Feb 2005
////////////you replaced your front springs and had
> problems.  Something about noise from the coils hitting the frame or
> spring tower?  What was the problem and solution. /////////

--------------------------------

I replaced my springs, what happens is that the coil spring will rub 
in the upper cavaity where the spring seats, Dan Booth , said to  
gring off about 1/8 inch around where the plate is welded to the 
cavaity. when you have the coil spring out you can feel the ridge 
that rubs. I can send you a picture if you want.


The Avanti spring 526134 was a 6 cyl sedan spring (.650" diam. wire
according to my notes).  Very similar to some of the V8 springs.  Height
was a bit less, since the load was slightly less with a 6.  But this is
what gave the rake.  The problem of course is that it didn't take very
long for the springs to sag enough for the fenders to crack on the
tires.  So actually a slightly taller V8 spring of the same diameter is
a pretty good substitute.  You may lose a little rake, but the rake
never did that much for me anyway.  The A-II, with it's lighter Chevy
motor was a better balanced car; in fact I suspect that an all aluminum
Chevy motor might tend to get the balance near the 50/50 mark,
especially if you move the battery to the trunk.  AFAIR the original
Avanti was something like 62/38.  Not good. 
---------------

Feb 2006
--------------
 Check the other end of the spring from that US-4-80, where
 the last coil flattens you should see a 4 digit number.  This number may
 be either on the inside or the outside of that last coil.  For example,
 I have 2 sets of NOS out in the shop marked US-9-77 and 6122 at the
 other end (inside on some, outside on the others), which stands for
 #526122, a generic HD spring used in most everything from Hawks to
 Avanti(II)s.  With Avantis they were used with one of the 1/2" aluminum
 spacers.  Coil diameter is ~.670, about the same as the standard 526125
 Avanti springs.  The 526125's are taller than the 526122's, thus the
 need for the spacer.  Tallest, stiffest of them all, AFAIK are the
 526123 (about /12" taller than the 526125), but with a .750" coil
 diameter.
 wf.
 --------
In my book the standaed Avanti spring was 526135.
 Were all Studebaker springs the same gauge wire except the 526123?
 I know they used a variable spring from 1956 on .
 These springs were tapered wire so that the top of the spring was a
 thinner wire and the wire got heavier the lower you went.
 These seem to fatique sooner and the cars sagged.
 The 526122 spring was used for heavy duty and was the same gauge wire
 from top to bottom.
 The 526135 Avanti spring was also the same gauge wire on top and bottom.
 In general all numbers starting in 526 were the same gauge wire
 .650-670" from top to bottom and the seven digit numbers were the
 variable rate springs.
 ----------
 526134 which, as I remember, are the same number as HD for six-cylinder 
 sedans.
 ------------
 526120 springs which are listed as HD for various six-cylinder models, but  
 they are a good inch and a half taller than the Avanti springs.  It seems 
 strange that the 526122 is HD for Hawks, but standard for some sixes and HD 
 for others. 
 --------------

 Some basics - the stiffness/load rating of a
 spring is expressed as lbs/inch.  Thus a taller spring of the same load
 rating will give a higher ride height for a given weight on the spring. 
 In general the spring rate is proportional to the diameter of the steel
 bar used to make the spring coils.  The shop manual gives spring coil
 diameters, but not spring rates unfortunately.  AFAIR later series of
 springs (the 7 digit part numbers) were variable rate springs, they
 would be stiffer the more they were compressed, thus a heavier load
 would not set the car down quite so low.  Somebody needs to check me on
 that, I haven't seen one of the later series in a dozen or two years
 now..................
 -- wf. 
 -------------
 the 7 digit numbers were indeed the variable rate springs,
 although I admit I have not seen any of those for a dozen years or two. 
 The 526123's were .750" spring diameter, noticeably thicker even to the
 naked eye than the '122' and '125'.  There were also some around .625
 and .600, altho I forget which numbers now.

 I have NOS sets of 122, 123, & 125 out in the shop, guess I could have
 measured their free height just now when I was out there to pull my Moog
 catalog.  If anybody is curious I can do it.

 Moog replaced the many of the Stude numbers with just 5 or 6 different
 springs.  Here is some data from that catalog:

 Stude    Moog    Wire   Load Ht.  Load   Rate  Free Ht.

 526122   370    .660"   9.25"     1590   377   13.5"
    126
    134

 526120   382    .630    8.88"    1655    302   14.3"
    127  

 526124   398/370

 526128   368       No further data

  Near as I can tell the heaviest duty was 526123, followed by 526125. 
  The 526125 was used as the HD spring for the '56 Goldie's.

	  -- wf. 
	  ---------------