I'm going to swap my front springs out either thursday or friday, and my rears on saturday, and I was wondering if anyone has experienced problems with not using a spring isolator? I was going to just grease them up and pop them in there but I've been thinking about it more and more and would like some opinions. If anything, I'll toss the stock ones (which are sure to be all but gone by now) and use a 4" section of heater hose or something.

 

Why not use them? The OE is perhaps a 1/4 thick and really won't affect the stance. They might, however, reduce noise. I purchased new, but my old OE's were in surprisingly good shape.

JamesC

 

You can get some angry squeaking if you don't use them. The heater hose will, however, work just fine.

 

I've never bothered to re-use them before, with no complaints afterwards.

 

The dealer can still get them! I just got some a few weeks ago when I put in my Eibach pro-kit. I think they were around $25 for both. GMpartsdirect had them for like $5 each I think.

 

So much for gmpartsdirect.com, being cheap on everything...

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results...umber=17803320

$129.30, for a pair of emblems.. I don't care WHAT they are for, they aren't worth $60 EACH!

 

Wrap the ends with electrical tape (two loops thick is all), grease them and pop them in.

I have run mine with 800lb front springs this way for 14 years. I had them out 2 years ago for bushing replacements on the arms, etc and inspection of everything looked perfect. I do not get any squeaks or noise from them and never have.

 

When I did mine, I glued them to the springs with shoe goop, worked out really well.

 

Nice, I'm going to pop them in with some grease then.

Duracell Bunny... What's with the electrical tape even? I don't really understand what that is doing to help.

 

You can use tape or zip ties, to hold the insulators in place on the springs, while you get the springs in place.

 

Nah, he was saying that I can use electrical tape IN PLACE OF isolators... Not to hold them on. I was just curious as to the thinking behind this. No big deal either way, I only ask because I've seen a few threads in which people made a big deal about not installing them on these cars. Now I've done quite a few sets of springs, but never on an f-body, and I have always had new isolators on hand if the car ever came with them (because it was always at the shop while at work whenever I've changed springs, so the parts were ordered). But I figured I'd just change my springs and re-use my old ones if they're in half decent shape. I just wanted to know what some of you guys on the board thought about not using them in case I get the old ones out and they're completely toasted.

 

Just gives a little cushion of crud between the spring end and the can. the tape just kind of mushes and leaves a gooy residue on the spring end kind of like gum. I tried this 25 years ago on a car and it worked so I just stuck with it over the years. Never had a noise from a spring on any car.

 

I think my 4 dr Tahoe, was the only vehicle I've reused the isolators on.

 

just use some kinda of rubber hose or something to keep them quiet.... else they may squeak which gets annoying.

 

Alright, thanks alot you guys, I think I'm going to go with Duracell's suggestion if mine are gonzo's when I pull them out. I live in an apartment so I don't have little odds n' ends like heater hose and other things you'd normally have lying around in a house with a garage. And if I had to go to the parts store for heater hose... Well then I may as well just buy the cheap *** isolators in the first place, right?

So grease and tape it is.

 

How thick are new Isolaters?
My old ones are in bad shape and the car is riding to high in the front.
HeaterHose makes great bushing materal. If new Iso's are to thick or a waste of time/money (say the dealer wants a week and $30+ to get them) I may go with a heater hose and LiquidNails to glue them in place.

 

Someone in here mentioned 1/4" at the most

I'd imagine heater hose is probably thicker than an isolator

 

Well, they didn't mean 'just put hose in there'. But rather, cut the hose lengthwise in half.making it twp 'C' sections, then use a length of it. I'm guessing around 10", or so.

So, the wall thickness wouldn't 1/4" thick.