Rear Spring - Old vs. New?

I've been reading about everyone putting on the mono springs.  Is there an advantage with these over a standard spring like this one: http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?pf_id=A7090&dept_id=1826 ?  I'd like to stay as stock as possible, but have been told that I need a new one.  Also, how hard is it to replace?  Do I need any special tools? 1976VetteGuy2008-04-07 13:49:48

Oh yah, and do I need to get the longer bolts?

Brought the Monoleaf, Ecklers Part #35265, for my 80 and it bolted right in. Got rid of the squeek also. Real nice ride. I would suggest it. Obviously it's not origanal but technologies change for a reason.

The glass springs ride nicer, and usually handle better.  They should be a direct fit, so you should use the standard bolt with new rubber.  All you need is a few sockets and a jack.  People sometimes then find the rear a little higher than the front, because they have raised the rear back to it's original height, and the front has sagged a little over the years.  The correct fix is new front springs, but people do lower the back instead.

Larry

My 81 had a mono from the factory.  I changed to a 340lb mono. I did this 60 months after I changed the shocks to KYB's. The new mono by far is the best thing i've done to the car. 100% improvement over a 26 yr old spring..

I bought the TRW rear spring and love it. Not hard to install but you do need to be careful.

vetteguy... I went to Ecklers and bought that spring,before I removed my 30 yr.old spring.It is not as shown in the catalogue.Our original springs look like that but those sold by Ecklers is darn near flat!and made in India.I returned it because everything else about it was cheap.At the time of purchase they had 75 on hand,that should tell you just how cheap they were to buy from the wholesaler/importer.

Thanks guys for all your responses. Should I worry about the originality factor? If I put on a mono spring, won't that b frowned upon as far as originality goes?

Mikeee - where did you end up getting a spring from?

As far as getting the car judged, if that is your plan, you will lose points for a monospring. It is what it is, but it will be an improvement to the car. I lowered my rear with longer bolts (front height was in spec). If you don't get good shocks, the new spring will feel a bit "bouncy". Bilstien makes shocks for a monospring suspension, I just bought a set. Good luck!

I highly recommend getting a Heavy Duty RearEnd Cover if you get a new spring.  The original covers have a habit of breaking when installing a new spring.   I'm speaking from experience