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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fron coil lengths please??

Hi all

I removed the big 'orrid lumps o' rubber from my 1500 midget and it's sitting sooooo high..

Is the best way to lower the front end by fitting early springs (presumably shorter) or is it as i seem to recall reading of packing the mounts with washers or nuts??

If the best way is to fit early springs, can an anyone say what the free spring lengths are for the chrome bumper mods and the rubber bumper mods??

There's a set on fleabay and the sellers says he was told they were from a RWA mod, a measurement could probably confirm one way or the other..

Here's a pic of the ridiculas ride height!!!

Cheers, John..

EDIT- of course the title should read Front coil lengths please..


j b biggs

fitting shorter springs (or cutting yours) is one way to lower a car, and the ride should remain as supple as original spec.

Most who lower cars also are looking for an increased spring rate because they mean to lower enough to reduce the suspension travel, but in your case you sound like you just want to get rid of too much height.

Here are the free lengths of the other springs that were stock:

948cc = 9.4"
1098cc & 1275 ('67 ~ '72) = 9.59"
1275cc ('73 and '74) = 9.85"

In all cases, the fitted length is meant to be 7.08", and the spring rate is 271 lb / inch of compression. Actually, the later 1275 has a decreased wire diameter (3.625" was reduced to 3.575"), so the spring rate must be lower but is not noted what that changed rate was.


Maybe someone will chime in with what is in the 1500 (I don't have a manual for one of those to look it up in).

As a guess, I would think the later 1275 would work. They raised the height to deal with the additional body reinforcement added to meet the '73, and then the even stricter '74 FMVSS requirements, which your body will still have welded into it.

Norm
Norm Kerr

I found the 1275 springs and the 1500 springs to be the same free length (10") - the earlier spring seemed to have a slightly thicker wire if anything. I changed them anyway on my glass fronted ex rubber bumper car and surprise surprise the car was even higher when I'd finished!
It now has a pair of 7" springs at the front and 2.5" lowered leaf springs at the rear - it is veeerrry low but still road useable if you avoid the sleeping policemen. The first thing to ground is the exhaust clamp so not such a problem really.
Andrew Dunn

A before and after to see the difference!


Andrew Dunn

Andrew. Wow! That's really low. Do you have any problems with the front tyres touching the wings on cornering? What tyres are you running?

Bernie.

b higginson

No problems with tyres touching anything - I'm using 165/60R13's on 4.5" rims. These are a just a spare set that I was using as wet tyres on a track day fiesta I play with. I may eventually get some 70 profiles to give a bit more ground clearance but until I lose the exhaust on a bad bump I don't think I'll bother.
Andrew Dunn

j b,
out of curiosity, could you weigh those rubber bumper assemblies for me? I am interested to compare them to the weight of the '73 and '74 bumpers.



Norm
Norm Kerr

Hi John,

I went the same route as you and yes rubber and chrome springs are about the same length on the bench.

But I swapped them over anyway as I had painted up the chrome bumper springs in antisipation and low and behold they lowered the front by about an inch.

The springs were off a RWA midget and in very good condition I am guessing they are slightly softer due to the lighter weight of a RWA midget.

cheers Ben
Ben Brown


Thanks for the replies lads (i'll look for a set of pre '74 then..)

Norm- sorry i've only just caught your reply, i'll get them out over the weekend and weigh them (they're damned heavy for sure as i was gasping like a clapped out Lada when i carried them down to the shed at the bottom of the back garden!!!!)



Cheers, John ;-)
j b biggs

I was having height issues on my frogeye, I just replaced the front springs on mine,I found the springs I took out to be thicker and longer, and I replaced them with 1275 springs.

Net result is that the wheelarch/wheel relationship is now much better, with only a 3 inch gap, it was 5 inches previously !!

best 70 bucks I have spent on the car so far!


RUS(59SPRITE)

This thread was discussed between 30/06/2010 and 11/07/2010

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