About to cut my springs to lower the front

Springs are cut, at least preliminarily (is that a word?)

A little background, the I would like some educated suggestions.

I have new springs, a bit heavier than stock.

The tires in the pictures are my rear 245/60r15s, worn bare and smooth, overall height is within 1/4" of what the final tires will be, 225/60r15. So I put them on the front, leveled out the rear by the frame and jackstands, and will lower the front until they fit nicely over the 245s. Then put new 225s on the front rims and replace.

Total distance between the fender lip and top of tire is 4-1/2" with 1-1/2 inches between each coil (center to center).

I would like the top of the tire to fall close to the bottom of the fender lip when finished. So, I would like to drop about 4 to 4-1/2 inches, plus or minus.

QUESTIONS (finally)

Will I get 3" drop with cutting 2 full coils? or will the shortened spring lift differently than the full spring?

Does cutting 2-1/2 coils (overall) seem drastic, after looking at the pictures?

Should I go ahead and cut 2 coils and check it, or go 1 coil at a time (time of replacement is the only issue here)?

When dropping the car to check, can I leave off the shocks, or do they affect the ride height at all? I assume they just slow down the up/down movement, but do not affect ride height.

I will start removing the coils and cutting tomorrow morning, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If I get no help, I will do 1 coil cut, measure, then go from there.

Thanks.
Scott

 

Wait, Today is only Thursday. I am not starting this project until SATURDAY morning...

It sure has been a long week :confused:

 

are you going to use a torch or a saw? make small cuts, you can always take more off but you can't put it back on!! go 1 coil at a time and take the time to measure 2-3 times and cut only once, you're money ahead this way. just some friendly advise.

 

I used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to do mine ... worked fine ... A cut-off wheel on a die grinder would work faster if you have one of them ...

 

Don't use a torch it will take the temper out of the steel.

 

scott,
the car needs to be drivable. cut one coil and drive the car to settle the ride height.it will be hard to get the height you want without putting the tires on that you will be running...frank... "safty first"

 

I can't believe how high that thing sits in the front. It's like a 4x4. I'd say cut 1-1/2 coils...

 

I bought a set of new Springs for my Grabber ... I ordered V8 and no A/C ... it sat up like a 4X4 as well ... Pretty sure I ended up cutting 1 1/2 off ... I can't remember if it was ESPO or Springs & Things but they definitely have a measurement off or something ...

 

I have a die grinder with 3 or 4 inch cutting wheels. I have no torch, but even if I did, I want a clean cut, and don't want to mess with the heat on the springs.

I still have 24 hours or so to hear the horror stories, or success stories, before I make the big cut(s).

By the way, not sure if it is because I have 4 inches of lift, but those 245/60r15s fit pretty nicely under the front. A little too wide for my tastes, but just for those who might want really wide. I tested them by turning full chock both directions, and they never rubbed on any suspension parts. As it gets lowered, they might rub on the fender, but I don't think they will unless I lower it really low and get the wheel up into the fender well.

As for driving between cuts, anyone else suggest this? I have driven on these springs for about 200 miles, and they have been installed for about 2 months with full weight on them. I wanted them to have as much break-in time as possible.

Maybe I will cut to within 1" of what I want, then wait for the new tires before the final cut. Just to be safe.

Also, should I cut both sides evenly, or cut extra on one side or the other to even out the ride height (especially after new tires are on)?

Thanks for all the quick suggestions.

 

One more thing...is dropping so that the top of the tires are just about even with the bottom of the fender going to look good, and perform well?

I looked at some pictures, and I think it was Earl's car that caught my eye, and it seemed like that is how they lined up. Might have been an optical illusion and the camera angle.

I want space under the car for headers in the near future...

 

the reason i suggested to drive after cutting is because... when you jack up the front end and remove the springs everything will need to settle back down. all the bushings will have travled to the max in the other direction, the tires will turn in and the springs will need to reseat...frank...

p.s.i would put the shocks on also.

 

So, disassemble, cut, shocks on, drive a bit (how much?), measure, disassemble, and cut again?

Good thing I have few plans for the weekend. It will take me forever to get the right height!!!

Should I put up a voting thread to help me decide how low to go? I am looking at Mark Noteboom, Earl Branham, and Hotrodmaverick pictures for suggestions.

See http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=16910&highlight=stance, not sure if I want to go that low, for clearance of pipes and such, but it sure looks good!

His tires are 24.7" tall, mine willl be 25.6", so I can experiment with tire sizes after dropping it.

If I go that low, will I be able to allign it without adding parts to the suspension?

Or should I stay Earl or Noteboom low to keep the Caster (or is it Camber) adjustable?

 

Cut them evenly. The only reason those 245s don't rub is because it sits so high. They will rub once you lower the front. Go with the 225s up front...

 

I figured they would rub once I dropped them.

So, should I go with top of tire even with fender, or 1" above fender, or 1" below fender? The lower looks better, but can it be alligned?

I am thinking, at the highest, even with the fender.

I am "borrowing" the spring compressor from HiLo, and I have a good relationship with the staff, including the manager (actually, I pay most of their salary!!!) so I can keep the compressor as long as I need them. So, as many times as I need to, I can compress, cut, and reinstall.

Any ideas?

 

It should pull into alignment with no problem, assuming that your front-end components are in good condition...