C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

[Ian G.]

Does anyone know what the dimensions are for the HD front coil spring? i.e. # of coils, thickness of the coils? Would a standard Chevy front spring, cut to length approximate the HD front coil?

I recently bought a Chevy front end to replace the front end parts on my '59 and I notice the regular coil spring is a little thicker and longer than the Corvette coil spring.

[Bruce B.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

Ian,
I sold a set of Corvette heavy duty springs a few years ago.
They were marked with 3 green or gray paint dabs and the spring wire diameter was larger then standard springs and the free hight was also different. I do not recall the actual dimensions.

[John H.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

Does anyone know what the dimensions are for the HD front coil spring? i.e. # of coils, thickness of the coils?

Ian -

Chevy specs show the RPO H.D. front springs as:

.636" wire diameter
8.75 coils
4.44" outside diameter
11.18" free height
550#/inch rate

[Gary C.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

Standard Corvette front coil spring is .55 diameter and 13 3/4" tall.

Maybe John has specs on passenger car springs.

Gary
....

[Ian G.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

That would be super helpful. John do you have the specs on passenger springs for comparison? If I can just cut this sucker down it would be very cool I want to do that later after I get judged

[John H.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

That would be super helpful. John do you have the specs on passenger springs for comparison?

Ian -

No, I don't, but Tom Parsons might.

[Tom P.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

Ian -

No, I don't, but Tom Parsons might.

I'll check and see if I have some pass car coils in the storage building, but in the meantime, John Neas probably knows because he had SOMEONE/SOMEPLACE make 3 sets of springs, all three with different specs/ratings for the (Bark Henry) 57 Airbox racecar that he restored. He had me rebuild the frontend for that car.

[Tom P.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

I had a set of (chrome) passenger car front coils.


Passenger (left)--14 3/16in high, .585in diameter wire
Vette------------13 3/4in high, .550in diameter wire

Since pass car springs are between the diameter of stock Vette and HD Vette coils, I'm sure that pass car springs could be cut down to be used in a Vette, but I have ZERO clue what free height would be suitable. If a person wanted to use cut down pass car coils, it would just have to be trial and error. Obviously, they would need to be shorter than stock Vette coils (since they are made from heavier wire) but not as short as HD Vette coils.

[Ian G.]

Re: C1 HD front coil spring dimensions & gauge?

Thanks Tom, that's good enough for me. My main goal was to find out if passenger coils were the same diameter as HD coils, since I noticed they were thicker. If they aren't I won't try and use them...

Thanks guys!