Hi all,

Spent a bit of today fitting lowered King springs to the front of my Mk 1 Capri. Got one side done dropped it and it looks like no drop has happened? I realise it may be that the original springs were worn and all I have done is stiffen rather than lowering. Anyone else had this problem? I expected a 1.5 to 2 inch drop. Anyone any ideas what to do next? Many thanks

Steve

This kind of ties in with my question about what the hub to guard height is as standard.
 
I put kings kffl 13 in my v6, which are meant to be a 1in drop.  Hub to guard is 330mm but the top 4 coils are closed meaning the soft end of the progression is doing nothing and the ride is harsh.   Wilkinsons say that is normal, kings web site says the opposite.  Kings ignored my email asking for more tech info.
 
So I fitted Burtons cs118.  They are also meant to be 1 in lower but they sit at 370mm hub to guard, 40mm higher than the kings, so one of them has got the ride height wrong.  The rate is 145 which is nice, but they are too high.  I think  the kings are a touch too low for decent guard clearance.  I will probably try another set of Burtons and dump the kings onto ebay.  From what the guys at Burtons have said the next size down will be spot on for height and ride at 145 lb/in is nice.  Tech support from Burtons has been 1st class and they are cheaper even with freight.
 
I tested 2 other sets of springs but they have measured rates of 110 lb/in so I dont know what they are from.
 
So my 2c forget kings, they wont want to help, talk to the guys at Burtons.  I have a lot of data and now have a spread sheet that calculates ride height quite well, but need to take a few more measurements yet. 
 
Is yours 4cyl or 6?
 
What is your starting hub to guard height?
 
Also when you drop the car back down, push it back about 1m then push it back forward.  This is because it lowers on an angle so you need to rotate the wheel to get it to sit right.  Then take your measurements.

The car is a 1600 and I measured from the garage floor which is flat and level. After work today I will move it around and see if there is any difference. I am old so I measure in inches and from my measurements these springs have raised the car by almost 2 inches which is so annoying as I am no mechanic and it takes me a bit longer than most guys to get it done. Now I have to do it al again and put the original spring back in. Good thing is I replaced the suspension arms at the same time, so not all is lost. Thanks for the advice I will get on to Clive at Tickover in the UK and Burton's for advice. This should be easy as I have done all this before on a V6 model but I did fit 2.8 struts at the same time. I see no need to go coil overs either. Thanks again for the advice.

When changing the springs...yes you need to roll the car a bit to let the wheels work there way out to the 'settled' position. I have the Kings lowered springs in my V6, firm but not too bad.  Remember to put the large wire gap at the bottom !!! (as per instructions - progressive springs)
 
Re Burtons 1st class service, I had the exact opposite.
Wanted a reverse switch for a Ford Type 5 box, confirmed with them it was the correct one before ordering, and on trial fitment it just fell out of the hole.  Supplied item (with 14mm thread) is nothing like the larger diam size, coarser thread and longer pin needed - just plain wrong (found one on eBay eventually).  Emails requesting discussion of problem were ignored.  B seems to be hit and miss....

I am lucky as I have only done 1 side so I will now remove the king spring and sell the pair. I am sure I am not the first person to have had this issue. I am keeping 13 inch wheels and 185 x 60 tyres so I need a good drop to make it look right. I have lowering blocks and Gaz shocks for the rear but need new springs again. All part of the fun eh?

I've used Lovells springs in the past (1" lowered) and they worked quite well. I'm not sure they're still around anymore, but they might be another option.

Re: Burtons experience, mine was similar. They don't want to know about any problems, and they won't respond to emails if you have one.

Thanks for the comments guys. I have contacted Clive at Tickover to see what he advises. He knows everything about Capri's. No doubt will cost a bit to ship but I want it right next time. If anyone has a use for a pair of new King KFLL12 springs send me a PM.

www.tickover.co.uk

I bought lovells for my MK1 escort, same experience. If anything they raised the car so I got a refund on them. Then had the original coils reset 50mm. I wouldn't advise this if you have expensive inserts!

measuring centre of hub to guard lip takes floor level and tyre profile etc out of the picture.
 
if you can give me a front wheel load from a manual I can calc the deflection for you if you give me the sprig specs.  I am away till next week though.
 
+1 for clive, he is straight up.
 
I heard lovelles are no longer avail.
 
sad to hear about burtons.  I had an oil pump that was no good.  sent them a photo and they sent a new one straight away.  Something must have changed.

I know what you are saying re measuring from hub to arch. I have had a reply from Clive and inc shipping are £95.00 so 145 lb springs are now on the way to replace the Kings. Clive reckons they have given springs to suit a 3 litre V6 rather than my featherweight 1600. Thanks for the input guys I will update when I fit the new ones.