Subject: [Mgs] Rear Leaf Supplier Spring Recommendation

From: "Frank Marrone" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2012 16:31:16 -0700

I have a '73 MGB-GT with badly sagging rear leaf springs.  Someone even put
helper springs on the stock springs but it sure doesn't seem to have helped
much.  The back of the car is way too low and looks kind of ridiculous.  I
did some reading and see a lot of complaints about bad quality replacement
springs that start sagging soon after installation.  I'd like to avoid that!
I'm looking for stock or slightly stiffer than stock spring rate and stock
ride height.  Where is a good place to start looking?  Where should I avoid?

Frank in Cloverdale
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From: Max Heim <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:32:22 -0700

Hmm. I can recall a lot of posts about experiences with replacement springs
that resulted in too high ride height. Mine took over 15 years to level out.
I wasn't aware that "too saggy" was a problem with replacements. But that
might be a recent phenomenon.

--

Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Menlo Park, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires

[email-masked]

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From: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2012 13:31:45 GMT

My experience was a variation of Don's.
  Installed new rear springs for '72 GT, and rear was way too high. Went to a
spring company, where owner said problem was front springs being low.
Installed new front springs and it was much better, but still about two inches
high at the rear. Back to the spring shop--they do not re-arch or de-arch
springs this small.  Went to another spring shop, and learned that they do not
work on, or make, small springs either. Their suggestion was to remove the
second leaf (the 10-12 inch one) and that the car would eventually settle to
level.
  It is almost level now. Despite the hassles involved, the exercise was
worthwhile. The GT rides and handles much better than before. Though stiffer
and the motion is quicker, the ride is more comfortable.  The exhaust system
is intact too.
   Removal of the leaf required finding new spring bolts.  An article in MGB
Driver in recent past suggested moving the unwanted leaf from original
location to the top, where it is not supporting weight. That would still raise
the car by the height of thickness of the spring (3/16 or so). If ride height
is acceptable, that would save buying spring bolts.

Bob
'72 GT
'53 TD, with fine, original springs

---------- Original Message ----------
From: Don <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [Mgs] Rear Leaf Supplier Spring Recommendation
Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:14:43 -0700

Frank,

I had a '73 B GT that listed to one side, and I bought a pair of new
rear springs from NOS Locators.  Front of car was level, and it had
new coil springs.  All of the springs I put on the car made in UK by
the way.  I put the new rear springs on the car and the car sat more
uneven than it did with the original springs on it.  They sent a
replacement spring for the spring that was the weaker of the
two.  That didn't remedy it.  Off the car, the springs would match
great, but on the car was a different story.  So, I took both of the
new springs to a local auto spring shop, and gave them the specs on
how the car was sitting and they re-arched them.  I put them on the
car and it was finally level and looked right.  After this
experience, I would just take original old springs into such a place
to start with and not bother with new ones.

I don't know which Cloverdale you are in, but if you are in
California, the shop to go to is this one.  There must be such shops
in different cities in the US and Canada.

The shop in Santa Rosa did great work in my opinion.

http://www.springworks.com/

Don Scott
Calistoga CA USA
1955 MGTF
1962 MGA Mk 2
1967 MGB
1963-7 MGB (seeking)
Misc. Japanese cars

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