STC,
When I got my first Sterling -- which was just a raw body that needed a chassis and, well, EVERYHTING -- I figured I'd probably need an adjustable front end due to the front of the Sterling being considerably lighter than the Bug. But surprisingly, through that project (and the running Sterlings that I have subsequently owened), I made the same observation that Rick mentioned: In all my cars, the front tires were already very, very close to the fenders and I definitely didn't want to lower them any more.
Again, this was a surprise. I thought for sure I'd have to lower the front, but as it turns out, none of my cars needed it.
If you do decide to lower the front, the common advice on the street is that dropped spindles are good because they preserve the steering and suspension geometry whereas the adjustable beams change steering a bit and necessitate further re-alignment, etc.
My suspicion is that, because you would only be lowering the front a little tiny bit -- not two full inches like in most dropped spindles -- that maybe the better option would be an adjustable front rather than the dropped spindles. I have never tried (or seen) dropped spindles on a Sterling, but I'm worried they'd be too low and would cause lots of headaches with tire clearances (especially in turns).
One other thing to think about...
In my red rotary turbo, the builder used just some cheap air shocks on the front and rear. They have very little pressure in them. The "spring" actually still is coming from the stock bug torsion leaves (in the front) and torsion bars (in the rear). So they mainly are being used just as dampeners. But the cool thing is that I can boost them UP a little if I need to. When would this be necessary? Well, the Sterling's front bumper is very close to the bottom of the legal height limit. If anyone every tried to challenge you on that (at an inspection, etc), you'd have an ace up your sleeve if you could bump the nose up and inch or two.
But even cooler...
I haven't done this yet, but I'm very tempted to get one of those little compressors and small air tanks JCWhitney makes for load-leveling trucks. Some kits even have electric solenoids that can be controlled from inside the car. I'm not talking about a $2000 full-out show car low-rider air bag system. I'm just talking about a $175 add-on that is subtle and low volume. Anyway, I figure that, when installed, I could bump the front up or back down to stock when needed for, say, getting into a tricky driveway or over a speed bump without dragging the nose. The total cash outlay for such a system is just about $25 a piece for the shocks and $150-$250 for the load leveler from JCWhitney.
In total, I personally wouldn't do drop spindles. As for the adjuster and/or the issue of a rebuild, I'd use this logic: If you want the fun of rebuilding it/swapping out some seals and bushings yourself (which isn't too hard), just rebuild it and don't worry about the height 'cause it's likely to be 'just right' in stock form. Conversely, if you want a rebuilt front -- with all new ball joints, steering box, etc (which is not very expensive and is an excellent upgrade), then get a rebuilt front WITH adjusters. Adding the option of adjusters only adds literally a few bucks to the overall purchase. And then you have the ability to fine tune things if you want to. (Chances are, you'll end up leaving the adjuster at the 'stock' height.)
And seriously think about that air shock option. It doesn't change any of the rest of the decision-making, and it might give a welcome option when you have to traverse and ugly surface with a car with a very long, low nose.
Photo of my front suspension:
But now I'm very curious: What do all you other guys have on you Sebrings and Sterlings? Does anybody have adjustable fronts, and if so, can you tell whether they are set in the middle of their range or are they set to one extreme?
Update: See, now I just went to
Dave's site to see if he used adjusters in a newly built Sterling -- and he does -- but from what I can see, they are in stock height. It could be that he definitely wanted to lower it. More likely, he didn't know what the best height would be either, so he has them there so he can tweak it if need be.
Also, I'll crawl under my cars next week and double-check to see whether they are adjusted down at all. I'm 99% sure that they are at stock height. A two inche dropped spindle is definitely too low. I know that for 100% sure.
