F/R Drop spring height of springs?

[7T2]

I just picked up what is supposed to be a front and rear lowering kit consisting of front and rear springs and four shocks today at a swap meet. In comparing the front and rear springs to stock ones they appear to be the same height as the stockers, although it appears the rears have at least 1 less coil in them.

Is it possible the drop is achieved by spring rate only, or should I see a difference in height between the drop springs and the stock ones? The fronts were compared with a known set of stock strings that were out in the open, and the rears I held up to my stock ones which are still installed, but with the bed removed and the truck up on a lift with the rear suspension unloaded. They both appear exactly the same height.

Is this normal, or did I get taken? (By the way, I only paid $45 for everything, and my front is already lowered with cut springs so I won't mind having a stock set around, if indeed that is what they are. It would be nice to have rear drop springs though, since the rear is not yet lowered.)

[7T2]

Anyone?

[7T2]

I seem to remember a thread here that compared the different heights of drop springs with stock springs, as well as the height of trucks with different springs installed, but I can't seem to come up with the right search terms to bring it up. Anybody else remember what I'm talking about?

[lolife99]

It's hard to compare spring "measured un-installed" heights.
Spring rates and wire diameter will result in different drops.
I would just measure the before height,... and then install your new parts.
That's only way you will truely know.

[7T2]

Originally Posted by lolife99

It's hard to compare spring "measured un-installed" heights.
Spring rates and wire diameter will result in different drops.
I would just measure the before height,... and then install your new parts.
That's only way you will truely know.

That's what I figured, but I was hoping I could get some kind of confirmation one way or the other before I go to the trouble of installing them. If someone could tell me "yeah, they look almost identical when they aren't installed" then I would feel like I'm on the right track. I guess I expected them to be shorter if they were drop springs.

I think the fronts are stockers though...they look EXACTLY like stock springs, same coils, diameters, thicknesses, and they have rust on them at the top, although they aren't as crusty as most 40 year old springs. Who knows. I am at a point where it won't be too bad to swap the rears, but I probably won't know for sure until I get the bed back on how much the drop will be, if any.

[7T2]

Still looking for a definitive answer to this, if anyone has had both stock and drop springs and compared them. Were they the same height, or noticeably different?

[Shane]

again, you can't compare heights of uninstalled springs to find drop amount