no….the coil overs lift the bus, taking the torsion out of the leaves

think of an elastic band on the propellor of toy plane….wound up its tight with no give….unwound its floppy and loose

Thanx, one last question maddison, when you say 1.9 diameter springs, does that mean that the outside diameter of the coil spring is actually only 1.9 inches, as that sounds very small? there are some spax adjustables in the for sale section but the seller tells me they are 3 inches, so I assume they are too wide to fit my narrowed beam.
Also, the very very last question, the link you posted earlier of the spax adjustables on ebay at 80 quid (each I assume) do u need to buy the springs on top of this?
Thanks again, your advice is much appreciated.

Email Mike at Gaz directly instead of using ebay, he'll give you all your options & info.

yes…coil overs springs generally come in 1.9" diameter or 2.25"
you won't get 2.25" to fit

yes the link I sent was for 1 unit and yes, you will need springs on top of that

an alternative option is...
http://www.red9design.com/type2.htm

they will no doubt sell you a pair of spax ones with springs…and maybe the spit screen top mounts too

Hi Maddisson, can I jump in on this thread regarding drop spindles. I'm aiming to drop the front of my 62. The plan was to put adjusters in the beam and drop spindles. Then I read your comments on this thread.
Now I'm confused and am questioning wether to go for stock spindles and go with your suggestion for shocks
Steve

I can only speak from experience…..mine
and everyone has different opinions


BUT


my bus, on coil overs drives WAY better than ANY other setup i have used
(I still have dropped spindles on, which are serving no purpose, other than I have to run the coil overs higher to get the ride height i want, the flipped spindles will be replaced with standard ones at some point)

I recently removed the rear coil overs, so back end is now standard dampers and adjustable spring plates


so i can adjust the ride height from lowered, to standard height in about 10 mins….and honestly, the ride is great, and doesn't matter if its higher or lower, remains the same ride quality


Like i say, I can only speak from my experience…..(but its the best ride quality you can get on a bus )

Thanks Maddison, I'm going to get my spindles refurbished by Gill and keep them stock. I'll order shocks as you have suggested. Where do I get springs from and which ones do I get? Is there anything else I need to get?

i just searched ebay for 1.9" diameter coil over springs and then chose 130lbs in the appropriate length (think they are 8" , but 9" 10" 7" will all work, will just have to adjust the coil over accordingly)

Maddison or Richard, either of you guys running IRS rear as well or you straight axle?

I researched this very subject A LOT before ordering my new beam from Boxwagen, and buying my GAZ coil overs from Rally Design.
According to the guys on Earlybay forum the coil overs of choice are 160/105B12 with either a 9 inch or 10 inch 150lbs spring fitted.

I went for the 9 inch 150lbs springs as I intend to run pretty low.




Full thread can be found here (along with many happy testimonials)
http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=45111

Hope this helps

maddison wrote:
(I still have dropped spindles on, which are serving no purpose, other than I have to run the coil overs higher to get the ride height i want, the flipped spindles will be replaced with standard ones at some point)

That is incorrect, they are serving the purpose of keeping the caster where it should be.

When lowering using adjusters only, you are changing the caster angle significantly

With drop spindles and then raising it up using coilovers you are increasing the caster so it will feel nicer at speed

Ok apart from cost, I can see no reason why not to go coil overs, dropped spindles, adjustable beam and then you have as much flexibility as possible, why would you change from flipped Maddisson to standard?

Back to my earlier question, are you running IRS or straight axle mate?

I'm running reduction boxes….but did have straight axle, it makes no difference TBH same with IRS

long term i will change back to stock spindles because my bus now back up at stock ish height so the drop spindles are serving no purpose at all…other than me having to lift a further 3 inches on the coil overs

paul_f wrote:

maddison wrote:
(I still have dropped spindles on, which are serving no purpose, other than I have to run the coil overs higher to get the ride height i want, the flipped spindles will be replaced with standard ones at some point)

That is incorrect, they are serving the purpose of keeping the caster where it should be.

When lowering using adjusters only, you are changing the caster angle significantly

With drop spindles and then raising it up using coilovers you are increasing the caster so it will feel nicer at speed

if he is after 2.5" drop , I would rather lower the adjusters 3" then lift back up 1/2" on the coil overs ….live with the 2.5" alteration in caster sugar and spend the £200 drop spindle money on drugs….or loose women

if he didn't already have adjusters…..then yes, much easier to fit flip spindles and lift them 1/2" without removing the beam to weld in adjusters

just to help anyone 'visualise '

here is a pic of my coil overs showing the red9 top mount which relocates the coil over and gives enough clearance…especially on narrowed beams