VEHICLE LEVEL/SUSPENSION SPRINGS

[Jeff J]

I thought I'd post this in case anyone else had the same problem. Since buying my 1985 Autosleeper high top I have noticed that it was not level front to back. The seller told me it had new springs fitted in it's recent history but was not sure which ones (husband's got dementia sadly).
I asked on here for help with dimensions for heights etc & was finally able to establish that from the centre of the hub to the bottom of the wheel arch should be 17 inches give or take,( mine was 17F & 15R) , which made it that my rear springs were low.
I'm assuming that the fronts were new & rears were originals because with new springs fitted to the rear the problem is solved.
The thing I found interesting when I took the old ones off & could not see when in-situ was that the thickness of the first 2 coils top & bottom were 10mm dia & the spring then tapered out to 17mm dia. The new springs were the same diameter for their entire length as were the front ones. Presumably this is why the back end sagged as the thinner parts of the coils aged & weakened.
Just got to sort the carb now (think the choke flap is sticking) then get it taxed for the 1st May & the fun bit should start

[kevtherev]

Actually the thinner "pig tails" on the end of the springs are correct.

[Jeff J]

So would the original front ones have been like that as well? The pig tails, as you call them, effectively shortened the springs by 2 inches.

[AdrianC]

So would the original front ones have been like that as well? The pig tails, as you call them, effectively shortened the springs by 2 inches.

The pigtails are part of the design of the spring. We're talking about a commercial vehicle designed to be used heavily loaded as well as empty, and with a relatively high difference between those two states.

ALL springs age and weaken - and it affects the whole length of the spring, not just the pigtails. Don't forget - the average life expectancy of a new vehicle is less than a decade. They aren't designed or intended to last a quarter of a century. Replacing some things over time, because they're just plain too old and knackered, is to be expected.