Rear spring free length

[chrishewett]

Hi,
I am just in the middle of refurbishing a pair of rear struts to replace those on my +2. The manual says that the free length of the springs should be 37.4cm. The springs I am fitting have a free length of 40.5cm. Is that normal? The back of my car always seems a bit high to me with quite a gap between the wheel and arch. I dont want it even higher.
The springs were from a partly restored car and had been fitted but the car had never been driven.
All comments gratefully received.
Chris

[berni29]

Hi

When I got my current car it was sitting high at the back but low on one side. The springs were new (said the prev owner). I took them off expecting the lengths to be dfferent. They were not. I then compared them to a pair taken off of a 1968 +2 which had sat just right ( to me tad low mayyybbbeeee for others) expecting the lengths to be different, but no. Exactly the same. I compared them to the ones off my JPS next.....you guessed, the same. I fitted the ones from the 1968 car and now it is just right. It will bottom out with a full boot and two kids in the back though, esp through tight left hands, which is the side I left the bump stop off.

Berni