Ascona Suspension upgrade

[hrcollinsjr]

I'm looking for an easy suspension upgrade for an '74 Ascona. I already have a used set of red Koni's and access to springs and sway bar from a Manta Rallye. Is this an upgrade and is it enough of an upgrade to be worth doing? There is a firm ride and a STIFF ride, I would prefer the firm ride.

TIA,
Harold

[opelnut10]

Wider wheels and good set of radial such as BFG Comp T/A, reverse the panard bar and lower rear of trailing arm and hang on

[RallyBob]

Manta Rallye springs and swaybars are no different than their Ascona counterparts, at least not on US models. So no advantage there.

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by RallyBob Manta Rallye springs and swaybars are no different than their Ascona counterparts, at least not on US models. So no advantage there.

So the Rallye springs and swaybars are the same as the standard springs and swaybars on the Ascona. I figured they would be a bit heavier duty if for no other reason than the Manta being a heavier car than the Ascona.

Thanks,
Harold

[opelbits]

Bob-

When I had my Manta Luxus, I had Sportwagon ('75 Sportwagon, if I remember right) springs on the front. It did seem to feel much stiffer than the stock Luxus springs.
Would this have been due to the Sportwagon springs being stiffer than the Luxus springs, or due to my having 175K+ on the stock springs?



As for tires, I had some BF Goodrich's on the Manta and it did not handle nearly as nice as it did with the Goodyear GT+4's. Pirelli's and Michelins sucked.

[GTJIM]

Probably just someone at GM saving money on inventory ... again.

[deaner]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr I'm looking for an easy suspension upgrade for an '74 Ascona. I already have a used set of red Koni's and access to springs and sway bar from a Manta Rallye. Is this an upgrade and is it enough of an upgrade to be worth doing? There is a firm ride and a STIFF ride, I would prefer the firm ride. TIA, Harold

Proper springs and shock's (your koni's are a good start), lowering the ride height and stiffening up the spring rate. With upgrade in Sway Bars. Would be a great start. Then I'd go with 15x7 rims with some great new technology rubber. Would be a nice streetable set-up.

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by opelbits Bob- When I had my Manta Luxus, I had Sportwagon ('75 Sportwagon, if I remember right) springs on the front. It did seem to feel much stiffer than the stock Luxus springs.

I have access to '74 Sportwagon springs also. I'm sure the rear springs would be way too stiff. I installed a different spring on my GT once. It raised the rear end up some but I noticed that when I hit bumps the rear didn't seem to compress it just hopped over them. I put the original springs back in and lowered the front so I would have a slight forward rake.


Thanks,
Harold

[Opelkurt]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr I have access to '74 Sportwagon springs also. I'm sure the rear springs would be way too stiff. I installed a different spring on my GT once. It raised the rear end up some but I noticed that when I hit bumps the rear didn't seem to compress it just hopped over them. I put the original springs back in and lowered the front so I would have a slight forward rake. Thanks, Harold

True for the GT, but the Ascona and Manta are heavier. I have a set of rear springs from a 1974 Sportwagon installed in my '75 Ascona sedan. They raised up the saggy looking rear end, the ride doesn't suffer at all, and the car leans a bit less around corners. Highly recommended.

-Kurt

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr So the Rallye springs and swaybars are the same as the standard springs and swaybars on the Ascona. I figured they would be a bit heavier duty if for no other reason than the Manta being a heavier car than the Ascona. Thanks, Harold

Mantas are barely heavier than Asconas. Most of that weight is in the front from the longer nose. Both models use 22 mm front/14 mm rear sway bars on US market cars. The only variable seems to be A/C equipped cars. The front springs (dealer installed) are longer to deal with the extra 80 +- lbs added to the front of the car. I can't confirm this, but I suspect they simply put wagon front springs in the A/C equipped Mantas and Asconas to deal with the extra weight. Wagons use the same basic chassis and tire size as the Manta/Ascona, yet the FSM lists the overall height as .7" taller. Probably from taller springs.

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by opelbits Bob- When I had my Manta Luxus, I had Sportwagon ('75 Sportwagon, if I remember right) springs on the front. It did seem to feel much stiffer than the stock Luxus springs. Would this have been due to the Sportwagon springs being stiffer than the Luxus springs, or due to my having 175K+ on the stock springs?

Probably due to the taller wagon springs. One of these days I will pull my springs from my 1975 Sportwagon and test them for spring rate...just to confirm or deny the rumors that they are stiffer as well as taller.

On the other hand, if stock springs get rusty, the rate can change drastically. Years ago when I had some custom springs wound for the model '50's, I used the spring set from my '73 Ascona with 27,000 miles on it as a baseline, since the springs had zero rust on them and therefore had not 'settled' or fatigued.

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by RallyBob The only variable seems to be A/C equipped cars. The front springs (dealer installed) are longer to deal with the extra 80 +- lbs added to the front of the car. I can't confirm this, but I suspect they simply put wagon front springs in the A/C equipped Mantas and Asconas to deal with the extra weight.

And a Sportwagon with the GM A/C unit would have different springs?

Harold

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr And a Sportwagon with the GM A/C unit would have different springs? Harold

This I don't know. I guess I need to fire up my Opel microfische machine again and look up all the US part numbers to establish this. US springs were different than most of the European companies, thanks to the bumper-height laws. That, and our fat 'super-sized' American butts like comfort instead of road-handling, right?

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by RallyBob This I don't know. I guess I need to fire up my Opel microfische machine again. our fat 'super-sized' American butts like comfort instead of road-handling, right?

My "super-sized" butt wants the suspension to be firm enough to let me know when I'm abusing the car and for it to go where I point it. I can't believe you remember all the stuff that you do. Old age will catch up with you one of these days.

Thanks,
Harold

[opelbits]

Originally Posted by RallyBob Mantas are barely heavier than Asconas. Most of that weight is in the front from the longer nose. Both models use 22 mm front/14 mm rear sway bars on US market cars. The only variable seems to be A/C equipped cars. The front springs (dealer installed) are longer to deal with the extra 80 +- lbs added to the front of the car. I can't confirm this, but I suspect they simply put wagon front springs in the A/C equipped Mantas and Asconas to deal with the extra weight. Wagons use the same basic chassis and tire size as the Manta/Ascona, yet the FSM lists the overall height as .7" taller. Probably from taller springs.

Hmm, my Manta had a/c, but the Sportwagon I got the springs from did not.

According to the GM parts book (Feb 76):

year model spring part # paint color code

71-73 51-53-57-57R-57L 312051
71-73 54 312052 yellow
74 51-57-57L 312088 brown
74 51-54-57R 312089 white
74 50 (a/c) 312096 white/green spot of paint
(use according to bulletin 74-I-07

75 51-57 9293228 brown and yellow
75 54 9293229 yellow
75 50 (a/c) 9294000 white and blue


Model #'s:
50 all 50 series models
51 2dr sedan
53 4dr sedan
54 2dr wagon
57 Manta

L Luxus
R Rallye

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by opelbits year model spring part # paint color code 71-73 51-53-57-57R-57L 312051 71-73 54 312052 yellow 74 51-57-57L 312088 brown 74 51-54-57R 312089 white 74 50 (a/c) 312096 white/green spot of paint (use according to bulletin 74-I-07 75 51-57 9293228 brown and yellow 75 54 9293229 yellow 75 50 (a/c) 9294000 white and blue

Hmmm, very interesting indeed! They differentiate the wagon from the other model 50's on all years except 1974, and when it comes to A/C they show no difference at all between models! I notice that the '75 models use the new GM part number codes, so it *may* be the same spring as used earlier, but the number may be superceeded. I can't imagine how many other spring sets were available with all the European options we never got! Gotta love GM for keeping it simple