ESPO leaf springs

FrozenCaveman said
Hey guys,

The next step in making my 71 /6 Scamp more roadworthy is to replace the rear springs. Based on price and forum reviews, I think I'm going with ESPO.

They have 5 leaf and 6 leaf HD springs. Price on the 5 leaf is about 30% cheaper, though the price on the 6 leaf is pretty darn good.

Question to the group is what difference in ride should I expect between the two, and given that I've got a /6, would the 6 leaf be overkill? Any pics of rides out there with stock height v. 1" lift? I assume you have better handling with no lift?

I'll be ordering all the mounting hardware from ESPO as well. I've been driving on the original springs (family car) for a while now, so anything will be an improvement.

Also, does anyone know the curb weight on a stock /6 71?

Thanks!

My 68 came with what the seller said are ESPO SS springs. (They definitely are not SS clones though.) I'd have to go out tonight and count the leaves but the rear IS a little higher than stock. It looked OK when it had 255-60x15's in the back but not so good now with 215-60x15's on all four. I will say the ride was stiff. Too stiff for me until I swapped in .920 T-bars in the front and a sway bar. Now it feels balanced and I don't notice the stiffness so much. When I re-did the rear end I swapped in poly shackle bushings from Mancini to replace the worn-out rubber ones.

I would expect just swapping in stiffer springs in the rear w/o changing the front spring rate will have the same effect for you.

What are your plans for the car? If you want a better handling car don't go with a higher arch.