Chrysler Repair: 1985 Chrysler Fifth Avenue: rear springs sag, alignment shop, postal mail

Question
Hi:

I have an '85 New Yorker Fifth Avenue and I have a question about the rear suspension on the car.  It's the V8 (318), and is rear wheel drive.  The rear suspension is sitting very low.  The rear shocks are NOT are shocks!  My grandfather made his own wine, and carried heavy loads of juice in the trunk.  I'm assuming he blew out the rear shocks, but would like your thought on the matter.  Would you suspect leaf spring damage or shock failure?  What part would you recommend I replace first?  Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Takeo

Answer
Hi Takeo,
The shocks do not affect the height of the suspension, they just dampen the moverment. So I would therefor believe that the springs have either taken an incorrect set or have broken or bent leaves. The '83 manual shows there are spring "interliners" and zinc interleafs. You could check with a dealer or an alignment shop to see if those parts are available to rebuild the springs or whether you would nead to replace the leaf spring units to restore the height. I could xerox copy the 6 or so pages from that manual that discuss the rear suspension and postal mail them to you. If you would send me back three 42 sent stamps that would cover my costs. Use the "thank and rate" tab where there is a comments section where you can put in a postal address.
Roland