Rear spring 10 leaf ????

[Twan B.]

I'am replacing my 4:11 Diff for an 3:08 one on my '65 Conv.
When I take off my rear spring i was surprised when i've got an 10 leaf spring,
All the 10 springs got the same thickness, 2"-2 1/4" wide, coulor and the outboard edge of all leaves other than the lower main leaf are reduced in thickness and flare upward.
It does not look like someone has added an extra one to it, it also has 9 "H" shaped liners.

Was this a dealer option?????

Can anyone tell me what kind of strange/madness spring i've got????

Can anyone send me some pics. of an original one????



Gr, Twan

#44079

#35 Dutch Chapter.

[Terry M.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

IIRC from posts a while back the 10 leaf was the SERVICE spring for a while. I don't think it was ever factory installed.

[Gary B.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

Terry,

According to one of the articles I wrote for the Restorer some years ago, the production, standard spring for 1975, 1976 and 1977 had 10 leaves, all the same thickness and used 9 liners, and it was a single stage spring (all leaves curved). That same spring could well have been the service replacement from then on. But that spring is clearly not original to a '65.

Gary

[Terry M.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

Good to know Gary. I'll try to remember that application.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

I would like to add to this post as I purchased the 10 leaf spring from GM in 1981 as a replacement for my 63. When installed, the car sat at the same height as the original, the part # at that time was 362153 and the liners are some sort of metal. It never saw the road and still sitting in my basement.

[Gary B.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

I would like to add to this post as I purchased the 10 leaf spring from GM in 1981 as a replacement for my 63. When installed, the car sat at the same height as the original, the part # at that time was 362153 and the liners are some sort of metal. It never saw the road and still sitting in my basement.

Timothy,

GM # 362153 was the production spring for 1976 and 1977. The production 10-leaf spring for 1975 was GM # 346906, which differed slightly in camber at the design load compared with 362153. Otherwise those two springs were identical.

Gary

[Rodney R.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

Timothy If it is 2 1/2 inches wide it sounds exactly like the spring I am looking for my 1980. Everybody says there is only plastic liners between the leaves. At first I thought it was aluminum liners but I was told they are lead. Still looking to replace it.

[Joe L.]

Re: Rear spring 10 leaf ????

Timothy If it is 2 1/2 inches wide it sounds exactly like the spring I am looking for my 1980. Everybody says there is only plastic liners between the leaves. At first I thought it was aluminum liners but I was told they are lead. Still looking to replace it.

Rodney------

The spring leaf liners for 1978+ standard springs were metallic. I don't think it was lead or aluminum, though. As I recall, it was zinc. These were of GM #462589. They were discontinued without supercession in January, 1993.