Front suspension ride height for YKG2S2 Mk1 Cooper S 1275 please

A few Tech Bulletins and service manuals have slightly different numbers but these should get you out of trouble. Shoot for around 280psi to start with. If the front still sits low at 300psi then a washer might be needed under the knuckle joint or the rear helper springs are too weak.

My research has found there were 2 suspension height shims used, I could be wrong. 21A463 & 21A1845.
Would anyone know the dimensions of these shims & the material they were make of.

21A1845 can be found on the websites of all the usual retailers.
21A463 can only be found at one place, and that says it is a part of the rear suspension. That I can't prove or disprove.

It looks like 21A463 is a spacer which was used on early rubber cone minis which had steel trumpets.

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1986 Mayfair (998 auto), 1974 S, 1974 Van, 1972 PMG Van

Too many minis

From my memory (dodgy) local parts suppliers only stocked 1 size and it was 0.100". No idea what part number it was sold under. They seem to be mild steel - only ever in compression and not a bearing surface.

According to this attached excerpt from Leyland Special Tuning for raising ride height on Cooper S and 1275GT, there were 4 sizes available - 21A1845 is the thickest at 0.150.


I am not aware of any spacers being used on the rear struts as the rear usually sat higher than the front and needed pulling down with stronger helper springs.
Note the statement that packing washers can be used providing the drive shafts remain horizontal, implying that the ride height is set to achieve it.

Back in the good old days, most of us would have run lowered cars with low pressure to achieve this. Now that we have got older and wiser, some of us have realised that BMC/Leyland actually knew what they were talking about in relation to ride height.
A hydro displacer acts like a shock absorber. If you increase the pressure, you increase the damping effect. I run my "S" at a ride height of approximately 305 to 310mm from centre of wheel to the wheel arch. I try to aim for 3 fingers of clearance at the front.
I absolutely love the feel of the suspension in my car. It is firm, but very acceptable. Please note that I run std shock absorbers on the front and competition bump stops at the rear.

Regards Jon

I run exactly the same setup. With 30 year old Gabriel red front shocks. Old but ain't broke yet.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.