spring color codes??

tim

Registered User
I went to ford to see if theyhad a lighter front spring for the bird. He said they are color coded and he could not tell me which spring had the lightest rate. I want lighter weight front springs that are not stiff. I know about the cornering issues. Not looking to lower the car to the ground.
 
Ask him what color codes are available. If they're not in order alphabetically in the computer, they are most likely in order of stiffness, least to most. I'm not sure why you'd want to do this.
 
No letters just part numbers. Two reasons the stock springs are really stiff. And they are really heavy. I want drag springs but nobody makes them. I dont want to lower the car just to do it. I think these cars react like a board at the drag strip, and thats what ny car is all about.
 
To get the best traction at the drag strip, you want stiff suspension in the rear to keep the back end planted and not wound up (think wheel hop).

If you want to help plant the rear tires, try poly rear knuckle bushings, and poly or aluminum diff mounts.

Also, subframe connectors and reinforcement will help terribly.
 
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Thanks, what I want the car to do is a little lift on the front on launch. If the car lifts a tad it transfer a lot of weight to the rear. Its an automatic so wheel hop is not a problem. Sure wish someboby made a drag racing suspension for our cars. Tim
 
In the parts listings for the Thunderbird, the springs are listed in no particular order, by the spring code, which comes off your driver's door info label, or the tag on the spring.

Ford does not list the springs by stiffness or weight, or even break down the model or engine / trans combos. So looking at the list, the parts person cannot tell you which spring might be for a lightly optioned base 3.8 NA car, which is for an SC, etc. A car like T-Bird, which came in many versions, can have as many as 10 - 12 different front springs listed, depending on how the car was equipped. Ford will even use different left and right front springs on some vehicles.

Just FYI, many of the choices for T-Bird springs from Ford have been discontinued already, and the ones that are left are very expensive. One of the shops we deal with phoned a few days ago for rear springs on a 96 Bird. The ones listed by the spring code (which I got from the VIN he supplied), were no longer available. Out of the 8 or so choices listed for the rear of a 96, only one number was still available. They were about $140 CAN for each spring. :rolleyes:

My suggestion would be to get a good used pair of springs from the most lightly optioned base 3.8 Bird or Cougar you can find, or try a parts store for an aftermarket replacment set of springs for a 3.8 NA Bird.

cheers,
Ed N.
 
Just use blown shocks on the front and disconnect your front sway bar. Make sure you slow down before you turn around. You don't want softer springs because it will sag too much. You want high rate (maybe variable rate) springs to 'shoot' the front end up. It's the damper rate that you need to decrease to assist weight transfer.

If you want to make your springs a progressive rate (you'll lower the car a bit in the process), you can try annealing them with a torch; take them off and heat half the spring to a red glow and keep it glowing for 20 minutes or so. Rinse, try them on your car, repeat. normally, it takes about 2 hours total at a bright red glow to completely anneal spring steel, but I'd start making small changes. If you don't have a decent strut compressor, this isn't really a viable option. The springs will look like cr@p afterwords, also. They'll work better than a soft spring, though. If you REALLY want a softer spring, get some from a V6 NA T-Bird of the same year at the wrecker. Guarranteed to be mushier.
 
Thanks for all the info. I dont have a torch, just your basic hand tools. I have taken some weight of the front of the car and plan on loosing about another 150 lbs. so a n.a. spring makes sense. I dont haave a front sway bar its gone. I plan on going with a manual steering box so I will be cuting more weight. Battery in the trunk. Get rid of the big p.s. alternator mount and make a small one. Glass hood when I get th money. Weight loss is a big thing when yor start out at 4000 lbs. My goal is to get the car under 3500 lbs. The less weight the engine has to pull the less the engine will have to strain. Like I said 12.99 this comming spring.
 
The easiest way to improve lift on the front end is to add more HP. I don't have problems with weight transfer. :D
 
Got nothing to do with horse power. I needs to transfer power to the back. Besides that if my whole car was only ten feet long like your it would turn 10 flat. Keep talking next year I will have one of your blowers so I can smoke YOU. Get rid of that ricer truck transmission and put in an automatic. REAL MEN are shiftless. :D :D
 
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