brian, i dont understand your statement about being perplexed about stock ride height vs camber.

did you say what the cost of the new springs is going to be?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Tom, it appears that the "stock" ride height will be 1/2" above my current height, strictly judging by the spring. This would put the fenderwell at 25.75 inches above the pavement. At this height, the negative camber will be approximately 2 degrees negative (my estimate). The book calls for 1 degree negative.

So, I'm perplexed between the two.

The springs will be $168.00 plus shipping.

Yeah, that is perplexing. The way everything adds up, it would seem that all 300SDLs came from the factory with twice the negative camber that the engineers intended. Has anybody mentioned wheel bearings? If they're worn or adjusted too loosely, they will increase the degree of camber in whatever direction the wheel has a tendency to lean. It seems like you would have noticed bearings that bad, though. In any case, I'm glad to hear that you've (probably) found a solution. And I'm not just saying that because I'm waiting on your spring compressor

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1982 300D, black w/ palomino leather, 203K
2001 E320, champagne, 105K (Mom's)
1999 Dodge Dakota, squeaky & battered, 142K

This is exactly what I'm thinking.

The SDL must be the heaviest of the bunch, and, even with the maximum spring pad (19 mm), it can't achieve the ride height required for proper camber.

But, there are other folks (Sixto) who have the SDL way up in the air in the back. His is so high that the camber approaches zero.

I'm fairly sure the bearings are OK. I would have heard them by now if there was sufficient clearance to make a difference in the camber.

I was parked next to another SDL today at work and the rear of my car was noticably higher then his. My rear wheels seem to go straight up and down; the alighnment shop I took it to last fall found the rear to be within MB specs.

This is perplexing I see a lot of W126's sitting low in the rear but on the showroom floor I bet they didn't.

$170 for a pair of custom springs! I really want to drop my SDL, I need to look into doing it right.

If the wheel bearings were that bad they would be making tons of noise. Heck the wheel would probably fall off!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

one degree or two not significant i would think. if the tires arent wearing out on the inside...fogeddaboudit... well i would anyway.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I won't.

When you have brand new $100. tires on it, and expect them to go 100K, I want the camber as close to zero as the manual will allow. I'm targeting 30' negative if I can get it.

No way you are getting 100K with 2° negative camber.

but how much are you willing to spend to save two hundred dollar tires? and how long will it take you to drive 100k? for most people the tires will be dry rotted before the 100k.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I'll spend the cost of a set of springs, that's for sure. It needs rear springs. No way around that. So, why not get springs that will raise the vehicle up to meet the camber specs??

These tires will last 6 years. I'll put 100K on it in that time.

The tires on the SD are five years old and they show no sign of dry rot. The tread is getting a bit worn at 80K (These tires started their life on the W123).

sounds like a plan... you have done the math already it is clear.

i am impressed with your compression test though, stock rate and what was it .25" short. better than i thought and i thought they were good.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Brians right he needs to do something about the rear end. I have seen his car and the rear end does sit to low, something isn't right. I just hope these springs fix it once and for all. They should their is nothing left that could cause the rear end to sit so low.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

it sure sounds as if he has done everything else.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Got my new springs yesterday from Coil Spring Specialties.

They are exactly 5/8" longer than the factory springs. Everything else remains identical.

I measured the vehicle yesterday just for documentation.

With minimal fuel (3 gallons) and nothing in the trunk:

Rear fenderwell height off pavement: 25.5"

With full fuel and an additional 100 lb. of "stuff":

Rear fenderwell height off pavement: 24.75"


After installing the new springs this evening (down to 2 hours flat ) and taking it for a 20 minute drive:

With 3/4 fuel and about 100 lb. in the trunk:

Rear fenderwell height off pavement: 27"
Camber: about 1/4° negative

I had asked to have springs that would raise the body by 1.75 inches as compared to the old 19 year old springs. The new springs appear to raise the body by 2.25" at the moment, however, I expect the suspension to settle down a bit more.

The height looks a tad tall at 27". The vehicle has a pronounced rake and the fenderwell clearance above the tire is almost identical front to rear. The front may have another 3/4" or so.

The nice thing about this setup is that I can easily lower the body by 1/2 inch by dropping down from the current 19 mm spacer to the 14 mm spacer.

I'll wait a few weeks to see how it settles down and how I like it under various loads.

The cost of the springs was $168.00. This is just slightly more than the aftermarket springs which are not long enough, IMHO. As best as I can tell, the aftermarket spring is identical to the OE spring. I have a suspicion that the OE spring is also too short.

brian... great job.

it is interesting that 5/8" higher springs will put the car up 2.25" . leverage i guess. i would think that they will settle some with use. you are all set now to carry your ubiquitous tool chest in style.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Well, the new springs are 7/8" taller than the 19 year old springs. My request to CSS was to raise the vehicle by 1.75 inches above the old springs. I expected it to be a bit high but, this is not a problem because it's currently using the maximum thickness spacers.

So the leverage is about 2.5:1 or so. I find this hard to believe and expect the suspension to settle down to a more reasonable 26.5".

It's the tools and the oil and the coolant and the flashlight and the jumper cables and the w/w fluid and the transmission fluid and the Power Service and the torque wrench and.........................be surprised how it all adds up.