Topic: coil and rear springs

[waldo786]

Hello all I'm wondering how I can tell if I need new springs.  The car supposedly has 44K original miles and given the condition I believe that to be accurate.  That being said though the car is a 76 and almost 40 years old.  How can I tell if I need new springs, or is it just something that I should go ahead and replace.  The car seems to roll/sway a lot and I can definitely tell it needs new shocks.  I'm also having trouble finding rear leaf springs, but did come across these:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/john-r-spring-leaf-springoe-replacement/p3039117.jcwx?filterid=c11307d654y1976g2u0j1
and these:
http://www.generalspringkc.com/product_p/42-777.htm
The rear doesn't seem to sag, so maybe I just need front springs?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  I also was looking at MOOG springs for the front as I've heard the name before.  Any one using those or having any experiences with them vs. say Raybestos or ACDelco?  Thanks!

[71HANTO]

The front springs rarely go bad unless serious rust has set in. The rears can sag if the car has been overloaded or again, rust has set in to weaken them. The first thing you should do is replace the shocks, I think this is the majority of your issue. You can also add an anti-sway bar up front if you want flat cornering. If the rear leaf springs are a LITTLE saggy and rust is not the issue, I have added rear trailer towing "helper springs" with great results on the cheap. Pep Boys has them.
 
71HANTO

[waldo786]

Thanks for your response!  Thinking about it I do have another question as it looks like the front coil over spring are different for A/C vs. non A/C equipped cars.  If I plan on adding A/C to my non A/C equipped car, should I add A/C rated springs.  I'm planning on using an aftermarket setup.