4424me

So I have The rear Diff out of my 72 cutlass to rebuild it. At this time im going to replace trailing arm bushings and clean things up. What im wondering is have any of you put new stiffer springs in to help get rid of a bit of bounce and body roll or corners? thoughts appreciated, Dan

monzaz

Ok wel springs really are NOT there to control roll of the body - Springs are for ride height and ride feel when a bump it hit. Stiffer spring will let the chassis either have a smooth ride or stiffer ride that will rebound and feel the road better - The shock will control control the bounce of the spring... WHICH if the rear is bouncing the SHOCK is bad...lol.
A SWAY bar is what you want to invest in for body roll and is a GOOD investment with a OLD car. Will make the car feel like a new car again in turns etc. It is one the biggest noticeable items you can upgrade beside the engine and gear ratio.

I did a steering box quick ratio and that with the larger sway bar front and rear made the car feel MUCH more stable and responsive. Just remember a sway bar in conjunction with all the other suspension components being in good condition will make the difference. If your ball joints and springs are sagging etc. your only putting a band aid on the suspension. Jim

brown7373

I bought a stock rear sway bar for a 72 Chevelle (same as Olds) and it was a direct bolt on. My rear arms were pre-drilled from the factory so all I had to do was shim between the open arms and tighten the bolts. It made a major difference in cornering.

4424me

Ok thats pretty much the answer I was looking for! I think im just expecting too much from old technology! As for a sway bar I have a stock sway bar and boxed lower control arms. I have air shocks in the rear aswell.

Lady72nRob71

If you have the original 7/8" sway bar you can upgrade to a 1". Look for them at Chevelle houses everywhere.
If your springs are original with high miles, they might be getting saggy. If the rear bottoms out easily over dips, then you need new ones.

4424me

Ill keep my eyes open for a 1" sway bar. I wouldnt say its ever bottomed out but it deffinetly sits lower in the rear without the air shocks pumped up a bit.

Lady72nRob71

Let the air out of the air shocks and drive around over some dips, at a normal speed like one would normally do. If it bottoms easily, then springs are prolly shot. Mushy springs can contribute to mushy handling.
How many miles does it have?

jfb

ho or malibu racing if they are there have a complete kit with 1 and 3 eights bars excellent price and extreme performance with a great ride also with kyb,s.

oldcutlass

Get rid of the air shocks. If the rear sags replace the springs to restore ride height. There are a multitude of springs to set the rear end up the way you want it.