Technical Front end lowering

Has anyone cut (1) coil off the front springs on a 56 Chieftain wagon to drop the front end down? If so, how much did it lower you front end?

 

One coil isn't going to drop it a lot. So with that noted, it depends on what you are going for and cutting coils IMO is kinda cut a little, put them back. See what you think. If not enough, cut some more.

I've seen sedans cut with two coils and it still put the fender lip just above tire height.

 

Pretend it's 1960 again - go 2 ...

 

Once you put the cut coil back in you need to drive it ten miles or so for it to settle.

 

1 1/2 to 2 coils will lower it about 2 to 3 inches. use a cut off wheel not a torch.

 

It will stiffen the ride up some, in my experience. I'd start with one coil at a time, like Alchemy says, drive it for awhile, then look at it.

AS mentioned, use a cutoff wheel, put the torch away.

 

Torch works fine.

 

Anything past two coils will kill the ride. Wasted a set of springs going over two. Don't even think about using a torch

 

Lowering screws up the alignment a little.

 

Lowering changes the camber get the alignment checked or you will eat up your tires

 

It's not the torch that screws things up. It's the person with torch in hand that shouldn't when not knowing how it's done correctly.

 

I had a low mileage 56 Pontiac wagon about 15 years ago and cut 2 coils to get it down to a good rake.. One cut coil did nothing.. You might go 1 1/2 or 1 3/4.. I like them low so I cut 2...

 

I went one coil on my '59 Ford and it is pretty good. Calculating the spring rate, it went from 415 to 495 lbs.

 

Someone torched the front springs on my 57 before I got it. Didn't trust these springs so I picked up a new set and cut 1 coil out of each. Drove a lot better with the new springs. The old ones looked like pretzels when I took them out.

 

Don't forget to install new shorter shocks if your cutting two coils.

 

Bullshit …. suspension travel hasn't changed, hence shock travel needs no alteration.

 

So how are you guys getting these properly aligned after? I dropped mine and the shop can only adjust the toe, they say my camber is still off pretty good. So what are the old school secrets to fix that?


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This is about right, ^^^, at least this is the rule of thumb that most of us go by.

Here is a trick I learned that is helpful, if you can slide under the car when it is sitting on it wheels you can measure the distance between the coils and get a pretty good idea how much one coil will drop it. It doesn't work as well on progressive springs.

 

Go to a shop where the guy doing it has some experience. I have used cut springs in lots of cars and trucks as well as just shorter (lowered) springs. The guy that does my alignments has been doing it for about 30 years and knows what it takes to make them drive right and not wear tires...not just what the machine tells them.

 

Thanks man. I’ll keep calling around


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You got that right. Hell I put dropped spindles on a car in the '90s and the guy couldn't get it right. he finally came in and bitched at me about it. There are front end mechanics and technicians just like there are mechanics and technicians. you got to find a mechanic.

 

I borrow a shop when I need an alignment and do it myself. I've only done a few thousand of them over the years.

But you have to know how everything moves, what does what and have the specs handy. Or use general rule of thumb specs.

Most alignment shops are stumped with old cars. If you can help the alignment guy out, chances you will get a decent job done.

 

does pontiac have ball joints or king pins?

 

'56 is the last of the kingpins.

 

well then what about drop spindles or stepped lower a frame. that would retain full suspension travel. hitting the bump stops all the time sucks.

 

IF you had an address(city/state) in your avatar........!!?! Prolly get more help.
6sally6

 

Dropped spindles will retain full suspension travel. A stepped lower A frame will not. The stepped lower A frame raises the A arm in relation to the bottom of the spring but the A arm now rides closer to the bump stop.

Ray

 

A few thoughts on comments in some above posts. I think “using a torch” or not means different things, depending on the reader’s experience. Some would interpret that to mean heating the coils in place to allow the spring to permanently compress as a means of lowering. To some others it may mean using a torch to cut off the coil of a removed spring, as opposed to using a cut off wheel. They are obviously two different methods of using the same tool to get similar, but not the same, results.

As for alignment difficulty, the shop that says only toe can be adjusted probably has no real comprehension of the threaded bushings with eccentric pivot pins that comprise the (typical) upper A arm/spindle support joint. By the late ‘50s Americans cars no longer had king pins, just ball joints and the era of alignment shims was born. That was sixty (60 !) years ago. Before many/most current shop people were born. They just need some education, like I would if I had to work on a Model T ignition system.

Ray

 

I have lowered a couple of mid-90's GM b-bodies which I realize is all kinds of different from your '56. But a good cutoff wheel will take about 30 seconds to cut the spring. IIRC I only cut off about 1/3 of a coil to lower it about an inch. Not sure to be honest the different geometry between that and yours, but better to start off with less and cut again than to throw away your springs and get new ones. I also (as Jimmy Six did) bought the Longacre alignment tool to do my own alignment afterwards. Sounds like you do not have the alignment shims as I did so I can't help you with that, but there's a way to do it, so you can do it!

 

a stepped lower a frame does not lower the spring, it raises the mounting point of the ball joint. the same effect as a dropped spindle.