smiffy220 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Can anyone tell me the height of standard springs for a SRB Coupe from 1980? I had to replace the springs all round on my car, and they should be standard. The ones I ordered are 403mm on the front and 342mm on the rear. I've put them on the car, and it now looks like this:- Before, it looked like this:- I'm wondering if somehow I have the wrong springs on it? They were listed as 2.0 1980 springs, but this is so wrong, I hate it! Gonna have to save up and buy another set of springs, even though I am now broke. I've seen some advertised now that are 345mm at the front, which would drop it 2-3 inches which I reckon it needs, but can't see standard shorted rear springs? Anyone offer any advice please? I want to keep it standard, but they never sold them looking like this did they? An option of the time was a sports suspension pack, could it have had that fitted and maybe the set up is different? I'm fed up with it, so any sensible suggestions gratefully received. Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantasrme Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 The length of springs before fitting isn't the main thing that controls the ride height after fitting them. Spring rate is more important a shorter but stiffer spring can actually sit the car higher than the long soft one If its a progressive spring the number of coils is also important if one end is coil bound when fitted. I have fitted several different brands of lowering springs over the years and regardless of what height reduction they claim they've all been different. Do you have your old springs? If so a spring manufacturer could check the poundage of the spring then measure the open length and make you a new pair the same, or slightly higher/lower depending on why you changed them. Other than that its often pot luck as to what height the car sits at after fitting, which is a real pain when the normal height front springs aren't the easiest to fit/remove Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opelmantagsi Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I feel for you, those front springs are a pig to do. There are two standard spring sizes for Manta, standard ride height for the base model and lower for the GTE or GSi, cant recall the differences but did stumble across it on this site. The search engine on this site isn't the best so maybe going to take a bit of surfing time to find the info cant get Manta springs out here in NZ, I have a set of standard ones out of a 1,8s and GSi they were quite different, however I have since had the GSi ones reset to lower the ride height a further 25mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the replies chaps. I had to replace the springs as I had a broken offside front one and a broken offside rear one! I'll have to check if my cousin held onto the 2 good ones and I can get them tested. I have run out of money now, and although the car is now MOT'd and Taxed, I won't drive it like it is now. I am so fed up about it, I've actually considered just selling it and getting out of the classic car scene altogether now! I can see it going back away in my garage for yet another year, and getting no use whatsoever. I just don't know what to do with it now. I appreciate the replies, I was hoping it was going to be a simple thing, but it seems not. Cheers, Dave Edited March 14, 2012 by smiffy220 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog321fish Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Coil Spring Front - OPEL MANTA Mk2 1.8 Petrol 76>89 PART TYPE: Coil or Road Spring | Sold Singularly PART DETAILS: Front | Any Side MEASUREMENTS / QUANTITY: Cylindrical Top & Bottom | Coil Thickness:12.5mm | Overall Width:117mm | Overall Height:403mm Coil Spring Front - OPEL MANTA Mk2 2.0 Petrol 76>89 PART TYPE: Coil or Road Spring | Sold Singularly PART DETAILS: Front | Any Side MEASUREMENTS / QUANTITY: Cylindrical Top & Bottom | Coil Thickness:12.5mm | Overall Width:117mm | Overall Height:403mm Coil Spring Rear - OPEL MANTA Mk2 1.8 Petrol 76>89 PART TYPE: Coil or Road Spring | Sold Singularly PART DETAILS: Rear | Any Side MEASUREMENTS / QUANTITY: Cylindrical Top & Bottom | Coil Thickness:12.5mm | Overall Width:121mm | Overall Height:335mm Coil Spring Rear - OPEL MANTA Mk2 2.0 Petrol 76>89 PART TYPE: Coil or Road Spring | Sold Singularly PART DETAILS: Rear | Any Side MEASUREMENTS / QUANTITY: Cylindrical Top & Bottom | Coil Thickness:12.5mm | Overall Width:121mm | Overall Height:335mm Edited March 14, 2012 by dog321fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opelmantagsi Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 That's impressive, the above list would be of standard spec ride height I am picking. @ smiffy220 don't get too down about it mate, it looks a cracker of a car and if you sell it you will probably regret it (easy to say I know I have made a few mistakes like that myself) could be worse, bet there's plenty on here that have peeled back carpet & paint and gone - oh my god...what have I done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yeah dog321fish, they're the ones I bought and fitted. Got new from ebay and they were 403mm high on the front, and 335 on the back. They do seem quite soft, and you can see how high it sits now. I've thought about coil spring lowering clamps, but imagine that the springs are so firmly compressed, there will be little gap between the coils and it won't bring it down that much. Looks like surrender the new tax I just bought and sling it away in the garage again for another year, and see if I can scrape some more money together through this year. So gutted. opelmantagsi, thanks mate. It is a lovely car and a lucky find for me, I don't want to sell, just really gutted it won't get used again this year now. I am lucky I don't have major rust problems I know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opelmantagsi Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 before you put it away how about some more pics? the more I look at it the nicer it gets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 before you put it away how about some more pics? the more I look at it the nicer it gets Ok mate, although will depress me more as I know what it can look like. Colour is Pistachio Green btw:- One next to my Dads: All taken before the springs were changed!! Cheers, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opelmantagsi Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 outstanding car. I love the color, words like "mint" spring to mind. it all works, the color, the black vinyl roof and black bumpers, very tasty indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 On the old pics the car look like its been lowered 40mm. Looking at the old add stuff back in the day, the look of you manta in the current ride height looks very original according to photo´s of the era. If i had your car i would definatly lower it, the old ride height looks very good. But if you are going for a 100% original look, you need to keep it as it is. Sorry Mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamchop77 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 If you want to find out the poundage of a spring go onto proshocks.com, they have a calculator on there to do this. All you need to do is measure, accurately, the wire dia, outside dia and no of active coils. Active coils are ones differ from spring to spring as some are closed both ends (like a coilover spring) in this case you would count the coils minus the closed ends, in this case 2 coils. Some have one end closed and one end opened so obviously you mius one coil. this only applys to linear rate springs not progressives. Have seen that alot of manta kits use progressives. HTH Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 I'm fairly certain they were the original springs on the car. I'm only the 3rd owner, and the chap I got it from in 2009 had owned it since 1982, and he bought it off his neighbour, who'd bought it new. I very much doubt anybody had put lowered springs on it in that time, he didn't seem the modifying type! It now sits much higher than the blue one in the pic above. I reckon about 2-3 inches higher than it should. I want to have it 100% original, if you could see the car for real, you'd know why. It even has the original Grundig AM radio in it, still working! I think it's just a case of waiting until I scrape enough cash together to try some different springs. Just that it's been off the road 18 mths already, this year was supposed to be fun year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 (edited) How long ago did you fit the springs? Sometimes they can take a few weeks to settle. Also, especially because you mentioned a spring had actually broken, it might point to the previous springs being very old. They can sag several inches over the course of a decade or three! Here's a pic of the ride height on our Cav Coupe. I don't think it's much different to your Manta. Hmmm, Weird how I can see the images and nobody else can. Here's a link to the gallery anyway. http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/3476234/1/cav?h=38ae8d Edited March 20, 2012 by mint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 How long ago did you fit the springs? Sometimes they can take a few weeks to settle. Also, especially because you mentioned a spring had actually broken, it might point to the previous springs being very old. They can sag several inches over the course of a decade or three! Here's a pic of the ride height on our Cav Coupe. I don't think it's much different to your Manta. I'm not seeing the pic mate, did it post up? The springs were finished 2 weeks ago. The pic was taken the next day. I MOT'd it, taxed it, then slung it away in my Mums garage at her place and walked away. I didn't even want to drive it home! I haven't been back to it since, so will go and have a look this weekend. I'll try and dig it out for some more pics. I can't seeing it settling that much will it? I'm thinking of trying lowering clamps for now, just to drop it a bit. They might bring it down a centimetre or two, do you think? Cheers guys, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Yeah I posted the pic. I've edited the above post, dunno why nobody but me cat see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 How long ago did you fit the springs? Sometimes they can take a few weeks to settle. Also, especially because you mentioned a spring had actually broken, it might point to the previous springs being very old. They can sag several inches over the course of a decade or three! Here's a pic of the ride height on our Cav Coupe. I don't think it's much different to your Manta. Hmmm, Weird how I can see the images and nobody else can. Here's a link to the gallery anyway. http://www.dropbox.c.../1/cav?h=38ae8d I reckon that rear ride height on yours is about the same as mine mate. But the front looks lower on yours. Mine is pretty equal front and rear, both seem really high, like the back on yours. Are they new springs too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I've no idea. They're one of the lesser rusty items on the car so they aren't original put it that way The front normally dips as they get older because the weight of the engine accentuates the ageing process so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Job Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I have some lower Spax springs for the back end. Can measure them and get back to you. Actually, 2 sets - low and very low! Would that help? Not looking for mega bucks, just to get back what I paid. I have the opposite problem, the car is up in the front and down at the back, despite fitting uprated rear springs of standard length. Very odd. BJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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