O.k. guys I cut 1 and half coils off the front springs and it dropped it WAY more then I had been planning. Its agains the bumps stops on the lower A arm. It drives o.k., actually it drives better then it did before the cut coils. I never intented on dropping the front this much. Can I leave it like this or is it going to cause some problems I am unaware of besides the obvious lack of suspension? I do drive it a lot but I do not drive it hard enough to be bottoming it out all the time. Thanks guys Dan
Well you could cut the bump stops in half and see if that give you any play. I used to cut coils on imports all the time and we would always cut the bump stops in half so it didnt ride so stiff. try it the worst thing that can happen is it will work or still ride on them = )
1 coil equals approx. 2", now thats on new coils not old saggy coils, so if your coils were old and saggy to begin with, you prolly lowered it almost 5"....I wouldnt leave it like that, you have no suspension travel the way it is, you'll be breakin stuff.
Truth, stuff might break riding it on the bumpers. But damn another 2" in the back and thatll be a great stance. Air shocks for the front?? Not sure if they make em??
Good Idea to cut em down a bit...that's what i always do but check out clearances on other components ansd things like fenderwells and brake lines......keep an eye on your control arms and frame on any lowered car. If you do hit a hard bump you can bend things or rip mounting locations. Make it work cuz it looks great.
I know on a shoebox,you can grind off a little of the frame,where the control arm hits and gain a little more room. Not sure about them Mopars.
I dont recomend leaving it on the bump stops but that would be the stance I would be looking for in the end!!! That makes it look down right KOOL!!
HR29 you must be an aussie where things hang up side down lol. here sagging springs droop and the coils are closer together and the drop is less than a new spring El T cut the bump stops but make sure the shocks don't bottom out. I never understood how the mopar shocks work. they connect the bottom a-arm to the top a-arm
Yep, bring the back down a few, cut those pesky bump stops down and its perfect. Heck My 03 dodge has been hittin the bump stops for 55k now and hasn't hurt a thing, and it rides better too.
No, with a new set of springs the car sits, lets say for arguments sake 30" from the ground to the center of the wheel opening, so taking 1 coil off should drop that down to about 28"....Now with already saggy coils the car will sit lets say 28" from the ground to the center of the wheel opening, so if you take 1 coil off it'll drop it about another inch or two giving you about 26" from the ground to the cener of the wheel opening, giving you a total of about 4" from stock.
I believe HR is right, its more the principle of spring tension than coil distance. Removing equal amount from either will remove a percentage respectivly, no? Car looks neat.
Removing coils stiffens the spring, which could explain why it rides differently now. Also...assuming that you are working with an independent front suspension...shortening the springs (say 2" for example) will most likely result in lowereing nearly double that amount of frame height (4"). This is due to the fact that the coil spring is about halfway between the ball-joint (or king pin) and the control arm pivot point on the frame. There are spring "cups" available to restore ride height without buying new springs. Here's a link to cups sold by speedway motors. They are designed to be used on 5" to 5-1/2" diameter coil springs: Adjustable: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/3389,154_Adjustable-Hidden-Spring-Shim.html trim to fit: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/3388,154_Coil-Spring-Spacer.html
tip: search the HAMB before cutting your coil springs! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=749023&postcount=4
I don't agree with cutting the bump stops. In my experience, when you do that, the car bottoms with a noticeable crash. If it's just touching the bump stops (without cutting), the rubber functions as a spring. The ride will be stiff, but no crashing. There are many shapes of bump stops. The kind that a tapered sharply, like a cone, compresses progressively and gives you a little more ride.
get a new set of springs and cut carefully this time. the spring adjusters will help but if those springs are the originals they arent gonna ride for shit on a lowered vehicle. go to speedway and get a stiffer spring in the same diameter when you cut the stiffer spring down to ride ht ( a little higher this time) it will support the car and handle better. no big deal I did it on my silverado, had to buy some new springs cause I got in a hurry.
add rubbers coil spring rubbers you perv like nascar worked great for me and adds some flex full round ones would be best meant for overload paperdog
Dont feel so bad, I cut two coils from my truck and ended up having to buy new headers and taller fron tyres just so I could drive it! Great stance though. So much for a cheap lowering job! Like the stance on your car, try and find a work around P.
I've used spring spacers in the past, it takes one coil out of action and makes the ride even stiffer, but it will raise the car. I've also cut the rubber bumpers down and never had a problem. Many years and many miles. These days I buy new springs and am more careful. And where I can I use dropped spindles. willy
IMHO, I would get a new set of coils and cut 3/4-1 coil off, you should be fine with that, and it shouldnt be sitting on the bump stop....Driving on the bump stops is also dangerous, with no suspension, you can easily loose control of the car, if you hit a pot hole or something.
Depends on how and where you drive. I drove my chevy on the bump stops for a long time. Its kool for about a week, then you realize the cool over comfort factor isnt worth it, noone will want to ride in it with you. Plus you could easily break somthing, guess I got lucky Put it this way youll know where every bump and pothole in the whole city is located, and you might have a few chipped teeth.And you have to take an alternative route to where ever you go Car looks good though, That badboy would be nasty with a big notch in the rear
I agree. I know guys who have had Detroit Eaton http://www.eatonsprings.com/ make them up some new stiffer springs that also lower the car and they've been real happy. Mopar was notorious in the 40's and 50's for a soft ride from soft springs, That was why they mounted the front shock from upper A-arm to lower A-arm; so the ride would be softer. I've had '49 to '54 Mopars off and on since 1962 and that setup always bugged me. For my current project I got a set of shock brackets from Fatman that use 60's-70's Chevy p/u shocks that mount on the lower arm and mount to the bracket which is welded to the frame. (For the record Fatman also has lowered spindles for these Mopars that help with problems like this.) Good luck with all this, you've done a great job: NEAT MOPAR!!!!
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