[lastchancegoat]

'66 GTO - Finishing body work - put the fenders on for line up and gaps. I think it needs a bit of attitude up front and needs to be lowered an inch or so. I see lots of guys just cut off a piece of the existing spring and others who buy new "lowering" springs.

Who has done what and how do you like it? How much did you cut off the spring? Which lowering springs did you buy?

Thanks.

[TheMonkey]

i'm about to cut my springs to drop about 1/2" - 3/4".

i would think that if they are tall enough now for you they should be still good. usually the dead springs are sagging too low.

i plan on measuring coils per inch (or vice versa) while at stance, and cutting out the appropriate amount of coils. for me, it will probably be less than 1. be sure to cut it off the bottom. you will see that the top of the springs are flattened to seat properly, and the bottoms just kind of end like they were cut off.

share pics before n after when you do it.

[66bonne]

I used two inch lowered front coil springs on my 65 Catalina. Had them done by Coil Spring Specialties out in Kansas. Google them on the internet. Reasonable price and quick delivery time.

[6D6GOAT]

i cut a little over one coil off the fronts to lower mine...it did, looks good but the springs dont seat right and the will rub the shock from time to time. i dont feel it or hear it when im driving, i just see the areas where it has rubbed the shock when im under it.

if i had to do it again i would buy lowering springs.

[b-man]

I bought a new pair of '67 V8 Firebird springs and used them to lower the front end of my '64 GTO. Same diameter as the A-body springs, they went right in and dropped the car a couple of inches.

[Geoff]

You have to be careful cutting front springs for a couple of reasons. First, it is not a 1:1 ratio like the rear, meaning if the front spring compresses shorter 1" after cutting, the front of the car is lowered about 2". The other problem is the ends of the springs are designed to sit in a pocket in the control arm & the frame. If the spring end is not cut & shaped just right, the spring will bulge & rub on the shock and/or frame.

[Shadowjack]

Through '67 there's a spring pocket in the frame as well. The spring has to be made just right to fit both top and bottom. Probably why the '68s have a flat-top spring.

[shaker455]

Lastchancegoat,
3" off the coil will drop the car an inch, if you don't have the car fully assembled then you may want to wait.

Good idea to cut it with a saw as opposed to a torch.

[glhs#116]

One more small detail to keep in mind. When you lower by cutting springs instead of getting new shorter springs you increase the spring rate of what's left of the spring. Think of the spring as a straight rod that you are trying to bend. If you cut the rod shorter it gets harder to bend.

Also, you definitely want to cut with a saw and not overheat. Get a spring too hot and all the tension goes out of it. Since this happens unevenly you're also very likely to end up with one spring stronger than the other if you cut both with heat and your car will sit lopsided or pull to one side while driving.

Sam

[Ken K]

You can use a cutoff wheel to cut the spring. The replacement 68 and up springs are not ground flat on top like the factory springs, they are more like the 67 and earlier springs. The 68 and latter springs can be used in the earleir cars. You want to cut full coils out so the end of the springs is between the holes in the lower control arm. Each coil removed from the bottom of the spring is about 1.5 inched removed from the free height. The shorter spring is stiffer than a taller spring with the same wire diameter. You are kind of stuck on what springs will work. The big wire diameter Pontiac springs use a .660 wire diameter, the big block Chevy springs use a .690 wire diameter....The factory springs have a free height of around 17.5 inches. The Chevy SS springs have a free height of 15 and 15.5 inches. The A/C cars use a spring that is .5 inches taller than the non A/C cars. A Moog 5400 spring has a free height of 17 inches, if you remove a coil it will be around 15.5 inches.

[lastchancegoat]

Thanks everyone. I think I will give the cuttoff method a try. Will make sure a cut spring will seat properly first. Worse thing that will happen is I have to replace the springs - this would be the least costly of things I have done with this complete rebuild.

Thanks again.