Does anyone know what the stock rear spring (9 leaf) on a '77 is rated at? I was thinking either 315 lbs or 330lbs, but I really have no idea. Also, I would like to get a new spring in the future and I want to get a heavy duty one especially since I plan to drop a big block in also. I was thinking a 355 lb spring, but would this affect me in a negative way if I were to keep my small block in? I imagine it would be a bumpier ride, but I really don't care about that. Also, anyone know what the front coil springs are rated at? I'm thinking about getting a set of the 550 lb/in Gymkhana (spelling?), and I was wondering if anyone has done this and how it affected their ride height?

One bad thing about putting all of that heavy duty stuff on your vette, it will ride like a load of rocks. You will feel every crack in the road. My son has a S-351 Saleen Mustang, and it rides so rough, it almost knocks your teeth out. You can actually feel gravel on the road....But, man does that thing ever fly. 495 HP, 6 speed. Very low 12's, at 118 mph in quarter. It would be faster, if he could get traction. It don't stop spinning the wheels til the middle of third gear. Sorry about posting about a mustang on the corvette page, But I like all good running cars....


|QUOTE|VTHokie77Vette said: Does anyone know what the stock rear spring (9 leaf) on a '77 is rated at? I was thinking either 315 lbs or 330lbs, but I really have no idea. Also, I would like to get a new spring in the future and I want to get a heavy duty one especially since I plan to drop a big block in also. I was thinking a 355 lb spring, but would this affect me in a negative way if I were to keep my small block in? I imagine it would be a bumpier ride, but I really don't care about that. Also, anyone know what the front coil springs are rated at? I'm thinking about getting a set of the 550 lb/in Gymkhana (spelling?), and I was wondering if anyone has done this and how it affected their ride height?|/QUOTE|

The spring on my 76 was replaced last year with the stock setup. The spring rate is either 300 or 315. I would guess the 77 would be similar.

I know this is a late reply, but let me give you my experience with suspension components. I went to Dick Guldstrand, and explained that I wanted a great handling street car that I could take autocrossing. Here is the list of components he recommended, and I had his shop do the installation.

Front springs (550 lb.)
Polyurethane front control arm bushings
HD Lower ball joints
Front sway bar, 1” w/ brackets
Front sway bar poly bushings and endlinks
HD Tie rod sleeves
Rear spring (7-leaf)
Long rear spring bolts
Polyurethane rear bushings
Shocks, Bilstein (front and rear)
Front wheel bearings
Rear wheel bearings
Camber rod kit (w/heim joints)
Locator Kit (Aluminum discs for rear crossmember & differential)
U-joints
Steering box rebuild

Over smooth surfaces, the ride is acceptably firm, not crushingly stiff. Over rough surfaces, the car does tend to throw you around. Now, where I live the streets are not too bad, so I'm happy. But if you live where the roads are poor quality, this setup may be uncomfortable. I told Dick that I wanted a handling machine, and that's exactly what he gave me. The car sticks like glue in the turns, and is very stable and responsive. I sometimes wonder about people that buy Corvettes and complain about the stiff ride. Corvettes are sports cars! If people want soft rides, they should buy Buicks.

Thanks for the list. A lot of the stuff is in my plans already. I'm gonna change my rear spring to a composite spring though. I'll also have to find out the size of my stock sway bar. Anybody know that off the top of your head? Anybody with a rear sway bar? How you like it? I'm going to start tearing the suspension down over my Thanksgiving break and when I get the stuff over my winter break I'm going to start rebuilding it. Its probably going to take a long time because I'm thinking about having the differential rebuild with different gears while I have the spring off. I also want to put new poly bushings on it. I have a lot to do. I don't mind a stiff and bumpy ride. I like it actually... like you said, its a sports car. I want it to handle awesome.