Guys,

I am in the process of getting a bunch of my rear suspension brackets and such powdercoated to I have everything apart.

One thing I had forgotten about but now see is that the isolator clamps that go around the rubber iso bushings that surround the leaf springs don't fully 'seat' as I have leaf springs with more leafs and are hence, thicker than the OEM. I had to get longer-than-normal U-bolts to accomodate this but it has worked for the past 5 years.

I have the new iso bushings (poly) to replace the rubrer ones which are pretty rotted. I am curious to know if this will be an issue with the iso clamps not fully engaing the lower shock plate. They are sperated by maybe 1/2" or so.

Anybody else here run into this? I spent good $$ for these springs and they work great. I just didn't consider this issue when I purchased them years ago.

I know FirmFeel makes a 'delete' kit for these but I already have the nice replacement bushings and I am not spending $250+ship for a set of shock plates and u-bolts!

Any ideas? So far so good for the past 5 years but wanted any thoughts before I put it back together...

Thanks!

You can make your own Delete kit with a set of used standard (non-isoclamp) shock plates and a drill. Prior to 73 the springs bolted right to the shock plate and is a fine upgrade for a 73 and later car. The hole for the spring bolt may need to be enlarged depending on if the springs you have are for a 73 and newer B body or a 72 and older.

That said, you should be OK but if you are concerned then just take a piece of 1/2" thick (or whatever it measures out to be needed) steel and make 4 spacers with two holes each to fill the gap. Make sure that it allows for the u bolts to clamp and not so thick the bushings are not compressed.

I would mock it up without the springs and see what the gap is between the isoclamp and the lower shock plate with no pressure on the u-bolts but the poly spacers in place. Then make spacers that will keep that gap once the springs are installed but before the u-bolts are tightened. This will provide the correct clamp.

I like the spacer idea but they are charging like $10 a spacer for the size I'd need (1/2") x8 is $80!

I will see if they can be had cheaper at the H/W store but their spacers tend to be very thin walled and probably won't make much difference...

I may keep an eye out for the non-iso shock plates to swap in the future. I am guessing the plates from any 71/72 B-body would be what I am after?

I think you can get away with a cheaper spacer.
All you should need is two strips (per side, 4 total) of steel about 1" wide and approx 8" long.
The first place I looked online had 1/2" x 1" x36" bar stock for $14.30

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm...amp;top_cat=197

Local shopping or a little online shopping should make it cheaper.

Here is what I think you need to do in picture form. I'm not always the best at descriptions.

Either take the 1/2"(or whatever it is) off the lower iso bushing or ditch it all and pick up a set of 8-3/4 shock plates and u bolts. 8-3/4 plates are all the same and I see them for sale used anywhere from $50-$100 and new u bolts will run you $25 at Autozone.
Thats not the original rear in your car, is it?

Wow, thanks for the diagram! I was thinking you meant the cylindrical spacers just around the u-bolts.

I don't have my plates here (gone for powdercoat) but if they are flat, your idea would work. I can buy the stock metal in 2' strips within 1/16" thickness from McMaster so thats no biggie.

I don't have a mill but I am pretty good with a chop saw and I think I can manage to drill the two holes for the u-bolts.

I am guessing steel would be the best material but would aluminum work or too soft? I am just trying to make this easy on me for rust protection.

Quote:

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Thats not the original rear in your car, is it?

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Yes it is. I also want to keep this as original as possible and not hack up what I have. I know earlier plates would be an 'upgrade' but with poly bushings, it's pretty dang stiff...then i would have to buy yet another set of u-bolts and I have already invested in powder coating my parts I have now.

Don't use dissimilar metals on such a critical area.

What your trying to do is limit the clamp from moving and let the bushings take all the flexing while being held in place by the clamp. As you already know it will work without the spacers but the bushings will last longer if the clamps are rigid.

I wouldn't use aluminum because over time it may distort , since it wasn't really designed to be aluminum. I have seen aluminum washers pop up in strange places and it never ended well.

Ok well I went ahead an ordered one strip of steel 1/2"x7/8"x12" and another at 3/4"x7/8"x12. The driver's side spring is 2 leaves thicker than the OEM spring which brings it slightly more than 1/2" thicker than OEM and passenger is spring is 3 leaves thicker so about 7/8" thicker than OEM.

There isn't a lot of width there so hopefully the 3/16" of steel on each side of the 1/2" holes will be sufficient without being too thick to get in there.

If you look at the background of this old picture, you can see one of the gaps I am talking about on the passenger side.

Thanks for the advice so far on this! I will update next week when the steel comes in and I get the time to start fabbing this up.

I made a spacer from a 1 1/4 1/2 inch drive socket. lol

Get 68 to 72 b body shock plates use 5/16 with 1/2 head spring center bolts and make a spacer for the big hole in the spring perch.

I believe your iso clamps are upside down. The plate goes on top, under the axle tube, and the U chanel from the underside.

Hi Jim, ...That arrangement is strange...I wonder what that was used on..Here's a pic I pulled for another thread last week from the 73 road runner I restored...He's got it right{the upper plate is the swaybar mounting plate}...

If it means anything to you, 73 and up B body could also be had without isolators, cop cars were like this. really hard to find those parts these days, though

73-74 B-bodies use a different isolator setup than 75+ B/F/M/R/J bodies. Essentially it's "upside down"

Not sure on the cop cars, but my old chrysler manuals had different part numbers for the iso setup for cop cars vs. civi models. the Iso system was there, just "beefed up"

75+ B cop car (Coronet/Monaco/Fury) has no isolator. I believe this is a carry forward of the earlier B police setup, could easily be verified with a 73 or 74 book. For additional sourcing, did they ever make a Cordoba/Charger cop car? I don't have the parts book for all years



rather, there are steel spacers in there. that's kinda what got me thinkin, just take one or two of them out for more room

The actual "plate" (that grabs all the way around the spring pack and holds those rubber isos) is a different P/N for HD app without the rubber, so I wouldn't suggest just taking standard ones and dropping the isolators (not that anyone was talking about doing that). just mentioned for good measure

I am wondering if the 'cop cars' had HD springs (more leaves) and therefore, deeper clamps to reach around all the extra leaves. My original srpings were only 4 leaves and I see on the pic fo the 73 RR, it has 7 leaves like my new springs but its plates meet up.

I can assure you my setup is correct, minus the thick springs I am grappling with right now. This car was a survivor when I found it, in bad shape but totally unaltered.

FWIW, I have had the setup pictured like that for 5 years and about 500 miles or so behind a 499 stroker/727 and it hasn't so much as budged. Granted I'm not dragging this car but I don't drive like a granny on Sunday either.

Thanks for the advice so far on this. I have the new poly isolators so hopefully this and the metal spacers will make this work in a more permanent way. I do appreciate all the help and commentary on this from you guys!

I think the HD setup (w/o isolators) could have up to 6 leaves. There's a million ways to do as I'm sure the 4x4 forum could testify

And I just uploaded this photo, this of my fury cop car. no iso clamps at all - I should have remembered without looking



The iso clamps are only needed because they wanted to squeeze the rubber together around the pack without having metal to metal contact.

obviously this setup prevents a bit more axle wrap, too

Don't worry about the rust, I'm on it

btw I had an 86 Fifth Ave for the roller engine, it has a 7.25" rear and one of the iso clamps had rusted clean in half. Talk about dangerous.

What year fury? Learn something new everyday. Wasn't in my 79 book.

And yes, there were deeper ISO clamp brackets for the more leaf spring packs. At least in my late bs and fjm's

78, last year for such things. would be the same for any cop car from 75 later. Just took a look in the 73 book, also lists plenty of "w/o isolator" parts

on a totally separate car, here are HD roadrunner/junkyard springs on our 73 satellite w/ 8&1/4 and with isolators

Ok guys here are the results as promised!

Here are the metal spacers I made out of bars of mild steel.



Here they are installed passenger side 3/4" spacer.



Another shot:



Driver's side 1/2" spacer.



I will have to drive and see how everything 'feels'. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Looks good..Hopefully you've got enough crush to keep everything nice and tight....But I have to ask...Who's rear sway bar are you running ??? I'm not so sure that mounting bar is going to stay where you need it...There's no positive lock to keep it in the clocked position...

Yeah I thought the same thing about the sway bar but it's hard to find one for my car that doesn't require having the factory brackets which mine doesn't have as it was not orignally equipped with one.

I have had it on there for 5 years or so, maybe 500 miles of driving and it somehow stayed put. Maybe the oppposing tension from both sides keeps it centered?

Oh yeah, I seem to recall it's an Addco unless I am remembering wrong. I would have gone with a "nicer" bar but alas, nothing available at the time that didn't re-use factory brackets.

Get rid of that iso clamp junk. Get or make a spacer for the big hole in the spring perch and get the right shock plates. Just look at that set up who wants there leaf springs isolated from the axle by big chunks of rubber or poly. Chrysler put that crap on to compete with GM and there mushy riding cars.