Own a w108 1970 280sel and I have a question regarding the front suspension. Can the front of the car be lowered without cutting the springs. Is there a torsion bar that can be adjusted and if so, how many inches can the front end be lowered?

You could put some fat guys in the back seat and drive around.

First the fat man method will only lower the rear thus making the front look even higher.
The best way is to order new custom springs which will give you the ride height you desire. There are several companies which can do this. they can also stiffen the springs which may be necessary if you lower the front to the point that the tires may hit the top of the inner fender.

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Britton McIntyre

68 280 SE coupe 'Hairball'
70 280 SL
71 280 SEL - RIP May 2010

Technically yes, and absolutely no. There are no torsion bars. You may be seeing the leaf springs from the frame to the subframe. The subframe must maintain its height relative to the frame because otherwise the drivetrain will be out of alignment. There is no adjustment available here.

Technically yes, you can lower the car without cutting the springs. You replace the springs with custom ones, or you use bags.

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Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

There is limited ride hight adjustment with the thickness of the rubber on top of the springs.

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Britton McIntyre

68 280 SE coupe 'Hairball'
70 280 SL
71 280 SEL - RIP May 2010

Cutting a coil or two off is enough...anything over 2 and you will rub. Do alot of research and you will figure how much to cut to your liking. If you cut 2 off the front dont cut 2 off the back as the rears are shorter. I did 1.75 on the front and almost 1.5 in the rear. Its not too hard of a job.

You can just bag it though and be done...
Complete FBSS Airbag Suspension Kit - 65-72 Mercedes W108 - LEVEL 2

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1969 w108 280s

n10 you are correct cutting the spring too much will result in the tire hitting the inner fender. Cutting does compromise the overall structural design and function of the spring. I replaced my springs with a progressive springs. I had the front end lowered 1.5" and stiffened by 20%. The rear end was stiffened by 15%. The stiffening of the springs has increased the handling and prevented any tire rub.
She now looks and handles better.

__________________
Britton McIntyre

68 280 SE coupe 'Hairball'
70 280 SL
71 280 SEL - RIP May 2010

Nice! That would have been my preference but cutting was free

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1969 w108 280s

Hey Britton, where did you source the progressive springs? Did you have to provide them with specs or did they have packages ready to go?

I read the feedback of some of the 113 guys who installed progressive springs, some liked it, some did not.

Thanks

I ordered my springs from Coil Spring Specialties. I provided them the part number from the blue shop manual. We discussed the percentage of stiffness to be added and the front ride height.
I would advise you to first determine what is the present ride height of your car. The manual explains it all. Front ride height is adjusted with the thickness of the rubber on top of the spring. If a adjustment is needed you can order it for any dealership.
Changing the springs is not easy job. By determining the correct rubber thickness before installing the new springs will eliminate the need to take the springs out to install new rubber. Also I have found that forty year old rubber should be replaced. It will help improve the ride.
If you have any questions ask.
When you take the springs off there are several other jobs which should be preformed to greatly improve the quality of the ride.

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Britton McIntyre

68 280 SE coupe 'Hairball'
70 280 SL
71 280 SEL - RIP May 2010

I'm glad you've done more research and testing that the engineers at Mercedes Benz in the 1960's regarding the optimum ride height for your car. Please just sell it to someone who will take care of it properly. These cars are vanishing so fast now; it's a shame to see them ruined repeatedly on here by people who think they know better than the engineers.