Transverse Leaf Spring suspension..I hate'em!

[Sonyman]

Is there anyone who have a Grandprix or Cutlass early 90's with the transverse leaf spring suspension in the back? It sits too low for me, i just put some new shocks on only that it raised it up a inch. I know the next generation GP's and what not did away with that crap and got some springs but my question is there a way to raise a transverse spring suspension? If you know a way, holla at me.

[pocket-rocket]

This should have gone in the suspension area. But you can get Moog helper springs at any parts store (probably have to order them, I've never bought a set) to help, or buy a newer, stronger transverse spring, or go with aftermarket coil overs.

[Sonyman]

well sorry that it didnt get put in the right area but really it was directed towards anyone who got creative and solved the problem of low ground clearance due to a transverse spring suspension.

[Rhedalert]

Back in the day, years ago, I bought and used those MOOG spring helpers and they DO work very well. Nowadays, you could increase your ride height a little bit if you use those spring bushing inserts made by various companies (including Moog). They go between the spring end and strut knuckle and take the place of the original spring pad. They're relatively thick, IIRC 3/4" so that would translate to a higher ride height. I noticed this when I installed them into my Olds as well.

I otherwise like the rear spring setup. It is VERY lightweight and has natural anti-sway characteristics.

[Sonyman]

i think thats it. thanks

[Sonyman]

you can of course take the whole transverse spring suspension off and put on a coil spring in its place rite?

[2FastChevy]

you could probably get the rear end from a later w body car like a 96-01 lumina to fit the back of a 88-96 GP because the track width is the same however you would have to do some modifications to get the strut mounts to fit. Would be a nice project but you would have your work cut out for you

[pocket-rocket]

you could probably get the rear end from a later w body car like a 96-01 lumina to fit the back of a 88-96 GP because the track width is the same however you would have to do some modifications to get the strut mounts to fit. Would be a nice project but you would have your work cut out for you

I had a member with a newer W body with the coil overs check theirs out, and the most obvious things without measuring anything was that the upper strut mount where it bolts to the body had 3 studs instead of 2 like the older gen. Like I said though, this was without any measuring.

[cutlass supreme FE3]

any pics of the coil setup would be nice

[2FastChevy]

sorry i should of read more carefully however i highly doubt you'd be able to re vamp the rear struts without some form of measurements/modifications to get the coil overs to fit on your generations of w body car

[pradecki]

definitely drop in some coilovers, i did a custom adjustable ride height all around with camber plates up front and do not regret it at all. get some slightly stiffer springs too and the handling will tighten up real nice

[FastZ34Lumina5]

Z34 Supension

Ok I have read this thred. I have a few car sitting in my yard. I would like to ditch the mono leaf in the back of my 1991 Z34 Lumina. What car can I take the Supension out of in the back?? Is there any direct bolt ins???? I have looked at alot of the cars. I have a few 95 to 98 Monte Carlos. and a few Grand Prixs all years. Also a few 95 to 98 luminas. What can I make work? Also what can I put in the front for springs to lower the front? will like lowering springs from one of them Montes work in the front??

[WrathOfSocrus]

There is one thing to note about the difference between the Gen 1 W's and the later ones with the coil springs. I haven't personally seen it but apparently the steel where it mounts is two layers thick on the coiled style and one layer on the leaf spring style. The Gen 1's were only designed to dampen the suspension in the strut tower, not hold the weight of the car.

That being said many people do run coil overs without any issues. I have heard people talk of people with problems but never seen any pictures of carnage. If you have any problems with rust up there I would look into making some sort of ring to distribute the force of the coil being placed on the strut tower.

If rust is not an issue and you are ready to jump in and do the coil overs, it is fairly cheap and you get an adjustable ride height out of the deal.Here is a good thread detailing what was needed and where to find parts.

http://www.gmwbody.com/viewtopic.php?t=196

Towards the bottom of the third page has links on where to buy the adjustable sleeves and other pieces. I did something very similar to what they show here on the front of an '89 Cutlass W body and it worked out very well. I think I spent under $300 shipped for all of the parts including progressive rate QA1 coil springs.

For more information on a coil over swap there is a rather long thread with what I think is a slightly expensive kit over here

http://www.w-body.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=9b7b7c0ec04fdf2a84e3261ebd9e97af&topic=61157.0

The only part I really wasn't impressed with was where the coil spring met up with the upper strut mount. I haven't been able to test it out yet but I did come up with a studier solution for my front end that can probably be applied to the rear as well.

http://shop.a1racing.com/cok12470.aspx

I bought 2 of those and used a 1" bit to widen the hole in the center a bit. Even then the hole was slightly too small to fit over the shaft on the strut. I used a dremel to make the bottom of the hole wider than the top of the hole. I kept grinding away a little bit at a time until the spring mount came down flush below the threaded part of the shaft. I used some glue (amazing goop) to keep the threaded sleeve from rattling around and threaded the lower spring mount all the way down. Added the coil, then the strut, then the upper spring mount and screwed it into the upper strut mount. Once this was done I screwed the lower spring mount up until there was a bit of tension on the spring. That should keep the top part from rattling. If it doesn't completely eliminate rattling then I will probably glue the top spring mount to the strut mount.

I honestly can't say exactly what ride height my car is at now because I have no engine or trans in the car at the moment. But with the lower spring mount just slightly tensioned against the spring my car seems to sit about an inch lower than it did before. However the one before pic i had was with the trans in. So I'm sure I will have to jack it up higher once the engine and trans go in. If I had to guess I would say I have the ability to change the ride height from about 3 inches lowered to nearly 2 inches lifted above stock. Again I won't be completely certain until the drivetrain is in, but it should be adjustable enough to get the car where I want it.

There is also the option of the flex-a-form leaf spring which can be bought in different spring rates. However with a little work the coil overs with its adjustable ride height capabilities are hard to beat for the price. I will try to remember to get some pics of the suspension. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out and really look forward to testing it out!