Front Coil Springs

[Imaani83]

Hi everyone,

I've recently come into ownership of a 1983 DLX wagon with serious suspension issues. All of the rubber has expired, the subframe required some welding, and one of the front coils snapped and bound the shock absorber.

I've slowly collected most of the pieces that would be required for a front suspension rebuild. This forum has been instrumental in finding the correct parts. Control arms were sourced from a donor in New Mexico, and restored by Tandem Automotive over in Fort Worth, who also fitted them with Superpro SPF1062K poly bushings

IMG_2714.jpg

They match the SPF0979-21K and SPF1064K bushings that I've ordered for the rebuild. As well as KYB 36037 Shocks, SM6057 Shock Mounts and SB103 strut bellows. Since that section of the car will be getting some love, I also got TRW JBJ405 ball joints as a "since we're there" replacement.

However, I've run into issues sourcing front coils. Since I won't do any off-roading on the vehicle, or indeed anything much more strenuous than normal city car duty, I'd like it to be as close as possible to stock height. Stock front coil springs (P/N 48131-16250) are not available from the manufacturer anymore. Neither is its replacement (P/N 48131-16270).

The following manufacturers have been contacted and have confirmed that the part numbers associated with their offerings have also been discontinued and will no longer be offered:

BILSTEIN (P/N 36161591)
KYB (P/N RC2342)
ZF/BOGE (P/N 816280)
SACHS (P/N 997 375)
LESJÖFORS (P/N 22325848)

Lesjöfors offered additional information on their offering, though they could not confirm whether 22325848 would be a direct fit for the AL25 Tercel:

Length [mm]: 418
Outer diameter [mm]: 141
Diameter [mm]: 11.9
Spring Rate [N/mm] 15.4

The definitive list of ways to lift a tercel has valuable data, but all the lifts that use coils are beyond the 1" mark, which some posts on this forum claim is the safe maximum lift before adding unnecessary wear on the CV axles. Lifting the car and then dropping the subframe is also something I would rather avoid.

So my question is: Are there any readily available front coil springs for this wagon that will fit, work with existing suspension components, and retain the stock ride height or raise it within safe levels for the CV axles?

Thank you.

[Imaani83]

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[Petros]

Not likely you will find new replacement springs identical to the stock springs. there are several springs that are close, you may be able to get performance springs for the front struts of the MR2 that will work. there also used to be custom coil spring makers in the larger cities that would wind you springs to your specifications. forty years ago they were not too costly, like $40 each, but I am not sure if any are around anymore, seems like there should be however, since people are still modifying the newer cars with custom suspension parts. Perhaps do a search?

Also, my springs have 400k miles on them and appear to still be at the stock ride height, I have not noticed they are lower or uneven. If your exiting springs still give you stock ride height, they may just be fine to reuse. that Japanese steel is pretty good stuff, and generally steel has excellent fatigue life as compared to most other metals.

If you suspect a problem, there are machine shops that can check the springs for the tiny cracks, that will cause it to sag. there should be places that can test their spring rate, or if you are cleaver, you can rig something up yourself. Mount the spring so it can not move, make a long lever pressing on the spring and hang a weight on it and accurately measure how much it compresses. Else where in this forum I listed the stock spring rate, in Lbs/in, and you can compare what you get. I did this to test a number of new and used clutch pressure plates I had in my garage, it is not difficult to set up. I found some of the clutches did not meet new pressures, and some of the new ones were different than others.

One other thing I noticed, I have front and rear springs from three different Tercels, two were 4wd (different years), and one was a 2wd wagon, that I had parted out for different reasons over the years I have owned and worked on Tercel4wd. I was rebuilding a set of structs so I can do a swap out at once, to save time. I put the struts and springs together I had in my boxes of parts and was surprised to see that none of the springs were the same. I suspect the 2wd wagon is a bit lighter and may have a lower spring rate, the strut for the 2wd wagon was also about 25 mm shorter (about an inch), but otherwise identical except for the lower spring rate. but the other two came out of different year T4wd wagons, unless they came with different springs based on optional equipment (A/C, power steering, etc), otherwise I have no idea why they all would have different rate springs. So what ever you buy, if you find any, make sure they are the same.

come to think of it, some have asked if my own car is raised, but it has the original factory springs in it. But I have removed the AC, and some other equipment I did not want on it, so perhaps the difference in weight makes it ride a bit higher.

Now that I have likely confused you further: Good luck.

[Imaani83]

If you suspect a problem, there are machine shops that can check the springs for the tiny cracks.

I dunno, it doesn't look quite right to me

IMG_7478.jpeg

Even if they do detect a small crack in them, I think I'd feel more comfortable with brand new front coils, even if they are not specifically designed for the Tercel but are a close match spec-wise.

[Imaani83]

Additional pics

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[NWMO]

It would appear the end had broken off? I’ve rebuilt with Moog 81043 which gives lift and rides a little harsher, but they’ve held up. They should have a lighter spring that would more closely resemble stock characteristics.

Chris

[dlb]

I dunno, it doesn't look quite right to me

Haha, I think you might be right. I wonder how a previous owner managed to do all that to the suspension. Must have tried to kill the dang car.

[Imaani83]

I dunno, it doesn't look quite right to me

Haha, I think you might be right. I wonder how a previous owner managed to do all that to the suspension. Must have tried to kill the dang car.

I get the sense that it wasn't deliberate. The entire car just has this tinge of the previous owner being too broke or too disinterested in fixing it. Most likely a combination of both. The randosteer caused by the worn bushings being brushed out as normal, the five-minute job of replacing the interior bulbs deferred and ignored. The A/C panel without an AC on/off switch which means the compressor is always engaged...just little things like that.

Someone with more of an eye for detail than me suggested that the wear in the pictures means that the coil was cracked for some time, enough to let moisture and oxidation in, then a single hit (and this being a worn tercel with no bushings and worn shocks on 13" wheels, a large pothole of the correct size should do it.

@NWMO, how much lift would Moog 81043 springs give? As mentioned earlier, I'm okay with a very mild one but it seems anything over 1" will make a simple replacement job into something altogether more involved.

[NWMO]

Imaani83,

The 81043 likely gives 1.5-2.0 inches lift. I have had little/no associated problems. I did replace the driver’s side CV shaft, BUT I haven’t touched the passenger side and likely have 80k miles on the lift (and possibly another 86k miles that was on the car when purchased?). The ball joints may wear a little faster, but again, I haven’t had problems. Moog has “great tables” for their springs, I suspect you could find something closer to stock.

Chris

[NWMO]

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