Adjustable Rear Spring Platform

[collins_dan]

I was hoping to put off rebuilding my rear suspension for another year, but the combination of worn bearings and one bad damper are changing my mind for me. I'm planning on installing TTR's fast road dampers. I already have 2.25" springs. I am debating with myself if I should install adjustable spring platforms. Thoughts on the benefits of these? I use the car for fast road and occasional autocross. I have 13" x 5.5" wheels with 185/60/13's and would like to go to 14" x 5.5" minilites with 185/60/14's in the future, and was thinking that having rear height adjustment might be important for that. Thanks, Dan '70 S4 SE

[Greg Foster]

Dan,
I just went through this dance with my s3 elan. The springs I purchased from rd enterprises were shorter than the original springs . Sooo I went with the adjustable spring perch and 2.25 springs. With the short springs and the adjustable perches set at their lowest point you can install the upright without having to jack up the shock, spring, hub combination to install the retaining nut on the end of the shock shaft. It was a breeze to do. I still need to adjust the ride height as the drivers side sits lower than the passengers side. The car drives great with the new shocks, springs and perches (along with the new bearings) If you need any help on installing the bearigs let me know as I worked out a classic British, almost not brutally barbaric, way of removing the outputshafts. Let me know about the wheels also as this was my goal. We may be able to work something out with a supplier.
Greg

[collins_dan]

Did you use Ray's DIY adjustable spring platforms? If so, I'd be curious to know how you installed them. Would definitely like to hear how you removed the output shafts. Thanks, Dan

[Tonyw]

Hi all,

I have been meaning to ask this for while now. I have replaced the rear shocks on my DHC as the original ones were rusty, lotocones have been replaced as have all of the suspension bushes and I have NOT tightened up the nuts that secure the wishbones up. The body is not on the chassis at the moment as I am working my way through the complete rebuild, so my question is how stiff should the rear springs be? I can stand on the rear of the chassis and it hardly moves and when I jump up and down on it again hardly moves seems awfully stiff to me. only weigh 74kg's so I am not all that heavy but i would have thought the Elan would have been fairly softly sprung.

Anyone got an idea how I can check this out? Thanks in advance.

Tony W

[Tonyw]

Hi all,

re my last post I thought a picture would help.

[rgh0]

Total rear spring rate around 75kg per inch so would only expect around 1 inch deflection with you standing on the rear cross member as a mximum.

In addtion due to the suspension angle without the body, the wheels have to move out sideways a fair way with any deflection. The friction of the tyres on the ground will tend to lock up the suspension also.

Also without the body the springs are constrained by the suspension at full droop and have a preload built in. You need to overcome this preload before any movement is possible

I guess I am not surprised it hardly moves

cheers
Rohan

[Tonyw]

Rohan,

Thanks for the tip, I have rolled the thing backwards and forwards a few times and thought the UJ's on the drive shafts were slightly locking up on full droop. I guess I am going to have to wait until I get some meat on it. Hope to get the engine geabox in soon (month or two) then the body gets some much needed time and hopefully on before the end of our summer.

Thanks for all the help, thisis a great resource.Tony W