So I’m trying to find a replacement for my stock leaf springs on my 68 cougar GT;
I’ve seen a set on RockAuto rated at 670lbs .. 4 leafs, free arc 9 1/4; 85 lbs/inch .. Is that a good candidate for a big block car? I have no clue.
I obviously thought about WCCC but it’s over a 1000 bucks with shipping..
I’ve seen a set on summit aswell but they seem too weak.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Look up 66-311 .A local US company supplies them. Are they US made?
Depends on how you apply that term. Is the metal new or recycled?
So US made could be true. Ive used them for many years, never had any issues.
Thank you ! (the US based applies to me, regarding shipping fees)
I’ll look into that !
So after checking it’s far cheaper than anything i’ve searched so far.
Now i’m no expert enough to know for sure that these would work with a big block car.
Ive used these for many restorations, suspension replacements & have them on all my Cats, 67 XR-7, 2 - 69 XR-7 convets, the “restomod” track cat, and the 70 428 CJ 4 speed (now 5 speed). Correct ride height, no rough ride & and no sag.
I always try & find best product & price for the group!
The new ones will be disappointing. My experience is they will either be too high or too low. If your springs are not rusty you should take your car to a spring shop. Have the rear leaf springs rebuilt and re - arched to your desired ride height.
I can back Bill on this one. I have a set of GS 66-311’s, and they appear to be dimensionally correct ‘improved handling’ springs for 67-70 Cougars. I can’t speak for 1971+, but the 120 lb/in spring rate is a big improvement over the ~85lb stock spring.
Mostly people use the SRI spring codes. 66-271 is tmk the correct SRI code for 69-70 improved handling 120#, 1.2” pack thickness springs. 66-251 should be the correct 1968 GT spring - the leafs are a little thicker (.32 vs .30), and the spring rate a little higher. I found GT springs a bit harsh for street.
Take care on the link and part code. GS have been showing ‘no stock’ for a while. I would just call GS. I thought these were made in Kansas City, but cannot be certain. Alternatively you can try ESPO or EATON or Stengel Bros. ESPO makes the WCCC springs.
Or you can convert to multi-link coil-over. Will cost you closer to 3k, but put leaf springs ‘behind you’ 
They have been out of stock before. Took a few month s to get them back in stock.
Looks like many are buying them !!
That’s a good thing???
Well since you asked… Yes its a good thing. That means a lot of Cougar owners are replacing them, and possibly because this sites info is so helpful!
The info shared here is relevant to our Cats & not the “garage” garbage that gets posted that has nothing to do with the Cougars.…
These are all great infos thanks!
So now I know the correct kind of leafs I need. I hope GS can have more in stock soon. I’ll keep an eye on these!
I’ll for re-arching them aswell, they don’t look too bad even for 58 years old springs
Just a bit of caution there. Once you remove the springs & the rubber isolators, you will most likely find rust has eaten away at the spring where the rubber isolators lived. Trying to rearch them is not a good idea.Thats why I strongly suggest buying new instead of rearching. Its getting toughter to find any shops that will do things like in the past.
I recall places turning brake drums & rotors.
Heck anybody remember rearching the shoes to match the radius of the drums?
you make a good point! Especially with my springs being the original ones.. I was thinking about re-arching as a last resort but I see there are plenty of options out there anyway.
Yup. When I worked with brake test back in the 90’s they would match the drums and shoes as sets.
Mike
There was a machine that cut the pad of the shoe away from the base (crescent) & then re weld it back at the correct curve to match the drum.
Y’all chaps (and chapettes) are lucky. I/we still cannot find a leaf spring fabricator/refitter in Europe who will work to these specs. Maybe in the UK.
My replacements came over in a project car. One guy went ridetech. Another guy went full independent rear kit. Most guys/gals install air shocks and move on. I cringe at the thought.
Was it Muskegon Brake who made these for 200/pair back in the 90s?
John R Spring… $89 pair, rubber isolators $2, shackles $6… sighhh
I haven’t heard of them. My rear leaf springs on the GT-E came from ESPO in the 2000’s and they were a bit low so I ended up removing 1/2 coil to make the car sit level.
Pardon my ignorance. But weren’t ALL the first gen Cougars SUPPOSED to have kinda of a reverse rake??? Stock???
I cannot speak to intent, but yes, if you look at vintage advertising they were low in the back. And the standard suspension was ‘soft as a baby’s derrière’.