Lowering a 123 series 300 D

[Robby Ackerman]

My neighbor's '78 300 Diesel (123 series) sits an inch or two lower than my '83 turbodiesel. He tells me that MB, to meet the DOT bumper height standard, simply raised the US model in lieu of modifying the bumpers. What would I change in order to lower my 300 D to the height of the earlier 300 Ds such as his?

[Robby Ackerman]

I went and looked at his car. His rear sits a full 2 inches lower. The top three coils on the rear springs and compressed, so either he has different springs or tired springs! The front is a bit lower as well and the difference appears to be in the springs.

Robby

[rdetoy]

I strongly suspect that your neighbor has worn out springs. This topic has been covered extensively on other MB lists and, if I recall correctly, there are not factory or aftermarket springs to lower the 123 diesel.