My wife was constantly pointing out how squeaky the rear (leaf) springs were on th esunbeam Alpine. Of course, it was very true, so they were added to the winter "fix" list.
Turns out that two springs operate with plastic buttons between them and two are steel on steel. The buttons were worn pretty badly, resulting in steel on steel. I cleaned up the leafs and relieved the wear grooves. Wiped them down with silicone spray, threw the buttons away and reassembled, using Mr. Roadster poly spring liner from Speedway Auto Parts between all leafs. What a change - the rear of the car actually moves up and down while doing the shock absorber test. Previously, the car just rocked a little bit while doing the shock test. The springs are not nearly as stiff as they appeared. Which, of course, brings up the shock issue.
The shocks initially compress with little resistance. After the second bounce, they become much firmer. But still, they compress much easier than rebound. Rebound is somewhat a two stage stage affair. The first inch or so is quite rapid, then slows noticeably.
The fronts require one bounce to "pump up" then seem to have a simple 50/50 valving. The shocks are front and rear 68 Camaro and have about 60,000 miles on them.
Any comments/insights as to what is happening vs. what really needs to happen are very welcomed.
Bill
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