NG Kit Car

August 2006, January 2007 (Improvements)

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Following the advice given in the NG manual, the car was originally fitted with the ‘down rated’ rear springs. However, this did mean that the car sat quite low at the back (photo 1).

As the exhaust is mounted below the chassis, the ground clearance is quite limited around the ‘bomb’ centre silencer and, in our current road-humped environment, this is less than desirable. I also had a steep slope into my garage so the exhaust was frequently catching and slowly wearing away.

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I needed some springs which would give me an inch or so lift without making the ride less compliant. As the rubber bumper MGB models are well known to have a higher ride height, I decided that the springs for a rubber bumper MGB roadster (BHH1779) may do what I needed. This was to be a ‘trial and error’ type of solution but the springs are not terribly expensive.

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To change the springs, the rear valance has to come off but otherwise the replacement is standard MGB procedure. I took the opportunity to replace the bushes too with polyurethane ones. On comparing the old and new springs, there was a 40-50mm difference in their free height and after fitting the new ones, the ride height was some 50-60mm higher at the rear wheel arches.

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The grounding problem was now solved, the ride remained compliant but the car now sat up rather too much at the rear (photo 2). If the springs didn’t settle, then I could always add lowering blocks to bring the level down a little. After 1000 miles and 5 months, the ride height had remained too high so I added 25mm lowering blocks (photo 3) between the rear axle and the leaf springs giving a more level ride (photo 4). Over the years this has settled a bit better but I always have the option of removing the lowering blocks if needed.