About to cut my springs to lower the front

Also,,I cut my springs from the bottom,,, I have heard it makes a difference. but dont really know.
Dan

 

I measured between the top of the tire and the bottom of the fender. It was 4.5" and is now about 1". It SEEMS like 5"! but after really putting a tape on it, it was about 3.5".

This coil was about 6" shorter than the stock, yet jacked the car up 4" higher than the stock ones. It only has about 8-10 coils overall. These are very stiff springs. I really like them.

As for the rear end being jacked up, I do believe it is too high. I need new leaf springs in the back, then I will lose the air shocks and shackles. The 4-leaf heavy duty springs should jack me up about 1/2 -1", and once I lose the "bolt-on" parts, set the car back down on the tire. The next tires I put on back will be 255/60, unless I can get a little bigger in there without modifying the fenders. It is pretty tight back there right now. The slightly taller and thicker tire will fill the well a little more.

Then I will still have some stance, but not so high.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

PS--TL, I have been thinking that I may HAVE to lose the sidepipes, even though I really do like them. When I get headers on there, I think the collector comes too far back to fit the sidepipes on, unless I move the front of the pipe to just under the middle of the door. I will ask my local muffler guy if he can bend the sidepipes out to aim toward just behind the tire... :confused:

 

old thread

ok.. I know this is an old thread, but I just did not wanna make a new one one the same topic..

so, if I cut 2 coils in the front, it will drop nice.. got that idea.. but to drop the rear, I have to do what..? I got lost somewhere..

I did a search, and this was the closest I could come and get the best info..

thanks in advance

 

2 coils off the front is TOO many.

It the most you should do is 1 1/2 (and that is too many) cutting them that short is trouble.
When/if the front suspension is ever maxed out, the springs will not have any pressure on them. I know, I did this with mine. When I cut 1 1/2 off my front springs, with the car jacked up in the front and the suspension unloaded, I could pull the springs out by hand.

 

You can go to AutoZone (or a similar parts store) and get a lowering kit (Drop Blocks) for a leaf spring car. It comes with the spacer blocks and U-bolts. It's less than $30 here.

Not too much trouble to install them (directions on blister pak). I'd make sure that you can actually go lower - and measure by how much.

Good luck.


update: found them at summitracing.com



http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2DG906010&N=115&autoview=sku

 

Cutting 2 coils from stock Maverick springs will drop it waay too much. I cut one and it dropped quite a bit. I think 1-1/2 should be the maximum.

As for your second question; there are two ways to drop the rear. One is to install spacer blocks between the rear axel and spring mounting pad. You will need longer U-bolts to do this. This is also the least expensive method (that I know of). The other way is to have a spring shop re-arch (or de-arch) the leaf springs for a lower stance...

 

so the rear is kinda like lowering a truck.. same deal... cool... thanks guys..

 

I might look into those lowering kits to level my rear end out...maybe grind on them until one is 1/2" thick and insert it to drop only one side. Hate to do it that way, but that seems to be the only way to get my rear end to stop leaning...

As for the front springs, the number of coils depends on the spring...it is not just "go ahead and cut 1-1/2 and put them on". My new springs had only 6 or 7 coils, the old ones had more like 10, and same height when put side by side on the ground. I think I ended up cutting 1-1/2 but that dropped me to the maximum I would ever want to drive it (I cannot clear tall speed bumps without hitting my headers). 1-1/2 on my old springs would have probably put the frame on the ground...

The best thing to do is cut about 1/2 coil of and measure the drop, and do a little at a time. I eventually got mine so that when I jack it up and pull of the shock, I could twist it out without spring compressors, which is REALLY nice when working on the front end.

 

i kinda gotlost but can i lower my mav using the stock springs or would i have to buy new stiffer ones?

it used to have a/c but its removed now, and the air pump is also going away, also i have an aluminum intake manifold.

 

Lower the front by cutting the springs, lower the rear with those blocks that Rick showed a couple lines up.

A third way to drop the rear, that TL didn't mention, is to buy/make shorter shackles, but there is not much room to play there, maybe a 1/2" or 1" max before you run out of the movement needed for the shackles and springs to work correctly.