Raising Front End with Coil Spring Shim?
 

My 87 300 tdt rides very low in the front (so does my brothers), I have had to replace the radiator already and keep bottoming out on fairly small curbs.

I wanted to know if I put different sized spring shims would I get a noticable lift in the front end? And which size would be best, the choices are 8mm, 13mm and 18mm.

I was thinking that I could adjust my self leveling control arm to keep the car rear somewhat level.

Any thoughts or comments are welcome.

Thanks

My experiences with the springs are such that the change in height of the vehicle will be 2.0 to 2.5 X the change in height at the spring, due to the geometry of the suspension.

So, if you make a 5mm change in pad thickness, you'll get about 1/2" increased height. The size that would be best would be dependent on what you currently have. If you are fortunate to have the 8mm pad, you could go to the 18mm pad and obtain about 1" of increased height.

If you already have the 18mm pad, well...................:mad:

Gotta watch those high curbs especially ~
You might want to search for a steel bellypan.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=33018&highlight=neil+bellypan

You haven't been watching NASCAR have you?:D

I don't see why it wouldn't work, but remember to readjust your headlights for the new height.

Wes

Thanks for the responses everyone and also to billybob that emailed direct.

He made a very valid point that the springs after 19 years might be either broken or just sagging under the weight after all these years. I've heard these springs are made to last a lifetime, can anyone confirm this?

As I understand it from the manual cd's, I will have to remove the springs to get the shim pad in there anyway so I may as well replace the springs. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Has anyone replaced the springs and noticed a difference in ride height in the front end?

Again, many thanks to everyone, if it was not for this site I might have given up on my dream car a while ago!

in my expereince the mb springs seldom go bad. i have driven a lot of miles in them and never have changed one yet.

putting on new bilsteins will raise it some if your old ones are really shot.

tom w

It's fairly common for the springs on the extended S class bodies to lose some height with time. Check out many SEL or SDL vehicles and they all sag in the back unless some work has been done to the springs.

The '86 had springs that met the spring rate but the spring was 1/4" short on it's load height when checked on a proper spring machine. The 1/4" translates into about 5/8" in the height of the body.

Don't give up on the dream car, the '87 300D turbo is a great automobile!
Springs don't last forever, nothing on a car does, but they tend to get softer with age. I replaced some on a '71 220 with great improvement, it reduced the rocking chair effect, you know when under power the front end rises then it falls when you decelerate. Headlights shine up then down. More pronounced with a stick shift, that's what bugged me. I had some special springs made up at Coil Spring Specialties, do a search for that, another member also has a set made by them too I recall.

Some members have replaced good springs with MB Sportline, Eibach, H&R, etc. spring to lower their chassis. I happen to be looking for Eibachs for my project '87 300Dt because they are stiffer (but not as stiff as H&R) but what I am suggesting is maybe someone has the old springs around to sell you cheap, as long as you are replacing the spring pads (they can get wallowed out over time) you may want to swap some known good springs in?
Personally I would try new Bilstein struts, that will tend to hold the front end up and if yours are original then trust me its time for new shocks all the way around, makes a huge difference in the way the car handles too:cool:

What is your current ride height, measured from the bottom of the fender lip to the center of the wheel? Stock should be around 15.0 inches on a 1987 300D. I have my car lowered with Sportline springs and yes, you must be very careful not to run into parking curbs, which will bend the lower radiator support and possibly ruin the radiator (and it will ruin the new one as well if you don't un-bend the support first!)

About the shims, in practice the shim height does not multiply much on the W124. My Sportline front springs with a 1pt (8mm) pad measured 13.9", installing a 3pt (18mm) pad only raised the ride height to 14.25", or about equal to the 10mm increase in pad thickness. There is also a 4pt (23mm) thick front pad, but over time (many years) the thick 3- or 4-pt pads like to crush down.

http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/W124/124_suspension.txt

If your TDT is below 15 inches up front, you might consider getting new springs, and getting the 'taller' springs (there are multiple ones available) to set the ride height where you want it. You can't adjust rear ride height with the SLS... that also must be adjusted with springs or spring pads/shims, and then you set the SLS lever to the "static" height. Otherwise you can end up with the SLS triggering too often, or not enough.

:cool:

Ditto, ditto and ditto
 

This is my favorite place on the web because of the good people, good MB talk and lots of real world experience. I too have a W124 300TDt and I never would have bought one if it wasn't for the people on this site.

You also have 3 of the foremost W124 and OM603 afficienados/experts posting to this thread. Sixto where are you?

Actually, the E classes from 86 to 95 had issues with the front springs breaking. We had a 90 300E with a broken front spring and I have heard of other instances.

Actually, a number of Mercedes years and models had issues with this. It is usually due to rust/corrosion at the bottom end of the coil, where it sits in the control arm pocket. The last few inches of the coil sometimes snaps off. It's not very common but I have heard of it several times. It's more of an issue in the salt/rust belts of the northeast... not something you'll usually find on a southern or western car.

:kid:

Yup, that's why MB makes a zinc sleeve that covers the bottom coil of the spring. It only came on UK and Scandinavian spec cars though.

You mean item #16 in the diagram below? I wondered what that was for. Part number is 124-321-00-36 and they're only about a dollar each. I actually ordered a couple just to see what they were. I'll post photos when I have time.

:cool:

Here's the shim shown in the diagram above. They're about $1 each from the dealer.

:cool:

http://www.w124performance.com/image...pring_shim.jpg