coilovers in wagon

[murderwagon]

ok please dont tear me apart i was looking on google for some answers on what to do for a goon rear suspension and i have come up with removing all the leaves minus the main leaf and putting a coilover in where the shock goes i saw that this guy with a supra motor in a goon did it and it looks pretty easy i plan on adding a sway bar and traction bars as well. so my question is what coilovers will fit in there and give me the right adjustably. i am hoping this guy who owns this bad ass wagon is on here thanks guys

[ichorid]

ah the supra goon. that dudes fucking awesome! thats one of the best ways I have seen to lower the rear end. WagDatto has a nice low ass too check out his project build.

[hang_510]

i am hoping this guy who owns this bad ass wagon is on here thanks guys

nope.

 

anthony ???

he is on the bluebirds list

[Pacific coast Datsun]

I wouldnt run just 1 leaf spring. Severe axle wrap will probably be an issue like that.

[69FJWagon]

Anthony runs a custom leaf spring set up they are composite mono-leafs... I have talked to him about them and are fairly reasonably priced I was gunna contact the company and see if they would do a discount for a group buy... anyone interested???

 

Clayton

[nullbound]

Anthony runs a custom leaf spring set up they are composite mono-leafs... I have talked to him about them and are fairly reasonably priced I was gunna contact the company and see if they would do a discount for a group buy... anyone interested???

 

Clayton

 

Interested.

[DARIN 510]

found this on the 510 jungle, only pic though.hope this helps.

 

 

 

[WagDatto]

The proper way to replace the leaf springs is with a 4 link, panhard bar and custom coilover mounts. That's a lot of time, money and work and NOT a lot of space to work with! The biggest drawback to the wagon is there's very little room (especially when you lower the hell out of it!) between the axle and the floor and frame rails. That's also why the axle wraps up and smacks the floor without cutting and moving the floor under the rear seats. The other issue you have, even if you go with a 4 link and coilover setup, is that since there's not much room, you'll basically have to cut holes in the cargo area and make a custom "strut bar" type of deal for the upper coilover mount. I believe Johnburezu (sorry for butchered spelling, it's late and I can't remember) finished the whole deal, and it looks pretty trick... but what a pain!!

 

The only way I'd EVER suggest someone to do all that work would be if they upgraded the rear axle at the same time. I don't see the point of doing all of that and sticking with the open differential with fairly weak axle shafts... upgrade to a Ford 8.8 or 9" with LSD, disk brakes and beefy axles! You'd have to have it shortened, but it'd be the right thing to do before spending a fortune on the 4 link.

 

Easier way to make the wagon handle better:

 

Shorten/de-arch the leaf springs - take them to a shop or take a spare leaf spring and add a new leaf upside down in the pack you have. Lower stance and stiffer springs will help keep the axle from wrapping too much.

 

Panhard bar - I don't care what anybody says, I can FEEL the axle shift from side to side around turns... a panhard would keep it from doing so. Downside, again, is that you dont have a lot of room. Panhard bars need to be long, otherwise they "pull/push" the axle as the arc pivots during suspension travel.

 

Trac Bars - Something I haven't done, but would love to. CalTrac style bars would be the best choice given the small space we have to work with. They basically run a bar from the axle mount on the leaf springs to the front leaf spring mount. As the axle tries to wrap upward, it forces the bar against the pivoting mount and wraps the force downward on top of the leaf spring, which keeps the axle from wrapping under torque, but still allows full suspension travel.

 

Swap the cargo floor to the sedan floor - Fuck axles. I hate the rear axle. To hell with full contact patch for your tires, I want camber, and lots of it. I want upgradeable differentials and CV joints and an IRS, and shit... just the TERM "mustache bar" is fucking rad. Leaf springs totally blow, I'm going to swap in a 510 IRS and say to hell with it.

 

I'm currently running de-arched/stiffened springs with 2.5" blocks to dump me further. I cut the floor out from under the rear seat to clear the diff nose, and added yet another leaf to the pack to lower it more and to act as an "overload" spring or "slapper bar" of sorts. It handles okay, and I don't get axle hop when I launch anymore... In fact, I can totally burn out and roast my tires now when I want to, but I'm still scared to brake my third axle shaft... I know it's going to happen... I used to run a welded diff, and for the hell of it, I'll probably put it back in when the weather gets nice again just to have some fun.

 

CLIFF NOTES:

 

Coilovers would pretty much require a 4 link and custom rear cargo area setup to allow enough room for the coilovers to sit.

I wouldn't suggest that work unless you upgrade rear axle.

I listed other options for improved feel and handling for the 510 wagon.

I say screw leaf springs and urge you to swap to IRS because it's rad as shit.

[johnbureezu]

check mine out. Expensive though.

4 link wagon

[INDY510]

Pac Coast: Do you have a part # for your air shocks?

 

Where do I find new U-bolts and a 2 inch lowering block?

 

Datzenmike: Are 710 goons and 510 goons very similar??? Same rear axle? Same leafs? Same rear shocks?

[WagDatto]

The U-Bolts I used weren't the "perfect" fit, but they were longer than stock, so I made them work. They came in (I THINK) a S10 lowering kit. You should be able to measure the distance between the threaded ends of the U-Bolts and compare to other, more common options out there. As far as the lowering blocks, some are offered in kits that come with new u-bolts, or you can find some separate. GO FOR STEEL!!! I had aluminum blocks and they cracked/fell apart in just a few weeks. Mine are steel and have a slight angle to correct driveshaft angle.