WHATS UP GUYS...I HAVE A MENT COND 83 380SEC THAT HAS A PROBLEM THE REAR WHEELS LEAN OUT AT THE BOTTOM....CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.....I NEED TO FIX THIS...PLEASE HELP ME.....THANKS.

THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN LOWERD OR HAD SPRING WORK DONE ON IT.THANKS AGAIN confused

On 126 Chassis cars, /-o-\ seen from the rear is usually a symptom of worn rear subframe bushings. They are a moderate pita to replace, but make a world of difference in the look and hadnling at speed. These bushings compress over time from the weight of the car resting on them and they are considered a wear item on older cars.

THANKS FOR THE INFO GUYS...DOSE THAT COST ALOT TO FIX

jenkins, ..the rear springs need to be replaced. Before you do that, ...please perform height measurement of the rear in order to determine the correct thickness of spring pads that should go with it. The control arm bushing seldom fails not unless you had an accident. Perform correct spring height adjustment , ..this will eventually solve you camber adjustments. Hope that this info helps.

Tom,

Rudy is right. I just spent several weeks chasing a negative camber problem on my 83 SD. I first replaced the subframe mounts and differential mounts with some but limited improvement. I then replaced the trailing arm bushings with no difference. I measured and corrected the ride height using a MR. Gasket #1287 spring rubber as a temporary fix. This made a large improvement. The final solution for me was replacing the passenger side trailing arm as it was much worse and had a deformation that was undectable by looking at it. The Po had hit a curb and put the spare on before selling. I didn't see the dent in the spare until I had completed the repairs.

Hope this helps you.

Bob D.

Hey guys.Tom I think Rudy and Bob are right my friends sec had the same problem (looks very bad and dangerous from a few feet away)put new rear springs in the car.Viola fixed.Springs were affordable bout $100 for the set.Could also go with H&R lowering springs for about $300.either way car would look great
Good Luck
James

#1. A viola is a member of the string family in the orchestra 8^)). Voila is french for "there it is", as opposed to voici for "here it is".

#2. I don't own a 126 but I've worked on a few. I've also been following MB web lists for three or four years and IIRCC, most pro wrenches have chimed in that MB springs don't typically wear out. That's not to say it never happens, but it usually isn't the cause of your problems. Any pro wrenches reading this can agree or refute this if they desire, I'd like to know what they think.