I'd like to drop the front end about 2" lower on the '58 (BBC/Nova front sub) Is there a general rule of thumb for how much to cut off? 1/4 coil? Half? I understand it's a matter of trial and error but how do I get close on the first try without going too far? At what point does lowering the ride height hurt front end geometry?
On my mid 60's corvair, we took half a wrap at a time until we got it to the height we wanted. Cut the coil with a cut off wheel...........heat will weaken the spring
Cut the coil half as much as you want to drop the car. For your case cutting an inch off the coil should roughly drop the car 2 inches
Start with at least a half, better yet a full coil if you don't want to do it 3-4 times. Do both sides and check. If you do one at a time the un-cut side will still hold up the cut side. You should re-align it when you are done, and in theory as long you are within the originally designed range of motion you should be ok.
I believe one end of the coil is flattened to fit the spring pocket (upper?) I'll have to go look at it again. slammed when you say 3-4 you mean 3-4" right? Another 2" will get it down where I'd like it, the stock Nova spindles have already been replaced w/2" drop spindles but it's not quite low enough...
the first coil doesn't do as much as the next 1/2 coil...so sneak up on it. I'd suggest one coil, then if you need more go 1/4 coil at a time. and drive it for a week before you decide you need more!
Really good info on the topic I found just today... http://www.eatonsprings.com/cuttingcoilsprings.html
My Experience has been, as a rule of thumb 1.5 to 2.0 inches for every coil. And any time you cut a spring expect at least half an inch of settling within a month's time. Both me and my dad have lowered cars this way. Also remember that the rate of drop seems to mutiply exponetially. So if one coil drops the car 2 inches expect two coils removed to drop the car 4.5 to 5 inches. This has been my experience.
On another more experienced guys advice I took 1-3/4 out of all four coils on my 64 Impala wagon. This was perfect as it dropped it down but did not change the ride quality.
With my hydraulics set up, All four of my springs are cut in half. Then again I got a D+ in Geometry.
I cut two coils out of a '67 Nova wagon once & it put it on the ground. Didn't have much travel but I drove it daily for a long time. On my El Camino I'm going with 2" dropepd spindles and plan to cut one coil. I'm hoping that will drop it about 4". JH
Hmmm....No English majors have chimed in to point out those are helical, NOT coil springs ??? Must be busy spray painting something flat black.
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