Lancia Beta Forum

After many months of checking and double checking the ride height of many coupes, I came to the conclusion  that mine was too damn high at the rear, by about 33mm. ( Picture of car below with backside too high)

I suspected that sometime in its life, the rear struts (KONI) were changed over, but I believe that HPE ones were used instead of coupe ones.  
If some one could confirm this with the pictures of the struts next to measuring tape below, that would be a great help.

I have since lowered it by about a coil and found that the ride height is now correct to other coupes I have measured with a standing tape. of Course this measurement can be a bit misleading depending on your fuel load and how many dead bodies you have in the trunk  :D

Any advice is helpful

 

http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1047.30 (http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1047.30)

Have a look at this thread. This was all debated at great length. Stuart eventually posted an excellent diagram at page 3 and Matt provided the measurements. Your strut looks about right (C = 305mm), so it must have been the spring increasing the ride height as you seem to have found.

Uhmm , thanks Neil for the tip.  At least I know that the Struts are correct, Now to figure out how the springs became higher that original ?

I would guess that the aftermarket springs were fitted without knowing that they should have been for HPE only.

My Coupe had similar issues but on the front (the shocks fitted came from a Berlina.)

Good news is that stripping rear shocks is easy to do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have my two spiders side by side and the difference in front and rear heights between the completely unmolested f/l car and the much tampered-with pre f/l one is amazing.
Only a few millimetres when measured, but visually they're a world apart.
I have almost all now for the suspension rebuild on the earlier one, except the strength to do it as I've snapped tendons i my right shoulder (again!) and am awaiting a surgical or religious miracle to knot them back together.
On an unrelated note, the more I see white Beta coupes and spiders, the more the desire to return mine to original white grows!

Of topic, But it looks lovely (probably more so once you have sorted the slight rake)