Spitfire Sagging Spit

[MrDon]

The rear of my '76 Spit saggs quite a bit when I'm in her. And yes I've put on weight since I bought my first Spit in '69, but I'm not over 230 Lbs. Does anyone have experience with airshocks, or another suggestion for me? I've inspected the leaf spring and bushings Etc. all looks good. Can the springs be re-arched, do I need to replace them?

Thanks
DON
'76 Spifire

 

[Andrew Mace]

Does the entire rear end seem to sag, or just the driver's side?

There are any number of folks who tout the air-shock "cure"; I'm not really one of them. The "sag" is very common in the later Spitfires as they got heavier in the rear due to bigger bumpers and frame extensions to support same.

I personally feel that the best solution is to purchase the "heavy-duty" spring (which is similar to if not exactly the same as that of the late GT6).

Short term, though, you might be able to simply turn the spring around -- not a difficult job.

 

[Simon TR4a]

Sounds like the spring may have weakened with age, and I think the best remedy would be replacement.
Quite a bit of labour is involved in removal, so I think I would spend a little extra on replacing rather than rearching the existing spring.
I have heard of people using airshocks but I feel it is the job of the spring to support weight, and the shock absorber to damp the oscillation of the spring. (Others may disagree..)
Simon.

 

[MrDon]

The whole rear end saggs, more so on the drivers side. After these posts I think I'll go with a new spring. Any suggestions on a vendor, I've dealt with Moss in the past and was happy for looking for other options.

 

[Andrew Mace]

[ QUOTE ]
Any suggestions on a vendor, I've dealt with Moss in the past and was happy for looking for other options.

[/ QUOTE ]In no particular order of preference:

The Roadster Factory
SpitBits
British Parts Northwest
TS Imported Automotive (Ohio; Ted Schumacher was a long-time Triumph dealer and semi-factory-sponsored racer, etc., etc.)

In England: Canley Classics and a few others...but most anything you need for a Spitfire is readily available in the US from the above and, er, others. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

All of the above have some measure of online presence; Google will find them, or I can provide URLs.

 

[myspitfire]

Greetings;My 80 Spit had the same conundrum,sounds like first you need a new spring(Ah!what a nice word)Got mine at Moss $169.00 a high quality spring comes with bushings.I then mounted Monroe air-shocks.And when i mounted them we mounted independent shrader valves in the boot.To adjust the pressure on each side as needed;20# right side 30# on the left side.VERY happy now with the results.Total cost was $59.00 shocks a little extra for the air line kit($10.00)$169.00 spring then the labor. You can see some photos of my setup on my website in the 'photo'section.at; https://myspitfire.zoomshare.com Far as i'm concerned thats the way to go.And do it right the first time,& you won't be disappointed. Good Luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grouphug.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

 

[Guest]

I'd like to thank you all for the info. I recently bought my first Spitfire. I love it but I noticed the rearend on the drivers side sagging. I didn't know if it was the leaf spring, shocks, bent frame or what. It's nice to get some info when you need it. When I read the post I immediately enrolled in this site. If you see simpzimmer asking questions please lend me some advice. Take it easy...

 

[Mark Jones]

My Spitfire had a droopy rear as well. I replaced the spring and rebuilt the rear suspension. Now the rear ride height is good and the bumps have been smoothened out.