front coil spring isolators

[crawfw]

I see a lot of members posting on springs the last few days. I am also swapping springs and wondering what front upper insulators are being used.
I pulled the drivers side yesterday and the isolator is trashed. Wish I had a pic to post but didn't think about it at the time. I will at some point.
The isolator looks to be perfect for the application and was hoping to find the same style to replace them with.
Its not a complete circle as it has to be properly indexed into the top of the spring perch/support.
its 3 sided so it can be pressed onto the top coil and cover the sides of the top coil also. It is closed in at the end so it can cover the end of the upper tip of the coil where it gets indexed into the proper location.
I see similar ones on line but I cant tell if they can be pressed on the coil or are solid and sit on top of the spring, which I don't want.
Any ideas would be appreciated. I thought about rubber hose but I don't think that would last too long and also wouldn't cover the tip of the top coil.
This is for a 79 v8 coupe if it matters.

Thanks
Bill

[cjbiagi]

Bill, the stock H body front spring insulators are pretty much impossible to find. A very good and cheap alternative is to simply install a piece of rubber hose on the top coil, usually a 1/2" id hose will work perfectly but measure your spring diameter to be sure. It will serve the purpose perfectly and is impossible to see once installed....problem solved for a few pennies. I have these installed on my rear springs and they have been there for years with no issue. You can leave the hose slightly long over the tip if that is a concern, you could also install a rubber tip over the end of the spring, these are sold in Menards and Home Depot for chair leg tips. As far as longevity, the original rubber insulators were not that thick and there is really very little movement at the top coil so a good quality rubber hose should last as long or maybe even longer than the originals. I wouldn't hesitate at all to use this procedure.