yes or no on lowering the Buick

WWW Tires first, then lower if you still want to. Level or slight tail dragger. That Buick is too classy to have its nose down. Coil Spring Specialties...lightning fast service, reasonable prices, knowledgeable staff. http://www.coilsprings.com/default.aspx

 

The Coker Tire site says original whites in 57 were typically 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches
jn size. Not the 4 inchers used in 40s, early 50s. Of course, you can have any
type you like.

 

you have been lead in the right direction. cutting coils with a wheel or saw is best, not a torch!!

as stated start small and keep reducing until ride and height are acceptable.

do not think "I need to drop my car three inches then go cut three inches off your springs". It will not be three inches lower it will be more than than. I usually go half a coil at a time then less to fine tune it at the end

 

no keep right

 

I have so far just put technical thoughts into this deal, but here is my opinion - lower that car on a slight rake, please! The whole "tail dragger" thing only worked on pre '51 cars. By the time your car would have been mild custom fodder no self respecting west coast hot rodder or custom guy would have dropped the rear more than the front. Take a look at Rickster's thread on Larry Watsons personal photo collection and use that as your guide. Opinion time over...

 

Yep, slam it...

 

I don't know about the front coils as they are Nova.....your rear springs are pig tail....can't cut them. You can get shorter (lowering) springs from Eaton Detroit Spring. They don't sell anything shorter than 2" shorter. I'm sure they can help with the Nova springs as well.

 

How do you keep from getting nose bleeds in that thing? Lower it and do it soon.

 

What he said - - - I thought I was the only one........

*Northeast also

 

The 2 springs in yellow are listed for your Buick.

If you pulled your spring and measured it's height and coil diameter we could get real accurate on a drop spring. Those are Moog numbers.

2 inches and a trimmed bump stop is a pretty good compromise. A 9.5ish installed height seems to work well. Remember you nee a 1 inch shorter shock.

 

Chevrolet didn't get the memo in 61 either...

 

Drop the front but leave the rear as it is. That empathises the rear fins and gives it the late sixtes hotrod look. Think American Grafiti '58 Impala.
Maybe even jack the rear a little. Use adjustable air shocks so you can adjust the rear up with compressed air from a gas station forecourt.

 

Since the rear springs are pigtailed you are going to have to make a retainer cup to hold the spring. This is what I did for the rear on my 64. I am unsure of the attachment points on a 57.
For the front you should have no problem trimming them, they will stay in the pocket with no issues.
Take the advice of others on here. Trim a little put em back in and see where they sit. If you don't like it pull em back out and trim em some more. my 2 cents.

 

Those are not wide whites. 3" min are wide.

 

Cutting the stock spring 1 inch = 1.2 drop 433-462 increase in spring rate
Cutting the stock spring 2 inch = 2.4 drop 433-494 increase in spring rate

 

yes lower it Dusty

 

I think it looks awesome the way it is, I would not lower it. Then again you're talking to a guy who will probably never lower anything.

Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone

 

Fuckin eh, s'cuse the shit outta me. I bow to thy supreme interpretation of what W I D E W H I T E W A L L really is. WTF was I thinkin...

 

I tried using the roof paint for the white walls. I hate it personally. Im really picky of how stuff looks and It just isnt clean enough for me. I just have the dough for white walls.

 

They sure as hell aint skinny whites. Look out here come the whitewall police!!