I keep messing up with drop coils

[Mattchu60]

Heres the story - I have an 87' R10 short box. I had previously cut one coil off the stock springs, but I never liked that idea as its a 30 year old spring that I feel could fail someday.

I also felt it was a touch lower than I wanted, I have drop spindles as well, and that put the top of my front tires about even with the bottom of the fender lip.

Always heard that a cut factory coil was about equal to a 2" drop spring. Ok, so I go out about a year back and bought a set of Belltech 2" drop coils, I figure that the factory springs have sagged some over the years so this will raise it a touch. I could not get them to install, the pigtails would not line up to the factory locations, it wasnt even close and the bottom was not held in place and was moving all over. (I must have some mutant C10 as I contacted Belltech and they said no one else has this issue). I sent them back. I did still install them and got a feel for the height, and it was actually almost the same as the factory springs with a coil removed. I put the stockers back in and forgot about it for a while.

So then I ordered a set of Mcgaughys (spelling) 1" springs a couple weeks back, I figured that the 2" was the same, so lets try a bit higher. Installed them today, and wowza, shes sitting even lower! Now the tires are actually up into the fender well a touch. I measured and I went from 28" from the floor to the lip, to 27.5" after the 1" drops are in. They are more like a 2.5" drop spring.

What the heck!

Rather than me continuing to mess around with springs, anyone have some input on a spring that will actually drop my truck 1"? I want to stay away from CPP as I have had bad experience with their stuff in the past.