth $1,500.00. Sound drivable sets $700.00.

[Dale Pearman]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

The spring liner has a strip running the length of the liner and stapled into another liner that fits into the groove.

Dale

[Dale Pearman]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

1962s are MUCH bigger. I'm 6'1" and 250 lbs. I fit just fine into my 62s.

Dale.

[Bill Braun #33186]

Re: Straightaxle guru(s): your advice, please.

Dale,

This is bad news. I had written them off as too small. Looks like I may have to consider one after all. The wife is gonna LOVE this.

Bill