[chuckies76ta]

Ceh1138: I think springs get somewhat weaker as time goes on, but it takes a long time in my opinion.

I choose to cut my new springs as they were installed and I knew where the car would sit when finished. one coil dropped approx 2 inches.

I don't find the front of the car bounces around anymore now, than before the spring were cut. Not sure if a stiffer shock would be needed. Not needed in my case.

Charles

[ceh1138]

thanks for the info chuckie.

i'm looking at getting my stuff from ames perf. has anybody had good luck with their springs?

i got that $600 check from uncle scam burning a hole in my pocket!!

[TransAm525]

I cut the original springs on 78 Trans Am about six months ago. The car is a daily driver and I haven't had a single issue. I used the 50% method, measuring the drop I wanted and then cutting half the measurement from the springs, which worked out to be exact. I dropped mine 3 inches, which put the frame center a little close to the ground (too low to even fit a jack under), but I plan to cut the center frame section out later and replace it with a tube brace structure. Like mentioned above, do not heat the spring, use a cutoff wheel. You will also need to re-align the suspension after this modification.

[77TA]

I cut 1/2 coil off my stock springs. The front was about level to the back before... It dropped about 1.5 inches...I am glad I did not cut anymore.

[afx421]

i had 1 coil cut off my front coils by my chassis builder when i did the rear half in my GTO. he has built many complete 6 sec pro mods, so i think he knows what hes doing and my car is fine. its ok to cut them but there is a formula and process to doing it. it lowered my front end 3 inches.

[Robert Williams]

You got yourself a fine looking car there 77ta.

[afx421]

before and after

[pro-tour79]

the basic formula is as mentioned above cut off 1/2 the distance off the spring that you want to drop the car so cut 1/2" will get you about 1" drop do not go by number of coils, as a rule I would not cut more than an inch off stock springs because it will lower the car too much for stock spring rate, lowered cars need more spring rate to keep from bottoming out

[77TA]

Originally Posted by Robert Williams

You got yourself a fine looking car there 77ta.

Thanks, she is starting to show the wear and tear, but it has been 9 years since I painted it etc...
I was surprise 1/2 coil made such a change I found a before picture.

[Z Code 400]

Originally Posted by pro-tour79

first off NEVER heat coils cut them with a cut off wheel, the number off coils cut off is not a gauge to lower a car the only way to know for sure is to do the math and for that you must know the spring rate, coil wire dia. number of coils, installed height, and you need to know the lever ratio of the lower control arm as well as the wheel centerline all this affects the ride height THAT is why it is so hard to determine ride hight and why we get this type of questions.
The poor man's way is to cut off 1/2 the amount you want to lower the car, for most springs cutting off one coil will shorten the spring about 1"-1 1/2" so multiply that by 2 and you get 2"-3" lower but er on the short side because this is only a ROUGH guide

Pro-Tour....

Are you recommending NOT heating and re-shaping the last coil as Herb outlines???? I think this was done to get the spring to sit better in the lower control arm. Thanks...Robert

[pro-tour79]

what I'm saying is not heat up the main part of the coil, see there is this lazy mans trick to lowering a car by getting under the car and using a torch to heat up an accessible part of the spring, get it red hot and the spring will sag and the front will come down but you now have a soft section of active coils, what Herb showed to do is fine because it is done to the end coil that is inactive and is supported.

[poison heart]

I cut 1/2 a coil on my '59. You probably couldn't tell though. It lowered it maybe an inch at the most.

[Z Code 400]

Thanks Pro-Tour....

I think that re-shaping the last coil would help the spring to sit properly in the pocket without an real adverse effects. It would seem to me that by re-shaping that last coil, a lowering effect would take place, above and beyond the cut made to the spring.

Anyone have the approximate rates for the WS6 springs??? My 1975 Formula has the WS6 diameter sway bars and had the super-tight WS6 steering box. It has an 18.0" long front spring with roughy 5/8" coils. I know Skip Fix likes the S-10 diesel spring, but that's almost 700 lbs. Any thoughts????...Robert

P.S. I'm trying to arrive at a 1.50" drop and not 2.00" like most of the springs advertise...

[Z Code 400]

This afternoon, I used a cut-off wheel to trim (1) full coil (as referenced by the white chalk mark in the above photo) off each of these springs. When I started, they were 18.00" long uncompressed. After cutting (1) coil, they were about 17.00" long but did not fit in the spring pocket very well. In fact, the spring was bowed because of the uneven lower coil.

I then pulled the springs and heated the last coil about 1/2-way back from the end until I could push down on it and 'flatten' the bottom coil lightly. I didn't heat the spring until it turned red, just enough that I could feel it 'give' under all my weight. I also maintained the roughly 1/4" between the first and second coils that these springs had in their un-cut state. The springs were then allowed to air-cool.

I polished the freshly-cut ends of the springs, broke the sharp edges and stamped each spring with a number to denote what position they came out of. I also took a grinder (with a 36 grit flexible pad) and polished the bottom of the last coil slightly flat and ground a 45 degree bevel on the freshly cut end of the spring, to keep it from digging into the spring pocket.

The result is two springs that measure exactly 16.00" OAL and fit the pocket in the lower control arm as well as the stock springs did. I will have to wait until the sheet metal is back on the see where we are at with ride height.

The springs feel much stiffer than they did before. Herb Adams said each half-coil increases the spring rate by about 11%, but this was a difference you could immediately notice when re-compressing the springs for installation....Robert

[Z Code 400]

Hmmmm....Wonder if I should use a 1.00" poly spring isolator to gain back the 1.00" I lost???? I misread Herb Adams directions and cut a full coil when he suggested cutting 1/2 coil and then heating the bottom coil and deforming it to equal one full coil of drop. Since I cut 1 full coil and then re-shaped my bottom coil, I have now cut the spring a fill 2.00" OAL.

On the other hand, I know that OAL doesn't mean as much as loaded height either, so I might just have to try it and see....

[INJUNTOM]

I've done several A bodies, and a couple first gen F bodies and the result is usually 2" with a full coil off.

The only problems I've had with it is the first set I did with a torch to cut the coil...eventually one of them collapsed. Never had a problem after I starting useing cutoff wheels.

Heating the coil up to lower it by making it sag will only cause it to collapse before too long.

[Z Code 400]

Originally Posted by INJUNTOM

I've done several A bodies, and a couple first gen F bodies and the result is usually 2" with a full coil off.

The only problems I've had with it is the first set I did with a torch to cut the coil...eventually one of them collapsed. Never had a problem after I starting useing cutoff wheels.

Heating the coil up to lower it by making it sag will only cause it to collapse before too long.

Try finding a spring that you can just throw in and not have to cut....Then, if you don't heat and re-shape the lower coil, the spring sits crooked in the pocket because of its irregular shape....

[Z Code 400]

A little something I found in one of Herb Adams' articles:

"The stock Camaro/Firebird heavy duty spring has a .675 wire diameter and is rated at 350 pounds per inch. These are cut one coil shorter. One step to remember is to heat the newly cut coil about a half turn from the end, and then press that end against the ground to flatten the end of the spring."

[68ragtop]

Old Thread, but it has the right audience, so I am bringing it back.

One question I have not seen answered is the final wind of the springs. They all taper off on the last winding & it appears this is so they will compress straight up & down when installed.

So, to shorten the springs only a 1/2", I have to remove about 1/2 of a coil to achieve that. Seems like a lot. This shortens the spring, but moreover it basically removes most of the taper off of the winding. I did some testing on a hydraulic press & there is still enough taper with 1/2 coil removed where the spring should not tilt when installed. I only want to drop my front end about 1" max.

Secondly, one of my springs is about 1/8" taller than the other. Should I remove a smidge more of the winding to make them exactly the same height, Or remove the same amount of the coil & keep the taller spring on the drivers side? Did GM use different springs on the left or right side? 68 GTO convert, no A/C It sat ok before & I won't be upset if it sits at the same height, But would like to shorten the springs just a bit & hope it comes down about 1" But for sure not more than that.

Additional thoughts?

[dataway]

I think some people just grind some on the end of the spring to flatten it out, helps it to sit a bit better.