Hello to All,
Am new here to the forum. I live in Lillington, North Carolina, USA and bought an 1980 SD1 about a month ago that had 48717 miles on it. The owner had set the car up in dry stoage for 15 years and we bought it for $900 or about 400 pounds.
The car is in great shape but having this as my 1st SD1, I noticed that the rear of the car when going over a bumps, acts like it just bounces over it. When you push down on the back of the car, there is very little give to the car.
The car is equipped with the self leveling rear shocks and with the weak coil springs. What can you suggest to me to help me get the back to be softer?
Thanks
David Sheuring
Owner of P6 and SD1 Rovers
1980 SD!
1970 3500S Modified
1970 2000TC
1968 2000TC

Hello David, this subject has been seriously digested on the Rover SD1 Club Forum and you may want to register and search the forum for "self leveller" to read all the various opinion already expressed.

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

Even then there is not a definitive answer so there is still a trace of indigestion.

Hello David and welcome to SD1 ownership. First off, well done on buying the SD1.
That's a very good price for such a rare car in good condition in the US. I'm more
than tempted to get a US version SD1 and get it shipped back, but finding one in
good condition then actually sorting out the shipping is something I've not quite
had the guts to do yet Any pictures of your car?

Regarding the Nivomat self-levellers. It sounds like they are shot on your car, I'm
afraid. There appear to be two modes of failure with Nivomats. Either they go rock
hard, or the go soft and drop the back of the car. The failure within the Nivomat
seems to be the seals. I'm guessing that the symptoms of failure depend on which
seal fails first. There is a method of repair out on the web for Nivomats, but it's
extremely dangerous due to the high pressures of the oil inside - it's something that
could be done easily by a small engineering workshop in batches, but not something
that could/should be tried at home!

New Nivomats appear on eBay sometimes - I think there are a set on at present
for £150, they are the non-Vitesse type which give you the correct ride-height.
Alternatively, Rimmer Brothers have NOS Nivomats - there is question over what
ride-height these give (the Nivomat sets the ride-height, not the spring), they
could be correct for your car with standard ride-height.

I am sure that it has been heavily discussed, but I am new to the SD1 and am reaching out to find some help. Thanks for your advice.
Cheers
David

ramon alban wrote:

Hello David, this subject has been seriously digested on the Rover SD1 Club Forum and you may want to register and search the forum for "self leveller" to read all the various opinion already expressed. Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum! Even then there is not a definitive answer so there is still a trace of indigestion.