rear leaf springs

[sweatybetty]

ok EVERYONE now, i need advice and opinions on which is the best springs for my car
66 cuda, stroked 383, 4 speed with a dana 60. mostly a cruiser with a little strip time. i have move the perches inboard and installed frame connectors and torque boxes. ive heard good and bad about ss? springs. what about factory replacments like the jc whitney ones?
also could someone post a pic of a lca with the sway bar tabs. mine arent there so ill need to fab them.
  sb

[67devildart]

not to steal this post, but i agree???  People say to get the 002/003 2800lb ss springs, but what happens if the car weighs more???  What if the car weighs an odd #, do you go up or down for SS springs (since they like even # weight).  Do you go for spring weight for car ALONE, or w/ driver?

Please help us!!!!!

[green67cuda]

you're supposed to use total "race weight" with fuel and driver.  And you are "supposed" to go to the next weight above your actual weight.  My car is 3200# with me in it, but I still went with 3000# springs.

[qkcuda]

I went with the 3400 lb auto springs on my cuda.  Haven't had it on the road yet but they seem fairly soft.  I have a chart from and old MP chassis book which shows that all of the manual springs have the same rate and all of the auto springs have the same lower rate.  I don't know what the difference is between the various weight ratings.  The 002-003 springs are the manual (higher) rate.

[sweatybetty]

you're supposed to use total "race weight" with fuel and driver.  And you are "supposed" to go to the next weight above your actual weight.  My car is 3200# with me in it, but I still went with 3000# springs.

hows it ride?

[green67cuda]

rides great to me.

[67devildart]

green67, What were the #'s of the springs you ended up using then???  And have you had any traction issues?  Was it tough to lighten the car up to 3200 lbs WITH you in it??  Like, I'm a big guy, 250 lbs, and figure a large fuel cell, like 16 gallons (that's HOW many lbs???).....  I WANT to use lots of fiberglass, but being a street car I want to keep glass windows and steel doors....