Lowered front and rear

[aroostok]

Recently purchased rear lowering kit and new springs from Moss along with urethane bushings. Bear of a job for one individual but I did it - I think. Got a problem. As said, everything in rear is new. But I can't get the rear to jack up to allow attaching of the shorter rebound straps that were also installed. I have the shocks disconnected. Did I put the 1" spacer in the wrong place? Looking from top down I have the top plate, urethane pad, spacer, spring, urethane pad, plate and shock mount. Do I have it right.
Also replaced front springs with 1" shorter and rebuilt front with rebuilt shocks and urethane bushings all around. Front went together real well.
I still haven't connected rear shocks until I can get some sort of idea why I can't get the rebound straps attached. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nunyas]

mmmm... seems about right to me. Mind you, the rebound strap will be too short if there's no weight on the axle. It might be possible that your jack just doesn't go high enough. I reconnected my straps with the wheels on the ground (i.e. suspension holding the full weight of the vehicle) . It was a tight fit for me to get under there (5' 10" 180lbs), but I was able to do it.

 

[aroostok]

Thanks, will try. I had no trouble replacing the straps earlier before I decided to lower the front and rear. Real strange the way this won't settle lower.

 

[Nunyas]

are the rear springs new too?

 

[PAUL161]

Did the urethane pads come with the Moss lowering kit? I've seen lowering blocks installed before and have done it myself on custom cars, but not with plastic spacers in between the springs, axle tube pedestals and the lowering blocks. Thats a metal to metal connection, or am I reading your message wrong. If so, I apologize. You might have to install the old style shock links as they are shorter and will prevent the shock arm from possibly hitting the body and/or streching the shock to it's limit. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif PJ

 

[aroostok]

Rear springs are new. The urethane pads are the spring seating pads which Moss says must be replaced when using the lowering kit (see. p. 51 of Moss catalog MGB 0602). This is a kit for stock springs which I have replaced with new stock springs.
As to jack height, whenever I jack under the axle or differential, the whole body rises with it the equivalent amount.

 

[Bret]

You might have a pre-load issue with the rear springs. Did you tighten the leaf spring hardware before or after you lowered the vehicle?

If not you might want to jack the car up again and support it with jack stands just before the front leaf spring front eyelet. Then loosen the leaf spring hardware (don't remove them) and try re-tighening them after you've lowered the vehicle back on the deck under its own weight.

Just a thought?

 

[aroostok]

Thanks, will try. Just came from the shop that rebuilt my engine and the prop told me that the shackle plate has to be facing to the rear and that if it isn't I'll need to pry it back with a hellacious big bar and someone sitting on the trunk. I suspect loosening all the spring hardware will help in this.

 

[tony barnhill]

In which direction do your rear spring hangers point? Towards the rear is where they're supposed to be.

 

[aroostok]

To the front. Will compressing the spring make it any easier to get them pointing in the right direction?

 

[Nunyas]

yes it will, and the car will sit lower. Not to bad mouth any parts suppliers, but I've heard from a few people on these boards that they've had problems similar to yours with new "stock replacement" rear springs causing the car to sit wicked high. So, at least you know you're not alone in this.

Hopefully it'll all come together much easier for ya once you get the shackles pointing in the right direction.

Best of luck to ya

 

[aroostok]

Thanks much. Really love this forum.