Hello friends,

I recently disconected the self levelling system and installed "normal" shocks on the rear end of my 1984 500 SEL. The reason for this was that the hydrulic pump leaked the fluid into the engine and I didnīt want to spend the money on fixing that. The rear end "gas bladders" also was needed replacement because the rear end was very "spongy". Before I did this the stance of the car was low at the rear and high at the front which didnīt please me at all.

After I installed the Monroes at the rear the ride is much, much better although a bit on the firm side. The stance, however, changed a bit to the worse and now Iīm thinking about changing the rear coil springs as well to raise it a little bit.

My question is how much of a differenca can I make by changing the rubber spacers rear and front? I havenīt checked the thickness of the spacers. To get the same height front and rear I need to lower the front about 1 inch and raise the rear about 2 inches.

I also now that the correct procedure calls for the height setting to be based on the angles of the linkage arms but since that is not a DIY thing is there anyone that can give me good ballpark figures on what the height should be front and rear with measurement doable at home?

Many thanks,

Mikael Westerberg
1984 500 SEL
Vanersborg, Sweden