• Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.

    If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.

    Enjoy.

lowering rear

gspd18

Donation Time
What methods are you guys useing to lower the rear of the car? Blocks and shims? Bending the eyelets or different leaf springs?
 

65beam

Donation Time
rear

take the rear springs to a spring shop and have them dearch to whatever you want. or you can use lowering blocks but it's easier to dearch.
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
The other option is to get upgraded springs. Dale A sells lowered stiffer springs for the tigers which should fit your SII.. and if not a dirrect fit, would just require a slightly larger shackle.

Tom Hall at mod tiger also sells new springs. I have dales rears in my tiger.. they are low and very stiff. The front sring eye also wraps around a little for an anti tramp effect. They would be good on an a racer.

As a side note i know someone with a almost new set of front and rear dales springs that they are removing as they are to low and stuff for their liking on their tiger.. they would probably sell them.

Dales:
http://www.dalesresto.com/parts.html
Part # 10023 - Rear Leaf Springs 190 PPI Torque Leaf $400.00
Part # 10022 - Front Coil Springs 330, 450, and 650 PPI $200.00

Tom + Rob's:
www.tigerengineering.net/
 

65beam

Donation Time
rear

under hard use you will have to work on the springs at some point. the 400.00 cost of new ones would allow you to rearch the springs several times.
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
under hard use you will have to work on the springs at some point. the 400.00 cost of new ones would allow you to rearch the springs several times.

Old springs are old springs.. re-acrhing them all the time is not a great solution, and having to pull them and drop the off to the shop all the time isnt either. The springs from dales are a different design on the front eye that limits axel tramp from spring wind-up. They are also thicker spirings with a higher rate.

If they can handle a stock tigers power and torque wthout tramp then they are fine for an alpine racer. You get higher rate, lower ride height and a design to help limit tramp all in 1 go.. seems like a cheap deal to get good results instead of pulling springs all the time.

i cant speak personally for toms spings but i have heard nothing but good reviews of his products.
 

gspd18

Donation Time
Lookd at the mod tiger site. probably go that route. Can I use the 550#tiger springs in the front? Saw a few people cut them down for height, but are they the same diameter?
 

gspd18

Donation Time
Whats being used for adjustable shocks. Is there any available in the right height that I could retrofit to my mounts? I know the rears are lever type I will make mounts for them.
 

Alpineracer8

Donation Time
Justin:

If I remember correctly, the Tiger's coil springs are bigger in diameter than your Series II springs, and thus will not fit into the pocket on your crossmember. I remember wanting to eventually change my entire front suspension on my Series I racer to a Series V suspension, and probably would have if I would have kept the car.
 

gspd18

Donation Time
I guess ill have to order custom springs. Anyone know what height spring at 550# will give me a 2†drop up front?
 

Gary T

Gold Level Sponsor
Rear Springs

Please note that Series II rear springs are 2-3/8" wide while Series III springs are 2" wide. (Not sure about Tiger) In addition the front mount of the later springs is about 2-1/2" in diameter and has an ecentric mounting for the rubber insert. You may not have enough room in the front support to fit a later spring even though you could accommodate the smaller width. The shocks would not determine the ride height. I would believe lowering blocks is a better solution. Normally re-arching the springs is used to raise ride height even though it could be used to lower the car as well. So before you spend alot of money for any replacement rear springs take some measurements and be sure.
 

gspd18

Donation Time
Thanks. I dont expect the shocks to lower the car just want some with the right amount of travel and adjustable dampning
 

65beam

Donation Time
springs

michael,
if you were ever to spend some time around a shop that works on sunbeams you might hear some of the conversations relating to our original springs being a better quality spring steel than what is being sold today. there was a difference in how spring steel was made 40 years ago. the older guys running spring shops could better explain it to you.
 

socorob

Donation Time
There is a qa1 coilover kit for a mustang 2 on jegs and summit that looks like it would be easy to adapt. $450 for adjustable shocks, and the springs.
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
michael,
if you were ever to spend some time around a shop that works on sunbeams you might hear some of the conversations relating to our original springs being a better quality spring steel than what is being sold today. there was a difference in how spring steel was made 40 years ago. the older guys running spring shops could better explain it to you.

Unless the springs have lead a very easy life the work cycles they have gone through effects their performance. If you go and speak to those guys at the spring show they will tell you that each time you re-arch them the adjustment will last a shorter period each time.

In this situation we are answering somone who wants to use them for racing.. not just hauling their fat butt around to car shows. They want to lower the rear and gain a performance improvment of a stiffer spring. That's why he should look at new springs.. he can get some that will improve on the stock spec. Rootes offered upgarded springs for racing.. obviously they are not off the shelf anymore.

Dales springs have an anti-tramp measure built in and are lower.. tom's springs are meant to be good. The old springs may be superior in their materials to some... can you verify they are better than the products being offered?

Perhaos you have some NOS springs you can help him out with :rolleyes:
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
Oh BHB... you certainly are... it's a pitty that some of the guys who race alpines aren't on this board to help out memebers who want to race their sunbeams... but then again.. you had a big hand in that.
 

gspd18

Donation Time
I like the qa1 idea , im useing them on the wifeses truck. ill have to check if they're leagl for cvar first. thanks forall the info from everyone, the more can be made to fit info the better. Im no stranger to making things work the wives truck has parts from gm in every decade since 1950. Only problem im havig is getting a lugged wheels setup and keeping the car within the rules. Racing is the only reason igot into this project. I have become kind of fond of this little car in the process tho thanls to the help and support ive recieved here.
 

socorob

Donation Time
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HAL-MS301-08700/?rtype=10
Here's the ones I was looking at. From quick and dirty measuring, it looks like the wide part of the spring is within 1/8" of the Sunbeams so should fit in the spring bucket with no mods. It also looks like you could use the upper insulator from either a Mustang 2 or Alpine. The threaded part would need the hole at the top enlarged some for it to fit through. At the bottom you would have to do some fabricating for the bottom mount, but the weight would still be carried where the original spring was carrying it. I think the spring rates start at 375 and go up. Im still on the fence about upgrading my control arms, going to a whole new crossmember with rack and pinion to get quicker steering, or leaving it stock and adding these. I dont race or have any rules to follow, I just autox once in a great while, so I wouldnt have any rules to worry about.
 
Top