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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2003 12:28 pm Post subject: Front springs in the rear?
I knew I needed new shocks, but I wasn't counting on needing new coils.
The shocks I ordered 8 weeks ago finally arrived (being on a small island, parts availability is limited) ... and last night as I was just about to jack up my elky I noticed it wasn't sitting properly.
So right now my El Camino is up on jacks with the rear coils and shocks removed. Being my daily drive and only car, I'm in a bit of a hurry to get it fixed, and cannot wait 6-8 weeks for new coils. Besides, the stock coils are pretty cheesy.
So, I'm pondering putting front coils from a 79 Malibu wagon (my parts car) in the rear of my (1980) El Camino.
The rear coils on the Malibu are just as bad as what was on my El Camino, but the front ones seem to be in decent shape.
Anyone know if this is a bad idea, or even possible? I'd rather not remove the front coils on the parts car only to find they're useless for the rear of my elky. From what I can see, it seems they can be made to fit.
Also, if anyone has any suggestions on something heavier than stock for front coils, that'd be apprecated too.
Ultimately, I want this elky setup for light/moderate towing. The small island I'm on is in the Caribbean and I see a speedboat in the not too distant future.
Necoa #: 478
Location: 17(S.CA,S.NV)
Joined: Oct 10, 2002
Posts: 1637
Year: 1982
Model: El Camino
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2003 5:39 pm Post subject:
I don't think the front springs will work in the back. The size of the coil from the fronts might be too big for the spring pads in the back to sit properly and stay.
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2003 8:16 pm Post subject: Re: Front springs in the rear?
Moe wrote:
So, I'm pondering putting front coils from a 79 Malibu wagon (my parts car) in the rear of my (1980) El Camino. Anyone know if this is a bad idea, or even possible?
Yes Moe, it is a very very bad idea.
You can't swap front and rear springs in a 5th generation El Camino. They will not fit. Even if you could swap them, the front springs are rated much higher than the rears.
_________________ Ernie
87 El Camino
"To be Old and Wise, you must first be Young and Stupid"
In the end (just completed) I ended up taking the rear coils out of my 79 Malibu Wagon parts car and dropped them in my El Camino. When I dropped the rear end off the Malibu the coils didn't seem so wrecked, and they're now on my El Camino.
It's GREAT. Sits high, and with the new 'towing and hauling' shocks (that have their own small coil) it looks beautiful.
It has the stiffness I was looking for and none of the problems you guys alluded to.
Again, thanks for the input... and she's running great now. I highly recommend Malibu wagon coils for your El Camino.
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