Late Sprint rear springs

[Sprint88qv]

Evening all.

My detective work continues on my "what the hell springs have I got" quest. Big thanks to John at JustSuds for helping on the fronts.

But now the rears.

Anyone know what length the rear springs on a late 1988 sprint should be? Mine are 302mm free length and are 6 turns. They seem to be very similar to the spec for a s2 33 1.7 GC..... but then I read somewhere a Sprint should be 315mm free length.

Any help grateful received as I'm about to order some new springs to be made up and I'd like to know if I'm currently standard length or already lowered slightly.

Cheers.

[alfadave]

Page 142 of my Haynes manual gives 315mm for rears on a Sprint '83 onwards

[Sprint88qv]

Ah yes. That's where I must have read it.

I note it also states that the fronts are 293mm, long yet my late 88 ones are 325mm long?? Although another reliable source states they should be 310mm.

So I was wondering if the rears changed length around the same time or if they remained at 315mm until the end? Mine are 302mm long, so the question is, are they standard length for late sprints or slightly lowered...?

Don't you just love "Alfa parts bin" mentality. Still, gives us plenty to talk about

Thanks again.

[alfadave]

Maybe they are just knackered!

[Sprint88qv]

Ha! Well kind of, had them measured and the rears are currently 116 lbs/in, whilst the fronts definitely are @ 106 lbs/in.

Hence why some new mildly stiffer

[bert308]

I don't have the answer but you can never compare springs for a '83 with Sud axle to a '88 with 33 axle. The lower spring seat is about 25mm higher relative to the wheel center on a 33 axle, that means with same springs a '88 would sit 25mm higher in the rear than a '83.

[Sprint88qv]

Interesting, thanks.

So the 33 axle on a late Sprint would push the spring up another 25mm and as you say, the ride would be 25mm higher.

Perhaps that's why they cut them down by 15mm or so to around 300mm.

Could be that mine are standard length then.

Cheers.