Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Softening front suspension

Sorry to ask a stupid question but what are these new rising rate springs I keep hearing about - how do they work?
While I'm at it I'll ask another......sorry Dave......but if spacing the lower plate raises the front a bit why don@t we do that to save our sumps....can an inch really ruin the handling?
Nick

Rising rate coil springs are wound with a progressively larger spacing between the coils. This means that when they are compressed, they go partially coil-bound quickly, thus reducing the number of free coils and therefore increasing the spring rate.

In this way you can have a relatively soft spring to soak up minor surface imperfections, whilst firming up to stop the suspension bottoming out over big bumps.

Nick
It's not an easy job. The lower plate has three fixings, The outer two locate the plate to the lower cross tube, so if that was the extent of it, an aluminium spacer would be simple to cut and fit. Any depth you like, so an inch would be easy to attain.
But the big problem is the centre fixing at the bottom of the kingpin. Here the kingpin has a male thread, but it's not very long. From memory only half an inch useable space.
So options are:
Get special kingpins made up with an extra inch on the lower thread - expensive solution.
Get a sleeve nut made up which screws onto the bottom kingpin thread. This would look similar to a wheel spacer stud extender. This would allow the bottom plate to be lowered an inch.
Remove the kingpin completely, and insert a spacer between the top of the kinpin and the upper hole in the cross tube end. The top bolt has plenty of thread and could easily accommodate a half inch or so, which with half an inch at the bottom, give an inch.
I don't like the idea of raising the front, because the front looks high anyway, due to the design. raising the rear to 'match' the front is very difficult because the axle is over the chassis and is close to the chassis top, even in standard trim.

Thank you gentlemen. Two very clear and prompt replies.
Much appreciated
Nick