Lindsay Siebler from Minis Plus in Melbourne reckons he used to make them, and actually my mate once told me he made some.... I did ask him to dig them out once, but they didn't appear

however, I don't really see it working too well, because the front sags down to sit on the bump stops, and the back-end just sits up whereever the pressure in the system puts it. Adjusting the height at the back will pull the back down, but won't lift the front up, so you're just lowering the car...

Such an adjuster would be very simple to make though - you're essentially just making the bar that goes from the radius arm to the hydro bag shorter - you could adjust it with a hacksaw... 5:1 ratio I believe

like Doc says, it's all in the helper springs. I once enquired about making new ones at "Wodonga Springworks" and was told about $100 each

I made my towbar chunkier than necessary to add some weight at the back, and it dropped the bum a bit

I also find that the front toe settings of a hydro car make a HUGE difference to your front ride height, if you have excessive toe-in, the wheels are forced together as you drive, making the nose sit up, conversely, excessive toe-out will push the wheels apart making the nose squat

_________________
did I tell you that I won a trophy?

No, just normal day to day urban warfare.
Not that they have been overly thumped of course. It's just that out of the two ends of the car, there is one end that is going to cop a hiding and one that isn't because of the weight suspended over it.

If I was going to collect spare hydro bags in case they blew out, I know which end I would choose from if they are the same part number.

_________________
SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

I think GT front / rear bags are a different part number.

Coming back to bag abuse and blow-outs... Mort Subite said it was usually the join between the bag and hose that leaks?

I have noticed that on the fronts, that area fills with water down through the top of the front subframe, and sits there and corrodes the join. I guess this weakens it and it will start to leak. That can't happen on the rears because they are horizontal, not vertical.

One of my front GT bags has a large 'bubble' in the diaphram when looking at it from the underside. I kinda think it was blown. I ended up cutting it up to see what was inside. Got a spare S bag to replace it with.

Yeah I have heard that as well, i can't see an outside difference, and the hose lengths are the same...but I've never had anyone tell me the internals are diffenent either.

_________________
SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

On a Cooper S or GT I think the bags are different front/rear.
Vizard lists 9 different part numbers... on early and late (common?) cars the front and rear are the same. But early & late are different.
Early is pre-1968.
Late cars also have different helper springs (orange?) and struts.

You can tell S or GT bags from shopping trolley stockies by the distance from top of metal ring to the rubber spring- the S/GT ones are about 10mm or so closer.

I'll search my books for the ID colours and part numbers.

_________________
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.

Then again young Anto....Kings Springs is only a couple of hours up the road...why not get them to start bashing out sets to Mini parts retailers

_________________
"Show me the Mini!"

Vizard says in his HTMYM book it's a good idea to make the helper springs shorter by 3/8" (10mm). And to use the later stronger ones, p/no 21A1806.
He says (quote, p163)- "this helps prevent front end sag and reduces dipping and lifting under acceleration and braking".

_________________
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.

Is that a reliable way of telling the difference Kev? I've just checked the bags I have and it would seem to be that way, the taller/higher ones being stamped with the S numbers .

_________________
Steve

My mate down the road (restored Mk2 S owner) says yes that's the way. The rubber on S ones is thicker as the bags are stiffer.
If you wire brush the outside metal part there should be part numbers there on all of them, but rust makes these hard to ID sometimes..

_________________
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.

Tiny little buggers those numbers on my spares....

_________________
SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Well in a week and a half (holidays, yay for school teachers) I am going to swap rear to front and leave the washers where they are now. Will take b4 and afta shots and see what difference it makes. I have a feeling it will fix the problem. My helper springs had hardly been used that I bought so have eliminated them as a problem.

Just looking through the parts book...

Front displacers
Deluxe
21A1477, till car YMA2S2-16756
AYA4090, (1 Orange band) from car YMA2S2-16757
Cooper S
21A2010, (1 Blue band) YKG2S2-1918 to 3716
AYG4113, from car YKG-3717

Rear displacers
21A1477
AYA4090
21A2010, Double Orange band
21A2014, Double Blue band

Helper springs
21A1566 up till car YMA2S2-16757, YKG2S2-1220
21A1806 from car YMA2S2-16758, YKG2S2-1221
AYG7060 (same as 21A1806 but made in Aus)

There seems to be a problem with the colour of the bands and the part numbers

deluxe & 1100 K's are interchangeable (both 21A2008), but "S" bags are different, from my experiences (21A2012 F, 21A2014R). I also believe the rear struts come in two different lengths. Also check upper control arms at front, are they the hydro ones or dry ones changed to adapt shockers at the front. If the front is equally low on both sides, I think its unlikely the displacers are at fault, sounds more like someone has changed/
modified/experimented/fiddled with the other components. My 2 bob's worth

_________________
1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

a daydream I had just now

welding a couple of turns of the rear helper springs together effectively shorten the spring, therefore would increase the total spring tension, wouldn't it...

but would the welds hold?

anyone have a bright idea for clamping part of the spring so that it'd hold?

_________________
did I tell you that I won a trophy?

High carbon spring steel is not really a weldable proposition.
Vizard says to shorten em, but he's short on details.

_________________
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.