Scorpion Struts Wanted
- Thread starter lanciahf
- Start date
Pete Whitstone
True Classic
If you run out of adjustment travel, you can always buy shorter or longer springs. It also gives you the opportunity to soften or firm up your ride.
lanciahf
True Classic
I think if i try to raise the car ill just compressing the springs, shock piston I think limits the height adjustment??
lanciahf
True Classic
Ride is okay, car is just way too low
rx1900
1981 X1/9
No, no, no.....the bottom spring perch on your coilovers is on a threaded tube on the shock body. That allows you to change the ride height. Raising that perch on the threads will raise the ride height. The shock piston only limits the travel at the extremes.
lanciahf
True Classic
Doh! Thanks, I’ll give that a try. Sorry new to coil overs.
Questions I only have one tool to turn spring perch nuts. Do i need two? Picture below for reference
carl
True Classic
Mine only came with one, I'm able to unlock the two rings by just turning one. Loosen the one away from the spring as spring tension will tend to hold the other ring. Once loose you only need the one tool to rotate the ring against the spring to the height you want and then just run up the other ring by hand and tighten them together again.
rx1900
1981 X1/9
It depend on your set. But I think the Vicks coilovers would require 2 of those tools.
The bottom spring perch itself is usually like a big nut itself..that requires one of those tools to turn it. On some units...I think like yours...there is also a "jam nut" below it that locks the perch nut to your desired position. So...usually...like any lock nut..you would need a wrench on each "nut" to separate them...to allow each nut to spin on its own. So..you would "unlock" them...and then turn the spring perch nut upwards to raise the ride height. Then spin up the lock nut to meet it and use 2 wrenches to lock the 2 nuts together again.
Typically...both nuts take the same wrench...so in theory you would need 2 of the same wrench to be able to unlock and lock them together...You might get lucky and find they will unlock by only turning the jamb nut downwards....maybe....
If you only have one wrench.....just use a big set of pliers on one of the nuts......
Do take some care when adjusting the ride height to your desired level. Try to measure carefully that each front - and each rear - bottom perch nut is set to the same position on the strut body left to right.
And be aware...that...if say you now raise the ride height an inch or two...the alignment (caster/toe/camber) will now be slightly different.....and you should have a wheel alignment done.........
Last edited:
lanciahf
True Classic
Carl, how do you get in there with the car on the ground?
DanielForest
True Classic
I don't think you can do it unless you got some acrobatic circus ability.. Either you have to lift the car or better, remove the tires. If you figure out before by how much you want to elevate the car, then you will need to measure the same on the threaded tubes.
carl
True Classic
Be aware my experience is with the X. I would first get the two nuts loose from each other with the car jacked up and maybe the wheel off. With the X, I can sort of get access to the nuts with a lot of contortions. Or just adjust them maybe 1/2" at a time and then get the car back down on the ground and see how the car sits. The car will probably settle a bit with some driving so plan on the car sitting a little lower than when first adjusted.
Chris Obert
autocrosser, X driver
If your really serious about going back to stock, I am a vendor and I still have two of the rears in stock http://www.fiatplus.com/CORRECT-REAR-STRUT.html
At the price I need for them, adjusting your coil overs is probably the way I would go. A few (or a lot of) hours on the corner scales with a tape measure will get you really close to where you want to be, then a final check and adjustment after an alignment is the way to go.
From my experience, adjusting the perch with the weight of the car on them is impossible. You'll get really good at lifting the corner of the car up and adjusting them, then settling the car to recheck weights and heights...
Of course, if you don't already own corner scales, they are expensive! It can be either a fun learning experience, or very frustrating, depending on your mood. For me it's just math. Small changes make huge differences when you get real close.
Adjustable suspension can quickly lighten a client's wallet, so take that into account when you load the seats.
You will also be surprised to learn that most folks don't know what their usual co pilot weighs!
At the price I need for them, adjusting your coil overs is probably the way I would go. A few (or a lot of) hours on the corner scales with a tape measure will get you really close to where you want to be, then a final check and adjustment after an alignment is the way to go.
From my experience, adjusting the perch with the weight of the car on them is impossible. You'll get really good at lifting the corner of the car up and adjusting them, then settling the car to recheck weights and heights...
Of course, if you don't already own corner scales, they are expensive! It can be either a fun learning experience, or very frustrating, depending on your mood. For me it's just math. Small changes make huge differences when you get real close.
Adjustable suspension can quickly lighten a client's wallet, so take that into account when you load the seats.
You will also be surprised to learn that most folks don't know what their usual co pilot weighs!
DanielForest
True Classic
Asking my wife weight is the equivalent of an invitation to divorce. I prefer to do some guesses!
dherr
True Classic
It sounds like you are kind of answering your own question here, as just adjusting the adjustable perches to what "looks" right is not going to handle correctly if the corner weights are a mess, so if you are looking for stock struts with fixed perches and euro springs, sounds like that is your only choice. If it were my car, I would join a local autocross club or SCCA affiliate and borrow their corner weight scales for a weekend and get it close enough for street use. I am sure someone will buy your adjustable struts, if you decide to just replace them with stock pieces, actually I would be interested in them if you end up selling them as my white Scorpion is on fixed struts but what look to be Euro springs as the wheels are much closer to the body than on my completely stock white car.