Yep, from DonCorleone, thank you for the tip.

One thing I'm concerned about is the bumpstops being too short -- think it's okay? I haven't felt it bottom out yet. Another concern is if I installed the springs correctly. The spring perch on the shock has a "notch" for where the bottom end of the spring sits, right now that notch is facing the car. It could be installed the other way, with the notch facing the outside. Does that matter? I forgot to note which way they were installed before and haven't checked the rear yet.

Stan

 

i first had h & r's but the typical 1st gen "lean" was still there so i went coil overs

 

I've decided to use stock springs, I could really use that extra bit of ground clearance around here. These springs will be up for sale soon if anyone is interested.

Stan

 

1" drop in cali is nothing....

 

iScrape. Driveway at work at least once a day and other places, too. It's worse with people in the car.

Stan

 

meh, comes down to priorities. you havent seen my drive height lol, i'm in socal too.

 

If your ride height is really low and you bottom out the strut, this may damage the valving in the strut piston. The bump stops help to prevent the strut from bottoming out. With 1" drop, you still have plenty of strut travel under normal driving conditions.

As for the perch position "notch" and the spring, it is going to give the same ride height in any orientation. No worries there.

Snap us a pic of your car so we can see.

 

Pictures should be visible again.

You are right, it's all about priorities. I've been driving lowered cars for a while, I think this one just needs to be stock. It really is a nicely-built car and works great as-is. At this point, I'll take comfort over looks and handling. I'm in San Francisco, our roads are total crap compared to yours down south.

I've gone through many different heights with my Forester. Here's a couple, they aren't the lowest it's been:







Stan

 

Well, I today I found out why my rear end was sagging:





I haven't removed the other shock yet, but the other spring looks the same. I was laughing for a long time.

Anyone's got a set of OEM 1st gen rear springs for sale? I'll make you a deal on these Eibach springs if you are interested.

Stan

 

Wow...that explains a lot

As the 3'rd owner...I wonder where the car saw it's beginning miles? The weather we have in Cali is pretty mild though coastal living with constant wet roads may take a toll. The snowy regions of the country with salted roads would do similar.

How is the rest of the bottom side of the car? Rocker areas, other areas of the suspension...etc?

 

It doesnt look too bad, at least I haven't noticed it yet. I'll snap some pictures. The rust on bolts and stuff makes me think the steel they used was cheap, but I suppose it could be weather-related too.

Stan

 

gonna have to politely disagree with this statement, I have an '86 300ZX that has such saggy rear springs that it will ruin a set of rear tires in 3000 miles - and is impossible to align the rear end due to the extreme sag.

 

lol cheap

car was from a wet/salted area for sure.