front springs

[dex1961]

hi all .I have just spent two mornings replacing my front leaf springs.whilst I had the front end in bits I decided to top up the front shocks .all was well till I came to top up the one on the driver side .it does not seem to have a top up plug just a flat plate am I right in assuming I need to remove this to top up I measured the car from the wheel centre to the arch when flat on the road level and there is about one inch difference driver side being lower. iam assuming this is because I have not topped the shocker up on that side,

[47p2]

Shock absorbers do not affect the height of the vehicle, if you removed both front shock absorbers the height would be exactly the same as what you have at the moment. A weak spring is the most likely cause

[dex1961]

these are the springs I had made so I can't see it being that .I will check it all tomoz

[SHyslop]

I had a pair of new rear springs made by a well known firm for my 47 12. When finished, the car sat lower at the back than it did with the original springs. I haven't had the enthusiasm to take them back out again and it annoys me to see, particularly as having said they had the data to make them, they then wanted a spring as a pattern! I had,to be fair, had a pair made for FUF100 (a 39 12) some 10 years before and they were ok .

Some years ago, springs supplied by a Club for Another Make (also R**e*) suffered similarly and because they had bought a batch and they all went the same way, the metal in the springs was diagnosed as the problem , not being properly tempered, and they were replaced but in this case, buying individually, I foresaw a lot of work to end up at : my word/ their word.
Hopefully yours are not the same but it would be worth checking the dimensions against the original data, page O6 in the workshop manual.

[dex1961]

thanks like wise the thought of taking them off again makes my shiver

[GOY189]

Are you sure that the springs are made to the correct specs and on the correct way round?

The axle mounting locating bolt holding the leaves together is NOT at the centre of front springs. It is off centre on the spring, with the shorter length to the front.

The main leaf roll end on a genuine Rover spring has two holes just visible where the roll meets the leaf at the front end. This is designed to allow oil to be driven by the slipstream back over the spring from the Luvax lubrication of the front bush. If the holes are not there then the spring may be a pattern unit.

Also of note:- the thick end of the wedge between axle and spring faces front.

Hope all this helps, usual RSR disclaimer applies

Best regards

Mike

[dex1961]

not going to well with my springs .after fitting them and going for a test drive although the car drove in a straight line and steered well it was when I got out the car and looked at the front wheels I noticed the near side wheel looked further forward than the drivers side .today having a bit of spare time I decided to remove the near side spring to check .on refitting I placed the spring in situe with the shorter end measured from the axle pin to the front and it still seems to be to far forward and not in the centre of the wheel arch .

[luli]

That's the way it is supposed to be.

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[SHyslop]

I'm wondering if you said roughly whereabouts you are in the country (or world?), it would enable someone to maybe have a look at your problem with this spring and diagnose the problem. Over the years I've done quite a bit of 'over the internet' diagnosis with various things but actually seeing it ,or sometimes hearing it, is often the quickest and most reliable way of finding an answer.
Even if someone doesn't live particularly close to you, they may be 'in your area'. I had a Rovering day out on Monday down the M6 and if I'd thought you'd be anywhere en route, I'd have been happy to call.