Rear spring seat

[declanobrien]

Hi all, Sorry about last post being incomplete. My problem relates to the correct orientation of the rear spring seat on the enclosed axle. I have read the forum, and even looked at photos of another SL280, but each situation seems differant. Can anybody help me understand why there are options as to which holes are used? Is it a big issue if I replace the seats centrally facing forward? I did take photos of my own axle before stripping, but I suspect the seats may already have been removed at some earlier time, as the current locations do not seem symetrical on each side of the axle.

[jeffc280sl]

Did you mean to enclose a pic?

The rear spring seat has three options for mounting to the trailing arm.  These settings are used for fine tuning the rear wheel camber much in the same way different thickness spring pads are used.   If you look at the notch in the seat for the spring end and then rotate the seat on the trailing arm you will see a slight elevation or lowering of the spring based on which way you rotate.  I hope this answers your question.

[declanobrien]

Thank you for very helpful reply. I presume whichever setting I use, I should keep the two seats at the same settings on each arm? As I am doing a total shell up rebuild, I trust that at some stage, when I am adjusting the camber, that the seat position might change.

[jeffc280sl]

I'm glad tho be of help.  Getting the ride height and camber correct can be a pain of trial and error.  Keeping the settings the same on each side is a good idea.  Send me a private message with your email address and I'll send you a file which explains how the factory set up your suspension.  During the build MB made different color marks on the springs.  The color and quantity of the marks indicates lower seat settings and spring pad thicknesses.   I think you will find it useful.  It's something to pay attention to because its a pain to change later on because you need to take the trailing arms off their front perch and remove the springs.

[Peter van Es]

Hi all, Sorry about last post being incomplete.

Declan... you can modify (edit) a post you've already made to make it complete! I've deleted the other one!

Peter

[declanobrien]

Thanks all. This is really helpful.