Ok, that explains the increased height when it came off the jack. I did not move it back or forth, whatsoever, in the three days that it was sitting there.

So, the measurement off the jack, 27.25", is not relevant.

Thanks for the clarification.

Easy mistake to make when you are excited about something after doing the work.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"Excited" was an understatement.

This vehicle looked fantastic after the new springs were installed. I was even thinking about 16" wheels because the wheel wells, in the rear, were so large at 27.25"

"unless there is a physical stop" -- Leathermang

"The lower spring perch has a slight shape to it. The very end of the last coil is designed to rest against a small stop in a bit of a depression." --Brian

Ok,,, sorry to ask this next question... the springs have a top and bottom I think... either paint marks or closer coils or ground different...So you are sure they were installed in the correct orientation ? I know this bothers you because there are so few parts which could cause this... old blacksmiths are less bothered by this sort of stuff than Trained Engineers ...
I suggest you get the micrometer out for the spring wire size... remember the pages of specs posted when someone wanted to lower their car ?

Yes, Greg, the springs have a top and a bottom. The top is ground so that the spring is flat on the top and can sit flat against the rubber pad. The bottom is unground and the coil simply stops at the last turn.

And, yes, I am sure that they were installed in the correct orientation. Old engineers don't make errors of this magnitude.

The wire size per the specification is 16.9 mm. I might be able to get a micrometer in there between the coils to check it. The height of the spring is 376.5 per the spec. I measured within 1 mm of this value, with very crude measuring equipment.

Well, when there are only two or three components you have to be willing to examine all the possibilities..
Sometimes two or three times....
Did I tell you about installing a distributor 180 degrees off 30 years ago ... in a 250 6 cylinder Chevy ? IT STARTED... but naturally would not rev up...
If it had not started AT ALL I would have thought about that possibility MUCH sooner than with it having actually started.... 3 hours of walking around the car scratching my head later... I decided to check the distributor... even though I was sure it was correct because IT STARTED ....

If the springs were installed properly and there are no other rear suspension "issues", and the ride height remains low, and the caster remains high negative, I don't see any possibilities other than the springs being manufactured wrong.

It's either that, or M/B wants the height at 25.5" with heavy negative camber. I'm having a hard time with that.