After reading todays problem of rear end alginment on a 69 Camaro--I thought I would request feedback nfrom the Camaro Specialists that use this great site.

1) I am going to remove exisiting 69 Camaro drum to drum axle set .Replace it with a another 69 drum to drum axle set that came out of a 69Camaro.I am not replacing the leaf spring(s)

The replacement axel set came out of multil leaf Camaro and mine is single leaf. Both are 10 bolt rear axels. (Eventually I would like to go multileaf--but not now)

2) Will this be a direct remove and replace?

3) Please give me any tips on making the swap clean and avoid any rear end alignment or any issues you can think of.

Many thanks for your input on this--Please offer your thoughts to make this a smooth transitiion!!

Thank You!

Jack--je1969

#2 Yes it should be a direct R&R
#3 Its not a hard job if you're going direct replacement like you're doing.The parking brake cables can be trying at times to get out. but the sawp itself isn't hard. Do you have a lift? if not take the usual precautions working under the car cause there is a lot of tugging and pulling getting one out. The rear end will line up fine as long as you've got it in the pins on the springs. Make sure you torque everything correctly, other than that its just not a hard job in my opinion

Your multi leaf rear has deeper spring perches than your single leaf rear. You will need to make (or buy - try Jegs or summit or speedway motors) a spacer to make up the difference. It gets a bit tricky because the mono shock plates are what the rear centers on with a mono leaf spring, and the mono spring has a "pin" on the bottom side that indexes in the hole on the shock plate. To keep the same ride height as before, the spacer needs to go between the spring and the lower plate, and you "lose" the pin. (If you put the spacer on top of thge spring, it will lower the back of your car by the thickness of the spacer)

Use the "search" function in this forum - try stuff like multi to mono or vice versa and you can read for hours.

Here's an example http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=400567+311541+115&autoview=sku Above the spring it's a lowering block - below the spring it's a gap-filler. You need to figure out the thickness you need.

Al, don't you have it backward? If the spacer block is in the perch and against the axle housing, it is just taking up space and not lowering the ride height. If you put the spacer block between the shock anchor plate and the spring, then it will lower the ride height.

I know it's early, Eric - but I had it right. Well I think I had it right. No, wait. Now you got me thinking. Yeah, I had it right! If the block is between the axle and the spring, it changes the relationship between axle and spring and lowers the car since the axle sits on top of the spring. :)

Or just put multi-leaf shock plates on it availiable from any of the camaro resto places...the plate on the axle is the same for all rear ends so that they would fit any application,the shock plates were different for single or multi leaf cars. The 67 which is what I own,has t-bolts on the plates but 68-69 had loops that went over the axle tube through the plate...weather these are the same for single/multi,I dont know,but knowing "ole interchangeable parts king",G.M.... I would say they are

...the plate on the axle is the same for all rear ends so that they would fit any application...

Sorry, but that's not the case. The rears originally used with multi-leaf springs have a deeper spring perch than those originally with mono leaf springs. I'm referring to the spring perch that's welded to the axle tube.:thumbsup:

I stand corrected...I used the multi-leaf conversion kit from classic industries when I installed the hotchkis multis on my car which had been a mono car. After thinking about the swap...which has been 1 1/2 years ago I checked it out and yes Al you are correct the Axle perches on multi's are deeper. The conversion kit I got had all the pads,loops and shock plate with a lower "perch" type sides to make up for the lack of depth on the mono leaf plate, if that makes sense.I had always thought that both were the same but you live and learn.

I know it's early, Eric - but I had it right. Well I think I had it right. No, wait. Now you got me thinking. Yeah, I had it right! If the block is between the axle and the spring, it changes the relationship between axle and spring and lowers the car since the axle sits on top of the spring. :)


Okay, I had it backwards. Here's a thread with photos, which may also point out some other issues to consider, like where the ears on the monoleaf shock anchor plates could end up.

Okay, I had it backwards. Here's a thread with photos, which may also point out some other issues to consider, like where the ears on the monoleaf shock anchor plates could end up.

Eric, I don't see a link to that thread. I wish it was there. It seems to me like you had it right to begin with. Think of it this way... The axle is always the same relative to the ground. Since the springs are under it, the closer the spring is to the axle (by removing the pad maybe?) the higher the car. The further away from the axle (by putting a block between spring and axle) the lower the car.

I'm getting ready to put an 8.5 with deep multileaf perches in my 68. I've got Hotchkis 2407C. I think they might be 2" drop. I'm worried I may drop too much so I'm thinking I could use a narrower upper pad or no upper pad at all but I don't think I want to do that.

Does that make sense?