Before you guys get mad, ive search and done research on this topic but came up with no help. So i thought id run it by you guys and see if anyone has done this conversion yet. Here are the basic layouts. Im looking to replace my current spring and shock configuration with leaf sping from either a ford ranger or a chev s10 since they are smaller trucks and my 93 del sol would be a great recipiant of there leaf springs im sick of having my back end a little lower then the front and im thinking this will give me a slight rake. also i have a set of spring availible so this will be cost effective. I was wondering if anyone has tackled this conversion and if. could i perhaps get some picture or tips on how to get this to work. once i start this conversion i will include pics and a how to do post. why not try something new. as you all already know pretty much anything can be done to a civic so why not be the first i hope to try this. I will be posting soon pictures soon. and another thing just for those who doubt. think of how cheap shock are for an s10 or ranger think of the money i could be saving and putting that towards my d 15 turbo set up ....

 

I think I can safely say nobody has tried that one before.

Its borderline funny. But good luck!

 

The back end on civics from 88-00 look lower in the rear because the fender arch is smaller compared to the front, the front ones are larger to accomodate the wheel turning for steering. A less expensive and less timely approach to what you want to accomplish--a slight rake, would be to get adjustable height coilovers.

To better answer your original question, I don't know how you are going to attach the springs, are you going to mount it transversly like the Corvettes, or more like the truck?

 

i think what im going to do is start removing and cutting to get this all mounted properly such as the gas tank replace with a fuel cell and other mods to get the space i need

 

so wait you are gonig to swap in a rear live axle? So your car is goin to be RWD? Thats a lot of fabrication to do. Good luck

 

i can honestly say that's the most "unique" idea I've ever heard, and not to sound mean or anything, but it's just dumb, too much work, and you're going backwards on technology, not to mention adding unnecessary unsprung weight, if you want to get rid of the saggy rump syndrome, just get height adjustable coilovers, it's alot easier than cutting the crap out of a del sol, an s10, and ghettorigging 1968 suspension in there

 

He didnt say anything about RWD.. Let me get this straight. You want to attempt to install leaf springs in the rear of a del sol, instead of the current strut/spring setup because your unhappy with the rake? Think of all the unnecessary fabrication, time, sweat that is going into this absolutely retarded idea. At the end when its all said and done, can you honestly say your going to look at your car and think "Wow that was worth it. Im really impressed with this outdated design that i have for some reason incorporated into my modern car" .. Truth of the matter is that it is rediculous and pointless. That is your reason for nobody thinking of this before. If you really want to cut and weld and hack away at the rear end of your car be my guest. I just dont understand how you can sleep at night knowing you can avoid all of the stress, regrets, and many people laughing at you by just investing in some 100 dollar coilovers.. (just throwing a number out there i know there is cheaper) good luck i guess

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kardal86 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> think of how cheap shock are for an s10 or ranger think of the money i could be saving and putting that towards my d 15 turbo set up .... </TD></TR></TABLE>

think about how much it is going to cost you just to try this conversion

 

I have to agree with everyone, why spend a ton of time and money to make your car worse. its like putting an old carb'd chevy cavalier engine in your civic because you are tired of your engine.

 

im just trying to figure out WHAT you plan to connect the leaf spring to??? i mean, you dont have a REAR axle, you have a wishbone suspension, therefore you wouldnt have a SOLID arm to connect to the leaf pack.

furthermore, ANY Oem springpack off a pickup will have too much of an ARCH to allow less than 6" of lift on your del sol. if you DO go on with this project i would recommend a uni-leaf off the rear of a caravan, the arch would be alot easier to deal with.

 

are you for real? thats like taking the engine out and fitting some bicycle pedals .leaf springs where invented when santa had black hair.not to mention the trouble involved fitting them, ur car will probably end up handling like a big heffalump!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bluebeast &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">are you for real? thats like taking the engine out and fitting some bicycle pedals .leaf springs where invented when santa had black hair.not to mention the trouble involved fitting them, ur car will probably end up handling like a big heffalump!</TD></TR></TABLE>


For real, it's like the dumbass who thought of putting a backwards rotating engine in 89' honda. Stupid people these days.

 

OMG

Totally keep me updated, I'm up for this ****.

 

This thread trips me out.
you really working on this brother?
Well goodluck with you.

 

i dont think this is serious.

 

yeah basiclly you're gonna be building a two-seat minivan. that's how it's gonna ride, if you can even get it together to be strong enough. there is a lot that goes into suspension design, just think about how badly a set of lowering springs messes up the geometry of stock suspension... then think of how badly replacing the stock suspension with the wrong type of suspensioin set up will screw things up. will you incorporate adjustments for getting it aligned? how will you ensure proper ride height? what is going to place the spindles?

on the other hand, i get curious sometimes too. i would be interested to find out what that is like...

 

hey sorry i havnt replied been in the garage try to make some room under the car for the leaf springs. they didnt look that big on the truck but now under the del sol they seem alot bigger, i guess a little more cutting then i expected... well its cold here so got nothing better to do shes jst sitting in the garage, anyways took a few pictures tonight will post them tomorrow not much to see yet just a sol without suspension in the rear basicaly any one know where to get a fuel cell for my truck the tank has to come down for this conversion to work, by the way i dont like some of your inputs like honestly is it that big of a deal you have to be rude im just trying something different and making my sol unique and probly ride nicer then most of your cars anyways back to work for a bit then off to bed....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kardal86 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey sorry i havnt replied been in the garage try to make some room under the car for the leaf springs. they didnt look that big on the truck but now under the del sol they seem alot bigger, i guess a little more cutting then i expected... well its cold here so got nothing better to do shes jst sitting in the garage, anyways took a few pictures tonight will post them tomorrow not much to see yet just a sol without suspension in the rear basicaly any one know where to get a fuel cell for my truck the tank has to come down for this conversion to work, by the way i dont like some of your inputs like honestly is it that big of a deal you have to be rude im just trying something different and making my sol unique and probly ride nicer then most of your cars anyways back to work for a bit then off to bed....</TD></TR></TABLE>


But you're missing what they're saying...it will NOT ride nicer. I've never been in an old S10 that drove like butter.

Its an inferior technology. I'm not usually one to be negative, but I can guarantee you will never finish this project.

Prove me wrong

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kardal86 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and probly ride nicer then most of your cars</TD></TR></TABLE>

ever see an s10 in autocross? didn't think so

 

Modified by FoUrDoOrGuRl at 5:53 PM 12/17/2006

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kardal86 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey sorry i havnt replied been in the garage try to make some room under the car for the leaf springs. they didnt look that big on the truck but now under the del sol they seem alot bigger, i guess a little more cutting then i expected... well its cold here so got nothing better to do shes jst sitting in the garage, anyways took a few pictures tonight will post them tomorrow not much to see yet just a sol without suspension in the rear basicaly any one know where to get a fuel cell for my truck the tank has to come down for this conversion to work, by the way i dont like some of your inputs like honestly is it that big of a deal you have to be rude im just trying something different and making my sol unique and probly ride nicer then most of your cars anyways back to work for a bit then off to bed....</TD></TR></TABLE>

not to put a rain on your parade, But I don't know of any championship Hondas with leaf springs in the rear. I have doubts that it will ride nicer than a matched and tuned coil spring and damper system; the double wishbone design from honda was designed both for comfort and performance. What you want to do is not impossible but like you've already seen, you will have to get creative on how to mount everything. You would be using the stock rear lower arms, right?

As far as mounting the leaf springs, I don't see why you'd have to remove the gas tank to do this? Couldn't you just mount it to where the lower shock fork would have gone with some sort if u-bolt and a spacer etc? And then the ends of the springs would just attach to say, the rear part of the frame or something and the front to something in the front...I think the transverse design of the Corvette would be feasible but this would mean takeing out the fuel tank. How are you mounting the leafs? Transversely like (----) on that of the Corvettes or more traditional like (|...|) on trucks?

 

I think this is solid.
Get er done my del sol friend. Tell me how it rides

 

actually I take it all back, i can see this being the new performance suspension trend, leaf springs FTW! i'm going to my local blacksmith right now to have some made up

 

bwhahahahahah
wht the hell?

im in for ths pics.

 

The reason why everyone is flaming you is for 2 simple reasons
1. Like stated many times before this idea is absolutely stupid.
2. You show no signs of thought, measurements, or any form of actually researching how different types of suspension actually works.

I would like to read your in depth description of how this ghetto rigged setup is actually going to "ride nicer" than say a stock del sol. Why in the world would you take some rusty leaf springs off of an old truck that typically rode like *** in the first place? All im saying is this, If you want to try something new at least do it somewhat right. I, personally would have been much more impressed seeing tables, and measurements of where you were going to cut. What exactly you were going to fabricate. You dont even know where to get a fuel cell from, much less the size or where you are going to mount it.. If you didnt want negative answers, you should have kept this to yourself until youve researched.. Its idiots like you that are checking off 1 by 1 the cars that we are so interested in, but you would ruin for something stupid like leaf springs.. Thanks I'll be here all week.