what is the best way to STIFFEN a spring without making it taller?

[azmusclecar]

Well, the wandering and darting is an alignment issue. I would suggest investing in a DYI alignment set. Getting more caster and camber in (more than some tire monkey will do) makes a HUGE difference.
Sorry you don't like the wheels. I think it looks cool as hell- just bring the rear down a touch to level it out. The gold definitely narrows the resale audience, though.

I have the OEM Hurst wheels waiting to be cleaned, restored and refreshed so if I sell the buyer gets both sets........

 

[azmusclecar]

What size tires did you put on? The wheels work for the car but maybe some more side wall on the tire could make the look like they fill the wheel wells better. Also would give a little more of a smother/softer feel of the road.

If I add sidewall to the tire then that begins the slippery slope of it changing the speedo and affect the rear gear ratio
which is already 2.74. You need to find the same circumference wheel and tire as what was stock and to go to a larger wheel,
means a narrower sidewall. The combination on the car matches the circumference of the stock tire and rim.

 

[pagrunt]

As long as the tire is about 26" tall that will keep the speedometer in the correct range as long as the driven & drive speedo gears are a matched ratio to the 26" tall tires & the gears in the rear end.

 

[azmusclecar]

As long as the tire is about 26" tall that will keep the speedometer in the correct range as long as the driven & drive speedo gears are a matched ratio to the 26" tall tires & the gears in the rear end.

Yes that's exactly the measurement I used...........if you choose a 17 inch wheel and want to keep everything accurate, then the tire size
is pretty much predetermined..............

 

[Rt Jam]

The original post asked for how to stiffen a spring. If it needs to be stiffened, it needs to be stronger. It is called spring rate. How much it compresses with each lbs.
Spacers only change the position. Throw a spacer in there, it's the same spring, same spring rate.

Imagine an adjustable coil over. Threading the adjuster just changes the position. If it's a super soft spring, it's still a super soft spring.

Not sure what you have in there now but if you know the spring rate, you want new springs with a Higher spring rate. It's not rocket science, the new spring will either have less coils or a thicker coil.