Jay,
I've always used a floor jack. I've never had any problems, and it's quicker
than fooling around with the spring compressors.
I know that during the 60's there were a lot of changes due to DOT laws. Maybe
they beefed up the front end height in order to get them into the US? Just a
brain fart I had while reading your last e-mail. I've never read anything to
confirm this and I wouldn't think that this would be an issue until 67 and
later. But, who knows. The car looks much better with the front end lowered
just a bit. - Ian
Jay Laifman wrote:
> Ian, funny you should mention front end ride height. I have been looking
> into it these past few days. I have brought this up before too. My very
> late SV always sat very high - like no engine. I can easily fit my fist in
> there. In fact, I've measured from the top of the tire (with a 2x4 on it
> to extend out the top) to the bottom of the lip is currently 4.5" (with low
> profile tires)! But, I have realized that there are lots of Alpines like
> this. Take a look, for example, at the SV in the R&T article on page 132
> of the Gold Porfolio. The picture in the Gold Portfolio is in some
> shadows. I don't have the original. But, you can make out a pretty high
> gap. When I asked about this last, I remember though that a couple of
> people went and measured their gaps and came back with 3.5".
>
> At the last car show I went to there were around 10 or 12 Alpines. I could
> easily fit my fist plus more in most of those - especially the SV's.
>
> I've been busy looking at all the pictures of Alpines in all my various
> Sunbeam books, especially period shots, as opposed to more recent shots of
> cars that probably have sagging springs anyway and are not a good example
> (or course ALL of our cars are probably sagging by now). I have even been
> measuring the gap in the pictures. What I have been doing is measuring the
> distance between the center of the front wheel to the bottom of the
> wheelwell lip straight above, and measuring the wheel from edge to edge
> along the same line. Then I have been coming up with a ratio of the wheel
> to the distance from the center to the lip. I know this is very
> unscientific. But, I do believe it shows that many of the later Alpines
> sit up much higher than I had realized. (I know there is distortion in the
> pictures too, but figure the ratio should still stay the same)
>
> I think it's odd that your S3 has the same problem. Most of the S3
> pictures show a pretty "normal" gap.
>
> Another thing that might be involved is the tire height. My ratio
> calculations mentioned above eliminates the tire issue - since regardless
> of how high profile the tire is, the distance between the center of the
> wheel and the wheelwell lip will stay the same. I am running Michelin
> XZX's. I don't have the size here at work. But, I believe they are low
> profile, which would increase the gap size by a little.
>
> Also, in some of the pictures where the gap in front is small, I noticed
> the gap in the rear is smaller too.
>
> Finally, although I know Ian knows this, when you install new springs, you
> have to loosen the nuts that hold the A arms to the rods (I forget the
> technical name of those rods - you know, the ones that break on the Tigers
> - pins, some sort of pins). Once it settles back down, you can tighten
> them back up.
>
> As to the rubber isolator, there are three available. There is the stock
> one that is being remade. There is the CAT one which is much thicker
> (because it was designed to go with a certain spring). And there is the
> Ford Capril one which is thinner than the stock one. Of course, you can
> eliminate it all together - which will give more vibration and road noise
> up through the car.
>
> I presume this constant changing of height may have been intentional. I
> don't know if there was some wheel rubbing problems, or other steering
> problems they thought they were fixing. Or, if it was thought that it
> de-emphasized the fins.
>
> I was going to put the set of S3 springs I have in there until you now said
> your S3 is sitting up too high. I think I'll still pull them from the car
> and put them side by side to see how they appear (assuming the spring rate
> is the same).
>
> By the way, what do you use to remove and replace the springs. I have used
> a floor jack in the past. But, I don't like the feeling when it finally
> gives and pops. It's never shot out or seemed to risk harm to me or
> anything. However, that pop still makes me nervous. The standard spring
> compressors I've found don't really grab enough spring because of how much
> of the spring is covered on top.
>
> Jay
-- Ian Spencer <www.sunbeamalpine.org> '61 Harrington Alpine B9104782 OD HRO '62 Harrington Le Mans BH9115930 OD LRX
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