The rear springs are sagging on my 50 pontiac chieftain. Springs are pretty pricey so I put a set of monroe load levelers on it. It raised the rear about 2.5 inches, which is too much. Plus the upper shock mount crossbar looks pretty flimsy in the old bird. Not rusted just flimsy. The precompression on these shocks is pretty high. Im 225 lbs and I could barely budge one. So I was thinking of cutting the spring to lower the tension. Has anyone done that?
It's just a spring ! With this small a wire it will soak up heat quickly, so I'd say that a torch is out of the question. That leaves a bolt cutter or a cut-off wheel. I was kidding about the bolt cutters..! I'd start slowly, that is, one coil at a time until you get what you want. Watch your fingers, eyes, etc... Mike
I don't think it will lower the rate, depending on type of spring it stays the same or increases the rate. Something bout progressive rates and straight rates? Not an expert at all, just something I read.
So you want to do a bandaid, then modify the bandaid to work less than it currently does? Id be looking at re arching the original springs
Hello, With two desert racing motorcycles in the back, tools, and spare parts, the 65 El Camino was a sagging tail of a truck/car. So, we learned to fill in the factory air shocks with enough air to support the heavy loads. Now, we were able to drive with a level stance vehicle. To make things easier than relying on the air pump gauge at the gas stations, we set up an interior air pressure gauge that easily mounted under the inside panel where the air inlet was attached from the factory. The air pressure gauge was accurate, did not leak and one could see the air pressure with a quick glance at the dial. Plus, it was out of sight of anyone walking by the El Camino. These days, if we had a station wagon or truck, the extra support of air shocks would be good to keep the vehicle level with the additional stuff in the back. It is infinitely adjustable. Currently, you can purchase Gabriel Hi Jacker Air Shocks to fit most any situation. They seem to be of better quality than the old air shocks from the factory. But, the factory units worked fine for us 125k miles without any problems. They are a life support to the El Camino beds. We also had a newer 72 El Camino and that went 88k miles without any problems. Those El Camino shocks were good for running on empty, but when you needed extra help, a short fill with a compressor or gas station air supply was necessary. An up in the air fake gas coupe stance was the result with a load in the bed and no air support. Likewise, the exact opposite, with the appropriate air in the shocks for a heavy load, it was level, but when the load was gone, it was a stink bug stance until the air was adjusted. Jnaki The addition of air shocks is less than air bags and takes up less space. Most people now have air compressors at home, so a trip to the gas station is not necessary. Prior to a heavy load, air can be added for a level ride. If you have a gauge, you can get accurate readings to adjust the air in the shock at any time period. No need to mess around with springs. YRMV
This is likely where I am at. Orginally I put the leveler springs in because the rear sagged, but the motor was out. When I put the motor in, the front was too high, so I cut 1-1/2" coils on the front, so its not surprising the rear is high now. To night I am going to unbolt the leveler shocks and see how it all looks. I have a little bit more to worry about than normal because I fabricated a true 2.5" dual exhaust that goes down the passenger side and then one crosses over to the drivers side just before the rearend. So things are tight back there, which is why I was originally concerned about the sag and using bump stops to limit travel. thanks
Yep, that about it in a nutshell. Unfortunately bandaides are sometimes needed while saving up the funds to do it correctly.
If the main leaves are still in one piece and the bushings aren't shot, you can always remove the center bolt and add/replace some of the leaves to adjust the spring height to your liking. Lou Manglass