rear coil spring

My '71 250C's rear slopes to the driver's side. I measured the height at the wheel wells and the left side is about an inch lower. Is a soft coil spring the only reason for this? The suspension mount rubber bushings are on my list to replace, could these be involved at all? Also, unfortunately, it looks as though that corner may have been in an accident (evidence of moderate Bondo repair), so what could I rule-out in terms of bent suspension parts?
Thanks for all your help,
Jason

[jeffsr]

Have the wheel alignment checked. I'll bet if the car has been hit, it's probably off. A difference of one inch is usually not visually evident. If it looks off then you might check major body sheet metal alignment in the rear. Bushings, etc, would really have to be wiped out and noisy to give you enough sag to be visible and generally both sides would be affected. The weak spring is a good bet if the other stuff checks out. try bouncing the rear of the car and see if you hear any groans, clicks or other funny noises. You might also have a bent spring seat. Many possibilities back there. Good Luck

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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e

[Jim Villers]

The rubber bushings are your problem. I just replaced the bushing in my 230SL which had the same "problem" (sagging rear end). The bushing come in three heights and I chose the tallest. Visually, the difference in height of the bushings with weight on the springs was about 1/2 inch. Not only did it fix the appearance but it also corrected the rear end chamber. I got my bushings from Star Quality; $30 for uppers and $10 or so for the lower pads. Replacing them can be tricky if you don't have a spring compressor. Remove the trailing arm from the front, swing it down to remove the spring.

Good Luck

Jim Villers
190SL, 230SL 5-speed