I have read a lot of posts about the corvette air shocks being a bolt in. Not for me. The original upper bolt is a shoulder bolt and the 2 upper mounting
holes are different sizes to accomodate this bolt. The holes are 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch. The vette shocks have a 7/16 hole for the bolt. Unless I'm
missing something, this situation adds up to a tad more than a 'bolt in' unless you don't mind rattling shock mounts. Has any one else 'quick
fixed' this prob or am I doomed to weld heavy washers to the mounts.
Air shocks
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 sixshooter |
Air shocks |
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Posts: 5 (07/07/09 20:27:16) |
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Fox Trapper |
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Posts: 1176 (07/08/09 02:52:21) |
You use the Spitfires rubber bushings.
http://www.vtr.org/maintain/airshocks-spitfire.shtml 
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sixshooter |
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Posts: 6 (07/08/09 08:09:33) |
Why didn't I thinkof that? Thanks FT. Seems to me it is an awfil job to get those pressed bushings out of the vette shocks. Got a quick cure for that too?
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nbman |
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Posts: 32 (07/08/09 10:39:43) |
I just did the exact same change. It's no problem to press the bushings out. I used a press, but if you have a "C" clamp, and a socket just
larger than the bushing, it will work just fine.
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sixshooter |
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Posts: 7 (07/08/09 21:56:24) |
Yes--socket and bench vicer did the trick!
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pipercollins |
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Posts: 1 (08/23/09 19:47:29) |
Hello, new owner here with what appears to be a fairly common problem of left rear corner sag. 76 1500.
In my case the car already has new leaf spring, so obviously the shocks are up for replacement. My questions are: 1. Will new ordinary shocks likely level things out, or are fancy adjustable shocks the only way to go? 2. If the consensus is to go with adjustables, which are the best value? The brit parts catalogs seem to push Spax at $300ish a pair. Obviously the Spax shocks have to be loads better than the Monroe ones to be worth the cash. Opinions and advice? Thanks all. |
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sixshooter |
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Posts: 17 (08/23/09 21:23:01) |
I can't see the difference in quality. Just the fit. The car weighs less than 2000 lbs so you won't be needing anything special . The cheaper ones will
last a lifetime.
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sixshooter |
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Posts: 18 (08/23/09 21:25:05) |
Regular shocks won't usually level things out unless you had one that was stuck.
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Fox Trapper |
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Posts: 1215 (08/26/09 07:03:53) |
Left rear sag will not be fixed by a regular shock, and adjustable shock, or gas shocks. Doesn't matter if it's Koni, Spax, Monroe, etc. None of them
will fix the sag.
The air shocks can fix/band-aid/mask the problem because you are adding air to them independently, raising the sagging corner. Monroe and Gabriel are the only two makers of air shocks that fit that I am aware of . Neither air shock is a high performance shock, but both are perfectly adequate for a Spitfire rear end except for the most demanding of driving and racing. Are Spax a good shock? They seem to be. Some fuss about poor rubber bushings in them but I haven't run into that. Koni is regarded as king still, but I honestly thing that's undeserved these days. They are a bugger to adjust and tune, and only let you adjust rebound, not compression. Spax are easily adjusted, and you can adjust both compression and rebound. Do you need a shock like this? Probably not.
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pipercollins |
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Posts: 2 (08/28/09 05:13:00) |
As I've asked around here and elsewhere, I'm getting that the air shocks don't necessarily solve the underlying problem. Although the general mood
seems to be that the air shocks are still a good idea if you have to replace the rear shocks anyway. So I will be doing rear shocks soon, and it sounds like
there's nothing wrong with the Monroe-for-Corvette route there.
Fox and others, I assume you are suggesting that the rear corner sag thing is really due to a front suspension problem. Where should a new guy start with replacing and tuning front suspension when there isn't any obvious problem? None of the front parts is new, but none are broken or obviously shot. Thanks all |
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geithner |
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Posts: 129 (08/28/09 14:14:22) |
pipercollins wrote: There could be many things going on, but yes, the problem could be at the front, and the rear spring gets blamed for things it's not always the cause of. Too many people replace their rear leaf spring when all it needs is maybe renewed thrust buttons (little rubber bearings captured in dimples at the ends of the leaves) or maybe nothing at all. In any case, measure the ride height at all four wheels. If the front left (i.e., port, U.S. driver's side) is low too so the whole car leans to the left, and assuming all the bushings and suspension parts are good, then one simple fix to level things out is to fabricate and install a thin shim (like 1/4 inch) in between the upper spring perch and the frame subassenbly: 
This will transfer weight from corner-to-corner and can level the car side-to-side. Anyway, check all suspension parts to make sure nothing is bent and no holes are ovalled and that all bushings are good. Renew as necessary. Good luck- Paul Geithner http://auskellian.com/paul/spit.html |
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pipercollins |
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Posts: 10 (09/10/09 17:44:42) |
Anyone here have any experience with the rubber/nylon spacer issue? A couple guys on another forum tipped me off to the spacers that go between the leaves of
the leaf spring...and how the original ones degrade or go missing. Well I have a fairly new leaf spring, but it doesn't have any spacers.
What do we think of that? |
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striumph1500 |
Air Shocks | ||
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Posts: 1 (09/10/09 19:24:02) |
me likey air shocks, and Steve's the man!!!!
Last Edited By: striumph1500
09/10/09 20:05:02.
Edited 1 times.
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striumph1500 |
Air Shocks | ||
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Posts: 2 (09/10/09 19:25:29) |
yup good stuff!
Last Edited By: striumph1500
09/10/09 20:05:31.
Edited 2 times.
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hunttriumph1500 |
Air Shocks | ||
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Posts: 38 (09/10/09 20:00:09) |
Hey Pipercollins, that was "me" who posted on the other site on this issue and Paul just said it, only he said "thrust buttons" instead
of "nylon spacers". I have been lurking on posts for many years and you won't find a whole lot of people who know alot about this mod, it's
not widely known yet as far as I can tell. I have done the mods like a few others and it tells me that the rear spring has alot more life in it if you simply
replace those "thrust buttons" and what Fox and Paul said is true about the front end being a problem for the driver side lean. I have used
air-shocks, new trust buttons or "nylon bushings", front coil shims and adjustable front shocks. I control my suspension, it does not control me.
By the way, my car doesn't lean anymore, unless I want it too.
As for the mods, try it, you might like it and then "and only then", you can thank me for telling you so...and everybody else who has plenty of time to sit here and not be out driving around in our lovely british contraptions...... cheers, -Steve "always trying to be more knowledgable than the next guy, but why?" |
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Fox Trapper |
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Posts: 1223 (09/11/09 02:18:50) |
Yes, it could be a front suspension problem. It could also be a twisted frame, a cocked differential, a broken lower leaf in the rear spring, misaligned rear
suspension, etc. It could be a whole lot of things.
The important thing is, air shocks work. For just a little money, you can re-level the car. It's effective and cheap. Yes, it would be better to actually fix whatever the real problem is, but that takes time money and effort. Many folks don't have all three. As for the bushings or buttons or thust buttons in the leaf spring, they are there for motion. They keep the leaves seperated and allow them to slide over one another so the leaf spring can flex. As the rubber buttons wear away (and they do), the leaves compress together, lowering the thickness of each button (they stack up, and it's a noticable spacing). This contributed to overall rear end sag. Even worse, now the steel leaves are rubbing on each other, rusting up solid. So you get very little rear suspension travel. Many aftermarket leaf springs, and a whole lot of other oem leaf springs, have no bushings between the leaves. So they rust up solid, and the spring no longer works. Many aftermarket springs also have poorly formed leaf ends, where they are sharp and cut into the leaf it rides on, binding up even faster. IMPORTANT LEAF SPRING TIP. Lubricate! Jack the vehicle up until the wheel(s) sag completely down. This opens up the leaf spring as much as possible. Spray a lubricant in between the leaves. Be it chain lube, penetrating oil, silicone, motor oil or whatever. Just about anything will do. Lubricating the leaves makes a remarkable difference in how well the spring works, improving performance and ride quality. Many years ago, when leaf springs were common, this was part of routine maintenance.
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pipercollins |
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Posts: 11 (09/11/09 13:20:47) |
hunttriumph1500 wrote: Hey there Steve, Somehow I think "thrust buttons" is less descriptive, but more satisfying term.  And I guess this isn't really a mod when the original rubbers
are missing or disintegrated. Thanks for the tips.
Bill |
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striumph1500 |
Rear Spring | ||
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Posts: 3 (09/11/09 15:13:14) |
Hmmm, good points.... |
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hunttriumph1500 |
was Air Shocks, now Rear Spring I think.... | ||
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Posts: 39 (09/11/09 15:15:07) |
Yeah you have a point Bill, though I think the new springs being sold today contain inferior spacers, thrust buttons, pieces of material that seperate the
leaves, what ever we call then, I dunno. Anyway, I wonder if the original rear springs wore their "buttons" out any faster/slower than the modern
ones. I call these nylon or teflon spacers an upgrade because if ya saw how the spring was and now is on my car it's really amazing to see "no
wear" like before, no extreme negative camber. I have never seen that unless someone re-arched their spring and that is a tricky job to get just right. I
will post pictures when ever I finish this dang paint job, this new gun and my new paint supplier are challenging me to get it perfect! I won't but
it's a damn good effort. -Steve
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supertech |
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Posts: 128 (09/11/09 22:12:45) |
Back in the 60's (working for AMC) we were instructed to lubricate springs with brake fluid. I don't know why but have theories of my own. Teflon works
the best between the leafs. I used 3/32" 2X2. I roughed up one side with sandpaper,put some JB weld on it and inserted between the leafs on my ford. They
never moved out of place in 4 years that I drove it.
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elementfiftyfour |
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Posts: 20 (09/22/09 19:11:44) |
Well I have started installing my new air shocks tonight. I'll need to take them to work and press out the top bushing and trim down the bottom bushing so that they fit the bolts but other than that they look like they will pop right in. For those of you who have installed the dedicated Schrader valves for each shock, where did you end up getting them? If possible what part number and any tips you have would be helpful. Cheers,
Last Edited By: elementfiftyfour
09/23/09 10:23:40.
Edited 1 times.
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