Hi Guys, recently I asked around regarding fitting a softer rear spring for my XH as the 1 tonne springs are too hard. I was told that the Fairmont wagon springs will fit and being 4 leaf instead of the 5 that I have, then the ride will be softer and at the same time, it will lower the rear, which is what I am looking for. Well, I bought an old '95 Fairmont Wagon the other day and I changed the springs over today, and when I dropped her back onto the ground I just about exploded. The ute is now 2 to 3 inches HIGHER then what it was when I had the original springs in. Talk about being peeved off. The air was blue and I have now vowed that I will never ring a certain so called expert Ford wrecker at Smithfield for advice. I can only suggest that if anyone is thinking of doing what I did to get the results that I wanted, then don't. Looks like I'll be under the car again tommorrow afternoon to put the original springs back in. I have one of two options to follow, Option 1 is to install lowering blocks, not bloody likey or take the spings to a spring manufacturer and have them reset them to be lower and softer. I was also told by another source that the XR6 springs are lower and softer so if I can find a set of them then I will have found the needle in the haystack. Cheers, steve.

Was the rear ride softer with the wagon springs ??
Read these:
gearbox-suspension-brake-driveline-f4/how-2-lower-rear-e-series-wagon-t80226.html read mustang6's suggestion - it does work well.
gearbox-suspension-brake-driveline-f4/au-wagon-leaf-question-t84514.html
You can mix and match leafs - try a few configurations, e.g. use the wagon leafs (4 in all), add the XH smallest leaf to the top upside down, squeeze them together and use some new HT bolts to bolt them together. Before you start, place the original spring side down on concrete, mark the front and rear eyes, mark the head of the bolt that holds them together on the concrete.
Align your modded leaf assy on the ground, compare the bolt head location change, this will show how much lowering has occurred (might be a tad more once the spring has the vehicles weight).

Many thanks snap0964. I came home and looked at the ute in the drive with its a*** up in the air, looked absolutely sh**house so I bit the bullet and changed the springs back over. I ran out of time tonight to put the ute springs back in, but your suggestions are really helpfull so all going well tomorrow afternoon, I will give it a go. Thanks again, Steve.

NP