Welcome.
Dodge Polara 2D HT 1965
- Thread starter The Swede
- Start date
Fratzog
Old Man with a Hat
Welcome aboard. Nice ride.
78Brougham
"Chump"
Gorgeous car! Just asking but why do you think it needs new springs?
polara66hardtop
Senior Member
If it helps, heavy duty springs don't necessarily raise the height of the car. they do however resist sagging, and can carry a much heavier load without having the rear end sag down. . I have a GtX that had belvedere springs, and when I installed the real springs the height didn't raise hardly at all. however, the new springs held the body under load better, and with weight in the trunk, there was little or no decrease in height. So Tension is a big factor.
Some springs arch well for height with no load, but sag badly under load. others are rigid, and resist any movement. R/T springs are like that, as are towing pkg springs.
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
I don't believe you order springs by saying " towing package, R/T or cop" ... You order by the number of leafs in the spring, then they'll ask you if you want them with an over stock height arch.....1" or 2"
He didn't say anything about ordering them. He's talking about spring options on Mopars and their effect on the car.
440 Magnum and Hemi B body cars and cars with towing or suspension packages came with heavier duty springs. Coronet R/T's and GTX's automatically had the heavier springs because they were only available with a 440 or Hemi so I think he referred to them as R/T springs as in springs that came on all Coronet R/Ts. Many also call them Hemi springs for the same reason .. all Hemi cars had them.
440 Magnum and Hemi B body cars and cars with towing or suspension packages came with heavier duty springs. Coronet R/T's and GTX's automatically had the heavier springs because they were only available with a 440 or Hemi so I think he referred to them as R/T springs as in springs that came on all Coronet R/Ts. Many also call them Hemi springs for the same reason .. all Hemi cars had them.
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
What exactly makes them that
polara66hardtop
Senior Member
Not all springs are created equal, as Tallhair says. My seven leaf Hemi springs kept my Charger at the same height as the 5-6 type leaf setup did. The difference was the compression rate, or the resistance to sag and bounce when loaded. I added springs to my stock setup, which raised my height, but the rear end simply bounced more when the trunk was loaded. With the Hemi type heavy duty springs My 300 lb nephew can stand in the trunk, and the car squats maybe an Inch. With the stock springs and re- leafed setup, the springs(7 and7) substantially compressed, and the nose was way up. Buy the R/T springs, or referred to as Hemi springs. They are of very high quality in my view. I bought mine directly from Chrysler.:sFl_america2:
Concur with polara66 and they also produce a massive improvement in ride quality IMHO and resistance to body roll when cornering and if you want to do some straight line maximum acceleration testing they significantly reduce axle wind up and wheel hop due to the added stiffness. I've added them to all B bodies I've ever driven regularly. Don't know how common a similar spring is for C bodies or if 440 C bodies had similar springs.
Here are some "Hemi" springs.
Note the 2 half leafs on the pass spring. They are on the forward side of the spring
Drivers side:
Here are some "Hemi" springs.
Note the 2 half leafs on the pass spring. They are on the forward side of the spring
Drivers side:
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
driver's side:6 full leafs
passe's side:5 full w/ 2 halves
passe's side:5 full w/ 2 halves
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
We are talking about many things to do with springs and their effect on cars and using examples. You may not be able to use the exact same parts but the dynamics of how parts work apply across body styles. I was just saying I can't speak definitively about C body springs. Polara said there were heavier ones on 440 cars above but I don't know if they are like the ones for B bodies I posted the pictures of.
What can you offer in the way of experience on heavy duty stock springs? I'm sure you've had experience with standard and big block C body springs
polara66hardtop
Senior Member
The Polara 383 two barrel originally had six springs on both left and right sides.
My 67' Chrysler 440 HP L code car has seven on each side. The 67' and 68 new Yorker hardtop 440 single exhaust also has seven on each side.
My 67' Chrysler 440 HP L code car has seven on each side. The 67' and 68 new Yorker hardtop 440 single exhaust also has seven on each side.
What is your impression of the ride difference with the heavier springs on the C body?
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
polara66hardtop
Senior Member
The car ride Improved dramatically. The Polara is such a nice driving car anyway, the heavy springs stabilized the rear of the car considerably.A little like Hemi springs on the B body, but not quite as firm. 383 heads, Intake and exhaust in the trunk with a radiator, tool box,and the car height was not affected more than an one inch. I have to drive that car more often.
That's exactly how I always felt about the difference
