cut springs

[cordovaass]

i dont know if this question belongs in this furom or not but any ways...
i have a 69 impala and i want to cut the front springs because when i bought it the rear springs were already cut.... i want to get an inch of drop, does anyone know how much to cut???

[MagicRat]

First of all, try to post a specific question in one forum. Duplicate threads consumes AF resources unnecesarily and annoys people a bit.

Generally, cutting springs is not a good idea.
As you cut a coil, the ride height decreases, but the effective spring rate increases, making the spring stiffer.
Therefore, its difficult to know how much to cut, it depends on the existing spring, the spring rate, the weight of the car and your tolerance for a harsh ride.

If you must cut a spring, cut a quarter coil at a time, then test drive it. Also, its best to remove the spring before cutting it.

For the trial and error involved, its best to buy new lowered springs, that way, you remove and install springs once, and you know what you will get.

As for cutting the rear springs................the top and bottom of the rear springs have a specific shape so they sit properly in the spring perches. Without the proper shapr, and shorter shocks, the springs might fire themselves out the back of the car the next time you go over a big bump (like a set of railroad tracks) at higher speed.

This is one reason why lowering kits are much safer.

[drdisque]

with a '69 Impala aren't your rear springs leafs?

[kcg795]

I'm a fuckin' idiot when it comes to suspensions. But even _I_ know that cutting springs is a bad idea.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by drdisque

with a '69 Impala aren't your rear springs leafs?

Full size Chevys have had coils in the back since 1958.

[cordovaass]

when i bought my car the rear springs have already been cut.. and they have never given me any trouble at all!..... i would love to buy lowering springs but who makes them for a 69 impala?

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by cordovaass

when i bought my car the rear springs have already been cut.. and they have never given me any trouble at all!..... i would love to buy lowering springs but who makes them for a 69 impala?

Try here
http://www.classicperform.com/fullsize.htm
They seem to have dropped spindle kits, which would lower the front end while retaining the stock springs and proper suspension geometry.

Also they have air ride kits, which can replace the front, back or all steel springs with air springs which are height adjustable.

[Chris V]

Originally Posted by kcg795

I'm a fuckin' idiot when it comes to suspensions. But even _I_ know that cutting springs is a bad idea.

Actually it's not that bad. it's also not hard to figure out how much to cut, the increase in spring rate, and the new suspension travel.

On a car like this '69, a 1" drop will be about 10% of the compressed coil height, giving a 10% increase in spring rate (i.e. 10% stiffer). Considering how soft the stock springs are in that, the ride will be nowhere near harsh, if it even makes a noticeable change (which it probably won't). I've gone 4" down on some of these soft American springs without a noticeable change in ride. (though, at that much drop you have to make sure that the rest of your susepension is looked at. Shocks wil need to be either shorter or remounted, alignment ALWAYS has to be checked, and you have to look at travel of the suspension arms vs frame cleanace and binding issues).

I dropped my last '63 Falcon 4' in front and 3" in the rear using 3" lowering blocks for teh rear, cutting 4" of compressed height from teh front coils, cutting down teh front bumpstops, and remounting the top of the front shocks another inch higher. 2 years of daily driving all over western washington showed it to have a nearly stock ride, no alignment issues, and no bottoming out/banging around.





Most people that end uyp with problems have cut their springs too far, cut them unevenly (it's easy to pay attention to doing things teh same side to side, but they don't), and/or don't pay attention to the OTHER aspects. You CAN do it safely, easily, and inexpensively.

[alphalanos]

Its not safe for daily driving because the spring are not designed to be at that high rate all of the time. plus its going to wear out your shocks. You wont get much increased handling due to the soft spring, either.

[waytotrueman]

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