Sent you a Pm on this.................suspension is tough namely dampers.

Back in December I picked up a Beta 520RS enduro (street legal dirt bike) and it has state of the art suspension. One of the key problems was due to my weight (140lbs) the rear spring collar had to be wound down to get the rear sag set near correct, this made the damper piston ride lower in the body........so while the bike worked well it was not optimal. The key was changing to a proper spring, once that was done and the sag/ride height was correct the clickers (damping adjusters) could be set correctly. The forks were slightly revalved, namely washer stack.........which controls high speed damping. The bike worked well before but now it is spot on and I'm doing a lot less work to maintain the same speed.

So why bring this up? Mainly to illustrate how much work goes into this. Now with all that said, you could grab various rate and length springs that are known to fit and give them a try. As mentioned in my PM you could use motorcycle fork oil in the struts and play with various weights. For the rear leafs adding and subtracting them in conjunction with damping rates would work out the best set up. I prefer off-road suspension a little on the soft side as that seems to build grip but down side is if you hit a big wash out or other obstacle the car may bottom very hard. Some people prefer to have hard suspension as a safety margin for that possible oops. If you have hours of time and ability to test stuff then that would save tons of dough.

It's usually easiest to pony up the extra bucks and consult with someone who'll take into account the driving style and intended use........granted this may cost as much as the whole car. I've known folks who spent $1500 or more for each corner but I do think you can get a very good set-up for a lot less...............we already have one post here telling us what spring rate worked well. Personally I think 175lb springs front with the stock leafs rear and Bilstien dampers to match would likely work well.

Now for a Volvo--esque firm but supple long travel suspension for the street I suspect a day at the salvage yard with a tape measure and caliper will be a good start.

Tom