I have a 1954 F100 that has been an ongoing project for about 18 months. I replaced the front springs with stock Camaro springs and I'm just not happy with the ride quality. I'm looking for some advice about front springs. I'm running a SBC with 700r4 and I don't know the weight of the front end but wonder who is running what? I'm looking for a set of bolt in coil overs. Any responses about which to use or the springs they are using would be appreciated.

 

Hey Wildebird,
I can't help much but let's bump this back up to see if we can get you some info. on your Camaro suspension question. Your truck is beautiful!


Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Thanks Ben, it's been a labor of love and it's almost done.

 

A buddy of mine has the same setup on his 55 and I know that he has experimented with various springs, he's out of town right now but when I see him next I will ask him what he finally found that works best.

 

What is the problem with ride quality? While I'm not running a Camaro sub, I am running a frame clip from a 70 Chevelle with a sbc and 350 turbo. Since I'm running a one piece glass front end I went for a lighter spring from a 6 cylinder non air conditioned Chevelle and the ride quality is very good. Rock Auto seems to have a wide variety of springs to choose from at decent prices.

I've never looked into coilovers or air ride since I tried to keep my build simple.

 

Thanks for the replies, the ride is a bit harsh. I went with 420lb springs and ended up cutting an inch out of them so the spring rates a little more than that. I was thinking I would have a bit of adjustment with the coil overs. It's not fun to change springs and ultimately I would like the coil overs so why not just do it now.

 

As I recall the spring rate on my coils was around 300 lb. I would thnk your spring rate would be for a big block car.

 

If you did go back with coils you could buy from eaton and return them as long as they are not painted or cut on until you find the correct one. What size wheels and tires are you running ?

 

That's what I'm thinking too, I got my current springs from Summit and was told to run these. M thinking if I run the coil overs I'll run the QAL 350 lb springs on them.
Wheels are 17's. 225/50/17

 

Any help is greatly appreciated

 

My 53 is a grafted 71 Firebird front clip. I run the HD oem springs not the standard springs. The HD's were specific to the big block cars. I have the part numbers at home - if you want to give them a go I can PM them over.

As far as feedback. I would go to a coil over if it's in the budget. The ride on the hd's is just okay enough to get by. It's a soft ride, no jarring at all. It's just not where I would prefer it with the weight I have out front due to the BBC.

 

Thanks for the reply emay! I thinking about the QA1 350lbs for the coil overs. I just need to get under and measure to make sure they will be the right ones. I have the Summit brand 440lbs in there right now and they are way too stiff for me. I did cut about an inch out of them so I'm sure they are more like 450-500lbs now.

 

I did ask my buddy what springs he was running and he said that he bought the Nova springs that were spec'd for the non-A/C car. The sway bar has a lot to do with handling, a stiffer sway bar will allow you to use a softer spring without sacrificing handling.

 

I'm running a 1 1/4" sway bar with non air 6 cylinder springs and the truck rides and handles much better than I would have ever expected.

 

You could talk to Eaton Springs. They helped me get the right coils for my truck.

www.eatonsprings.com