Any proven suggestions on lowering the ride height of my 1962 MK2.
My engine swap removed a lot of weight off the front end and it needs at least 3" down to get back to normal height. I am considering cutting coils and dropping the base. Does anyone have the spring stats for stock? PSI, height and circumference? THANKS

My mechanics are almost complete and I am anxious to start the body work

 

what about trying some coilover front shocks

 

I would NOT recommend to cut coils but rather modify the front with adjustable coil overs then you can adjust the car height easily

 

If I had the original spring spec I could get a shorter set wound. I have never had much luck with front coil overs, rear yes, front not so much.

 

Front has to come down 3"+

 

You don't say what engine you've put in; but I presume a US Ford or GM V8 of some sort. What comes to mind is the Jaguar 2.4 litre XK engine with its short block and hence much lighter weight. You could try fitting a set of springs for this model, as they are specifically for the much lower weight of the 2.4 litre engine. I'm afraid I don't know the exact weight difference, but it is a fair amount, as the block is nearly 3" less in height (8.85" compared to 11,5").
Hope this helps !

 

GM 383 stroker, aluminum heads, water pump, intake, radiator with tube headers. The MK2 is a 2.4 4 speed od car. When I get the springs out I will spec them. I was trying to get ahead of the curve

 

You can heat the springs (in the car!), at the bottom coils, allowing them to collapse (coil bind) to reach the desired ride height. You would then be able to measure/calculate the required spring rate/length, etc after removal.

 

Banzi lots of railroad tracks to settle them in.

 

Theres a few ways to do it, guess work and seeing what looks good is the easiest route, but might take a few attempts to get right.
And with this setup, changing springs isn't the easiest or quickest task out there.


Doing a few calculations might make it a lot easier to determine what sort of spring height and rate you could go with, any decent suspension company would go this route, so things like weight over the front axle, cars total weight, weight of old engine setup and new setup difference.


Modifying the spring perch to accommodate a coilover setup like QA1 or similar would be another option, more work involved obviously initially, extend the lower mount a bit for a longer shock travel meaning greater control over a suspension travel range, this will then allow you to easily adjust base height, spring preload, and it also allows you to choose different spiring heights and spring rates off the shelf to fine tune the front end, and at a cheap price too.


You've gone to the extent of doing a neat powerful V8 conversion, having some decent front suspension shouldn't be something you should skimp on.

 

I agree you should not skimp on a Jaguar especially a modified one. You do not want to cut springs or collapse springs that is going to compromise the handling. You want to have the car lowered for looks and more important handling. Thus you DO NOT want to limit travel with a shorter spring or compromise spring travel with heat that is just lame in my opinion.


On these early saloons to me the best is coil overs on all four corners. If someone had any bad experience with coil overs it is likely due to improper installation and/or poor geometry. On some cars like Datsun Z cars coil overs are easy but on these Jaguars depending on your situation you most likely need to have custom drop spindals made so that the front geometry is not compromised. These cars can be modified to handle a lot better but you need to do it right otherwise you will ruin a great car. Having a Jaguar regardless of it being stock or modified is not a cheap car. Since there are very limited aftermarket performance parts you will likely need to fabricate some key parts but that is not a big deal as there are many great shops that will make custom spindals, custom A arms, etc. You do not need to do it yourself just do it right. Michigan Metal Works is a great shop for this type of work that I have used.

 

Lot of suggestion on stock and race. Mine will be more in the middle. I am weighing each corner on race scales to geat my spring rate and will set my ride height to suit me. I really was just needing the spring spec but appreciate all the advice. I will not be going over the top of any aspect of the car. Building with my humble skills and a few friends in my home garage.

 

I started on the remote condenser mount for the A/C today and fuel line is in hand. Remote fuel filter must be sourced and mounted.

 

Do any suppliers like SNG mention spring rates and height changes with their available springs?

 

I have over a dozen parts catalogs and books on the MK2 and none give the specs only "spring" and performance spring?

 

Maybe source a spring manufacturer or suspension place that's nearby to you, take car weights and height measurements, then remove the stock springs, and get them to test them for free height, spring rate etc, and any professional should be able to come up with a replacement solution quite quickly, if not even find something off the shelf that might be applicable.

 

Adapting something like this is what I had in mind.


SPAX PERFORMANCE


Modify the top to hold the coilover top eyelet, and redesign the spring base plate, to drop down a little and have a mount for the coilover bottom eyelet.

 

the car will weight about 1700kg gross,
promo star do some shocks coil overs,
if you had 14" front DD602 225,
and 12" rear DD502 250,
about any way

 

car will be scaled(four corners) this week and I will pass on the numbers for those considering a gen I Chevy engine. This was a 2.4, 4 speed O/D, solid axle car RHD
the stock weight I'm getting is 3174-3204 pounds from Intranet sources

 

I'm going to be vary curious to see where your car tips the scales.