Bill,

I assume you're talking about rear shocks. 300 should be the spring rate, and 9.5 the spring length. Generally, the ride stiffens as you rotate the knob clockwise. Unless they have dual knobs, the adjustment is usually for rebound - not compression.

300# seems a bit hefty on an 9" spring on the rear of a '32 coupe. 200 - 250# or so feels a lot closer to me. However, every shock company has different recommended spring rates for similar vehicles.

For example, Aldan recommends 200# on 9" - 10" springs in 29 - 32 full-fendered coupes. QA-1 says 250#.

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. I think there's some witchcraft involved.