Yes, please keep us updated. Haven’t really thought of getting anything from him, but always good to know who should possibly be avoided in the future. Good luck, hope it works out in the end.

I just sent another email asking for information about the order. I don't know what, if any, recourse I have except to publicly shame him, which I am hesitant to do.

There was a man in Ireland that had not received his parts either, I sent him a message through Facebook and he hadn't received his either. I had noticed Craig was interested in a body part he had for sale... it is his choice of course, but I would advise to proceed with caution.

He listed the springs and suspension as being in stock yesterday as well. So Dai should be filling your order. And don't worry - if anything goes forward, I've been burnt by the best in the Volvo game - so I'm going to have to see your parts delivered before any money changes hands and even then, I'd leave the finances to PayPal so I can claw back from scoundrels...though I've also had to do with with Visa and that also worked.

Well, he had 2 listed in stock when I bought, and 1 in stock after my order was placed. He still has one in stock currently.

Update: I received my package today. Cracked it open to find 2 blue springs, and 2 black, what looks like progressive springs, with an AMZ/R/STD sticker on them. I ordered a full set of rally springs, so I am not sure what I have now. Blue springs have some cobwebs in them, so they have been sitting around a bit. The black springs were wrapped in paper, the blues were not. If the blues were freshly made for this order, that seems a bit odd. It doesn't matter, it just adds to the mystery behind this whole drama. I sent another note to him asking what goes where.

Update: They say blue springs front, black springs rear. I don't think this seems right but whatever. I'm sick of this already. Did I mention I hate buying anything these days?

Yup - blues are fronts and blacks are rears. You can get the rates using an online calculator with the spring diameter, wire size and number of coils. It would be interesting to know what they are before you install them.

Glad this worked out.

After this brutal winter, it's time to get outside. Hopefully I can get some time this weekend to wake the car up and get it limber for the warmer months.

I ran the spring rates on the springs, here's some information on them, and the pics. I just noticed on the rear springs there is a label that says AMZ/R STD. So, who knows if I have the proper springs as promised. Call me pessimistic, this just wasn't a good experience for this particular instance.

Front:
5 inches outer diameter
.600 wire diameter
10 3/4 inches free length
5 active coils
Equals 437.406 Lb/in, or 7.810 kg/mm


Rear:
4.55 inches outer diameter
.525 wire diameter
13 1/4 inches free length
8 active coils
Equals 217.342 Lb/in, or 3.881 kg/mm


I hope to work on the car more this summer, and I'll try to post any progress here.

With your calculations, these springs are quite a step up from the stock rates. Not sure what ride frequency that would yield...just ran it - 1.81 Hz front and 2.15 Hz with 18% difference between front and rear (which is in the right range). The car will feel a good deal stiffer than stock, but not race car stiff. Try it and see what you think. What are you running for dampers?

Shocks that are going in are the:
Koni adjustable 801319 - front
Koni adjustable 801320 - rear
"Koni Volvo Amazon Special D Red Shock"

From what my research showed, the Bilsteins might be a bit too harsh for these springs. I figured if the ride was going to be stiffened up with the springs, that the Konis might be a suitable choice.

I hope the powdercoat on those rear springs are a lot thicker than they are on the fronts, skewing your measurements and therefore the spring calculations. The VPD rear springs currently in my car are 145 lb/in and they're pretty stiff.

Craig, what motion ratio did you use? My notes tell me the motion ratio in front is 53%.

To compare with Dave's springs I'm currently using 550 lb/in front with the 145 lb/in rear and subjectively the ride agrees with what my calculator says, in that my rear is only slightly springier than the front (1.66 hz front and 1.77 hz rear, for a difference of about 6.5%). The stock springs are 291/110 lb/in for reference, giving ride frequencies and balances of 1.22/1.55 and 27% high in the rear.

Going with these examples as a comparison, your 437/217 lb/in setup would yield 1.49 hz front and 2.15 hz rear, for a ride balance of a whopping 44.8% high in the rear. Even if my note on the front motion ratio is wrong, your new springs are a lot stiffer in the rear than the stock ones (about 100% stiffer, compared to the fronts 50% stiffness increase).

I wonder if they spec these springs for a full-on rally car, with a long distance fuel tank, extra wheels & tires, tools, spares, and a roll cage all loading the rear springs more than you'd have in a stocker. I generally drive around with as little as possible in my street car, and find the 145ers to be more than up to the task. In fact, I'm going to try putting the stock 110 lb/in springs into the rear and using 400 lb/in front springs, which will mimic my current balance pretty closely but generally soften everything up and raise the car a little.

I'm using Bilstiens but it's not clear if they're off-the-shelf items or if they're the ones that get specially valved by VPD for their springs. They were purchased years ago from VPD but they're not marked anywhere to say that they've been revalved.

Don't ever buy anything from VPD, by the way.

Shit - sorry about that Dave - Matt's right. I was using his calculator, but my motion ratio. It's been a long week. At the frequency he's reporting, this is not a sports car and with the rear that stiff, you may need to balance things out a little. Don't worry about the damper...yes I did just say that. I had Bilstein custom valve a set up for my 242 and I'm super happy with the result. If you don't like the Koni's then have a set valved for your car. It's not that expensive and was worth every penny.

For the record, my custom valved dampers have no markings to indicate that they are not stock valving. Don't be afraid of higher spring rates - these things were designed for the soft gravel roads of rural Sweden in 1960. Everyone says we're nuts, but they can stand a lot more spring. There is an entire rabbit hole of suspension that Matt and I've been down and he's developed an entire series of calculators that work.

Thanks for the inputs guys, it is greatly appreciated as always. I knew this was a good place to settle into with this car. These are supposedly the same springs that Dave Clark(I think?) ran in his Shell car a few years back and heard good things as a result. Dai from Classic Swede also posted in a few threads saying that these springs are very good alternatives to stock. I freely admit my calculations could be wrong, as I am in no way close in knowledge compared to you guys on this matter. But, I hope they work out well, and I hope I remember to take ride heights and other measurements when the time actually comes to take a baseline and compare befores and afters.

On the good side, started it up for the first time this year... I had to make a few SU carb adjustments and re-sync them with a balancer, but overall pretty painless. Even no leaks over the off-season, which is very welcome. I then took the car on a quick neighborhood spin for a brief shakedown, and all looks and sounds good. A fresh oil change with D-MO 15w40, a new Mann filter, and it's good to go.

Future plans include dumping the 4-2-1 header, and going to an injected 4-2 exhaust manifold, with the 2-pipe downpipe out to the existing Simons exhaust. I really like the burble that comes from that exhaust, it's a nice note. Then when I gather some courage, it's out with the rear end, and new bushings, springs, dampers , and hopefully powerdcoated bits go back in.

If it makes you feel any better, Dave, I pulled a set of JY springs out of my Saab this weekend and was reminded how THICK the coating on some of these springs can be. The powdercoat (I think???) on these Buick Rendezvous springs had to be at least .030" thick. That knocks .060" off the measured wire diameter.

If this is the case with you, and if the coating on your front springs is closer to the .005-.010" range like it should be, your ride will be a lot better than we're estimating. If you're hearing good things from the community, let's wait to judge them until you experience them.

I remembered that I had my first communication with Classic Swede, asking if the springs would be a good fit in a fast road configuration. He said that the springs were designed to sit at the original ride height, but since the original springs may have sagged a little over time, it may lift a bit from where it is now. So my measurements have to be wrong in some respect, which I freely admit.

They are firmer than the originals to absorb the bumps without hitting the bump stops, are great for rough roads and tracks, and he finds the stiffer springs more comfortable then the original springs. Not sure if anyone has rolled through Regina, but our roads for the most part, can be pretty rough. When I had my '68 Dart with headers back in the day, I had to plan my route out to avoid the whoop-see-doos in the roads in order to preserve the headers.

So, we'll see! Fingers crossed.

Tiny update: Got my fuel injected exhaust manifold and exhaust downpipe to the local ceramic coat place to get a satin black coating applied. I will post pics after I get them back. Hopefully then I can remove my 4-1 header and get my AEM air/fuel gauge installed.

As for the car itself, it's been running great and I have taken it out, on and off, this summer. It runs great, has good power, no issues whatsoever. I was just hoping to enjoy it before tucking back into it, and it was great to experience.

Nice to hear you are enjoying your car. Look forward to your manifold pics and a/f install.