Cuttin' Coils ?

[~JM~]

Anybody here ever try cutting the coil springs to lower their car?

I have a '78 Malibu with a 305. Everything was stock until recently.

I now have 15" wheels with 235/60's in front & 255/60's in back.

I would like to lower the car some. Especially the front. Looking for advise on lowering the car. I was thinking of cutting one coil in the front & half a coil in the back.

Thanks
~JM~

[~JM~]

P.S.

Any tips or mechanic tricks on how to remove the coils?

Thanks
~JM~

[NOT_SLOW]

get drop spindles for the front. then you dont have to have the front end aligned again

[phantom]

Stay twords the inside when prying them out they hurt like a bitch when they hit you.
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Racing is an addiction that some people just don’t understand!
Heath AKA the Phantom

[bigadam79]

Buy are rent the tool you need from an auto parts store. Your looking for a coil spring compresor. it hooks to the spring with 4 arms in the middle of the spring and you use an impact to tighten it up and it compresses the spring. Makes it soo much easier and safer when removing/installing the spring.
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79 Malibu Classic
98 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4

My advice to you.....Start drinking heavily!!

[bigadam79]

Quote:

they hurt like a bitch when they hit you.

heath, that must be one reason your such a nut!
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79 Malibu Classic
98 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4

My advice to you.....Start drinking heavily!!

[bigadam79]

I was actually wondering..for those who have cut coils before, about how much should be cut to get about 2" of drop?
_________________
79 Malibu Classic
98 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4

My advice to you.....Start drinking heavily!!

[phantom]

All springs are differant go a little at a time half a coil you can't put it back on and if there new they will settle a little,
_________________
Racing is an addiction that some people just don’t understand!
Heath AKA the Phantom

[pushrod]

When pulling the springs out up front make sure to jack the whole front of the car up prety good, remove the shock, take ya a 3/8 drive extension(what i call a transmission extension) thats about 2 feet long run it DOWN through the hole where the shock comes up through the top of the frame, then take a jack and jack up the bottom a-frame enough to make pressure on it, take loose your balljoints from the spindle, slightly lower the jack enough to break loose the spindle(some hammering my been needed) A balljoint splitter is useful. Then once the spindle is off, with the extension still ran down through where the shock was (to keep the spring from popping out) slowly let the jack down until the bottom a-frame wont come down anymore. Pull the jack out from under, you might have to sit down and take your feet to press the aframe on down some more, while doing that just start man handling the sping until its free. But always leave the extension ran through until it does because with all the pressure they have on em they will pop out and smack the hell out of whats ever in their path. Hope this helps and doesnt confuse you.

[xdeadboox]

[xdeadboox]

[hiway]

Like they said...1/2 at a time. But one coil is "normally" about 2 inches. I use a 4" side grinder with a cutoff blade.
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80 Bu 468 on the hose

MidsouthRacers.com

[pushrod]

Anytime ive ever cut any coils, i hate doing it cause it kills the ride, but no where near what it does to em to heat em. But when i cut em i always go a whole round, if it wont take a whole round then it doesnt need to be done, because if you go a whole round then everything lines right back up like it should, no guessing it getting it back together and it leaning on one side and having to twist around on the coils to get them equal on both sides.

[crusty junk]

for what you can buy a pair of drop spindles for these days......there are tons of used s10 spindles floating around ....cheap....they are even showing up in junk yards around here.....as for the rears.....being they are pig tailed.....they can't be cut .....i have heated and collapsed the pig tail until it is flat inside the outer coil......no science.....its guess work at best.....the last one we did ....set jack stands under the rear bumper.....clamped the springs to the rear with hose clamps....and did the cherry drop....got about 1 1/2 pretty easy.......let cool before removing jacks..... brandon
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