Andy D

Well I could do with some gravel to patch to road at the back of our house. So it looks like a trip to a building supplier is in order. Followed by a bit of a blast round the back lanes. I have also ordered the 1" lowering block so if it doesnt drop with the gravel I will fit that. I seem to have caught a cold so it might be a while befor I am up to disasembling the rear suspension again. Once lowered I will see how it handles. Thanks, Andy

Photos.

I have already halved the rate on the basis that the weight was shared between both wheels. The car has been driven both forwards and backwards, I did not see any change in stance. Although for obvious reasons alot more forward than backwards. I will recheck again after reversing. I will try a heavy load in the boot to see if it loosens up. Rear trunions are free to move. However I weigh 79Kg and when I did the test it only move 0.4" / 10mm so I am not sure 100Kg will do it. It was a full conversion kit, so new spring pivot box, pivot and new thicker front antiroll bar, new spring with new spring eye bushes. I also replaced drop links at the same time. Many thanks for ideas Regards, Andrew

Hi, I purchased a swing spring conversion kit for my MK3 spitfire from James Paddock. As many people mentioned that the springs can sit a bit high I also purchased a 1/2 inch lowering block. Having fitted the kit I checked the rear camber after a good shake down run, I also loosened spring eye bolts with the car on the ground to ensure they were not holding the car up. The car sits at +2.5 deg on both sides. I estimate without the block it would be at + 4.5 deg. Two weeks latter it has not shifted even a mm lower after dropping 5mm in the shake down run. So I checked spring weight at the wheels, the swing spring is listed at 119 lbf/inch at the wheel. Using my body weight as its fairly easy to position myself over or just behind the spring in the boot, I calculated the new springs weight to be approx 220 lbf/inch. Or approximately twice what it should be. Even if my estimate is a bit off its much harder. I contacted James Paddock regarding this and was told it will settle, but you can buy a 1" block to lower it ( why would I need to if its going to settle) even if this is true which, I don't believe as the spring weight is amost 2x what it should be, it must be dangerous to fit a spring with +4.5 deg camber on the back of a Spitfire. I suggested they should stop selling this spring or include the necessary lowering parts to make it safe. This was completely ignored and they are no longer replying to my messages. I have ordered the extra 1" lowering parts and longer studs at a cost of a further £50 as I need this car working for a road tour of Scotland. However I am now concerned that the springs front-back balance will also be compromised as it has standard springs on the front. It seems if I keep the really hard rear spring ,I probably need harder front springs to maintain front rear balance. I already have GAZ adjustable damping and ride height shocks. Can anyone advise on this? I am running out of time as our trip is at the end of April, the roads will be quite challenging and the group drives fairly hard, so I want to be sure the car is not going to do anything unpredictable. Regards, Andrew

Yes it does need to be done. Leaving it can cause premature head failure. Andy