Why do the 60 Oldsmobiles have rear leaf springs?

[Guest Shaffer]

Hello all. I used to own a 60 Oldsmobile Super 88, with factory a/c and padded dash. Those was the two options I remember on the car I was glad it had. However, I never knew why it had rear leaf springs, while the other 59-60 GM cars had rear coils. I know that the 60 Chevrolet and Pontiac had all-coil springs and I am assuming that the 59-60 Buicks and Cadillacs do as well. Chevrolet had all-coils starting in 58. Does anyone know why GM kept the leaf springs on the Oldsmobile? Seems like it would have been a company change. A mystery. <P>Tony<P>72 Buick Electra Custom 4dr<BR>89 Pontiac Safari wagon <BR>91 Honda Accord LX 4dr<p>[ 12-22-2001: Message edited by: Shaffer ]

[Centurion]

Shaffer, it was not until a decade later that General Motors began standardizing chassis and suspension design among all of its carmaking divisions. The divisions still had a great deal of engineering autonomy at the time the '59 and '60 cars were designed. Not only did the divisions have unique engines, but Chevrolet and Buick had their own automatic transmissions that were not used by the other divisions. Buicks had used full coil springing since the 1938 models, and the 1959 and 1960 models marked the final use of the fully-enclosed, torque tube drive train and the starter attached to the accelerator pedal. I have read that Pontiacs of the era - despite the successful marketing of the "Wide Track" theme -- lacked the suspension sophistication of Chevrolet and the other GM divisions of the time.<P>I cannot claim much knowledge of the Oldsmobiles of these years, but assume that rear leaf springs had been a time-honored engineering tradition at the division. Whoever was in charge of Olds engineering believed, for whatever reason, that the leaf spring set up was better-suited for its cars. The cost of changing the suspension set-up, particularly when GM was facing heavy costs to restyle all of its car lines for the '59 models, may also have been a factor.

[Guest Shaffer]

Thanks Cent. I had actually forgotten about my grandfathers 55 Buick having coil springs and the 55 Olds using leafs. I just found it odd that a upper class GM model, as the Oldsmobile, was still using leaf springs. It looks as if Oldsmobile was the ONLY GM division to use rear leaf springs in 59-60, as I know the 59-60 Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac used rear coils. I am not sure what year Cadillac started using coils on the rear. I think Pontiac switched in 1958 when Chevrolet did, as my uncles 57 Pontiac has leaf springs and my other uncles 60 Pontiac has rear coils. It is also unique that GM switched back and used rear leaf springs on their 71-76 GM full-size wagons. Ford used rear coils on their wagons through the 70s (starting in 1965 I think), Chrysler used leaf springs, and also to note- some Chevrolet trucks have rear coil spings (up to 72 - do not know the first year coils was used) Some also had leafs. I think the coils was optional. My grandfather had a 3/4 ton 70 GMC truck with factory leaf and coils in the rear. The leafs acted as as overload. I think Chevrolet/GMC was the only trucks to EVER have rear coil springs. I do not think that Chrysler corporation ever used rear coil springs until they started making FWD cars in the late 70s (Omni/Horizon - may have leafs?) and I think for sure by the early 80s, on the K-car. GM then switched back to coils on the rear for the 77-up wagons. Thanks again for clearing that topic. <P>Tony<P>72 Buick Electra <BR>89 Pontiac Safari<BR>91 Honda Accord<p>[ 12-25-2001: Message edited by: Shaffer ]