On my 65, the rear springs are pretty sagged. the only thing keeping the rear up are the air shocks someone added at points past. Let the air out and she's sagged. When I change out the rear end, the air shocks are coming out.
I know I can buy new, which I'm loath to do, as it's just too much of a crapshoot. Been there too many times. More than a few years ago Clint sent me a pair of used 70 Parisienne front springs for my 67 (which I chose to use coilovers on). And so when I finally found a use for them on my 65, they worked out absolutely perfect! The car sits perfect! Couldn't be happier.
So I'm of the mind that a decently clean, good used pair from a V8 B body should probably work well in the basic sedan.
Anyone have a pair from a known car?
Any thoughts,
Thanks, Mark
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
I know your looking for used. I have a pair of new moog 5043 springs (not sure if it works on your application-listed fitments in the link below). If it works on your car and want new ones at a good price... Im willing to sell at a fair price..
I wonder if I still have the rear springs from my 2+2 rag. I redid the steering, suspension & brakes in 2017.
I can't picture them in the garage though.
I bought a set of moog for my 63 rear, shipping was Cdn $27, paid cdn$140 including tax and shipping. For your car they have a set of ac delco wagon springs for cdn$ 61 and sedan for Cdn $71. Thats before the 5% CP coupon, my number was with the 5% off.
Sometime this winter or spring, Im switching out my front and rears, youre welcome to them. Depends on the stance you want?
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Mine has the same on both ends, tangential, the ends sit in a pocket. Rockauto show the 65 and 67 as the same?
The acdelco seem to be cheaper if you can figure out the spring rate you want. Maybe by checking the spring specs on ac delco and moog you can figure out what spec you like. It a pig in a poke until you install them? And I like what I like and you may want something else.
If you can get them locally, maybe you can install them and take them back if you dont like them? Canadian tire sell moog I believe. Ac delco should be available locally too.
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Tuesday 19th of January 2021 07:39:40 PM
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Might give you some ideas or you may find the one for a 65?
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Wednesday 20th of January 2021 08:21:47 PM
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I was also amazed at the weights on some of these big old cars, made me wonder if they were accurate.
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
I'd think a stripper Biscayne 327 with a 4 speed, single exhaust, Std brakes and steering would be pretty light. Start adding all the stuff and you probably get 200 lbs more.
From the 65 document, Red dot is the 65 spring spec for a 15411 Biscayne 2 door. "C" The lightest spring.
Here is my take. The off the shelf stuff works great but you can never get exactly what you are looking for. The last couple of builds I purchased springs from www.coilsprings.com/ and had them made the way I wanted. Nice thing is these are car people. Anyway, I like my ride to be a little bit stiffer and a little lower than the stock stance and hate waiting for the springs to "settle". 1.5 drop with a 25% rate increase over factory makes for a nice ride! Cost is not a ton more than off the shelf.
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63 Grand Prix -needs restoration, 65 Catalina Ventura 4 speed - resto almost completed, 66 Catalina Convertible - at body shop
Thanks for the link Brad. That looks like a pretty comprehensive quote form! Fill it all in and you can get exactly what you want.
I'd like the car to sit up just a touch higher in the back than the front. A little stance you could say. The front is pretty much at what I estimate to be close to the stock height. What was nice about using used springs; they were mostly "pre settled". It was a crapshoot, but I think it actually worked. It did come down just slightly after some road travel.
Going with my gut, I'm kind of the mind that with the car being a basic 65 sedan, a set of used springs from, say, a heavier 69 or 70 Parisienne 2 or 4 door HT or 4 door sedan would probably come in just about right. I'm not adverse to changing a few pairs until it's right. The rear beats the front hands down for ease of install.
This picture was taken before the car was driven after the new front end, so it is just a little lower and level front to back. The rear is still on air shocks.
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
Mine used to sit very much like your picture Mark. I found a way to make the back higher than the front. I did it differently but it cost a few thousand dollars and a lot of hours to lower the front.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I've bought springs from DE once before Bernie. Fronts for the 67 (since change to hybrid coilovers). I couldn't have been happier with the service. Good company for sure.
On their spring lookup, a set of 65 Biscayne 2 door sedan standard +1" rears would be about $350 Canadian including shipping. Unfortunately I'm just too cheap to justify that.
Nice stance on the Impala though!
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
My 63 may have some spacers in the rear you can have when I get them out. I can check if you want. Im changing my rears for a better ride, they are pretty weak and fronts are pretty weak too, wallows around and pretty low. I have an Addco front swaybar already and kyb gas shocks.
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Thanks Guys. Maybe this could be a decent solution.
I went out today and did a before and after shot. With air pumped up and fully without.
Surprisingly, It works out to only be around 1". Which tells me the springs are really not as bad as I'd imagined. I think some 1.5" spacers might be just perfect. I plan on some cheaper KYB Gas-A-just shocks in the back, as were installed up front.
Randy, where did you get your spacers from? And thanks Don for the offer.
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
Looks good, drive it and see if it works after the new parts.
-- Edited by DonSSDD on Friday 22nd of January 2021 03:24:34 PM
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Thanks guys for all the input. Turns out I did keep those old rear JF springs from the Grande as they just turned up today. The still have the tags on them.
Below, here's how they would compare to what I think might be in the back of the 65. The 67's were tired, but they still might have more heft than the old 65 springs. I'll probably try them when the time comes.
