Help with heating the coils

[allen123]

I think im going to lower my rear end today by heating the coils.
And I just have a few questions.
Do i just heat up the whole coil or just one point on the spring?
How much do i need to heat it up? Until its red?
And what will happen it its uneven?
And just put in any tips you have that i didn't ask about.
Sorry I don't know much.

[ca180]

Sorry, my only advice is don't do it

[cdowns]

dumb thing to do

[LONGHAIR]

The best "help" there is........."Don't do it"

[Shane]

Your safety as well as every other person on the roads are worth the $100 a set of drop springs cost.

Save your money and do it right.

[spr85gmc]

drop spring $100


cost of repairs when u break a coil when you thought you were being smart and save money aloooooooooot more do it right or dont do it at all too risky and nt worth the trouble.

[ont_guy_38]

we did that to a 72 once all i got to say is listen to the guys above!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[71swb4x4]

Another vote for don't do it. My old Jimmy had heated coils when I bought it, they rode horribly. They were one of the first things to get replaced.

[allen123]

Ok haha thanks i guess i will just save up the money. Also i heard of putting s10 or monte carlo springs will lower it how is the ride quality in those?

[hdflstf]

Spring steel doesn't take kindly to being heated to yield. They will break sooner or later with the loss of the physical properties in the area that was heated. Don't do it.

[joe231]

here is my thread where i used jeep wrangler coils
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=292466

do a search of jeep coils....should be lots of info

[Spray-Bomb]

Dang, I cant stand when all these guys bag on heating coils

Heres how you do it... MAY NOT be the BEST way, but does work & I havent had ANY problems from doing it

You start at the bottom & start heating it up (till its orange & starting to twist) then you start moving up the coil till you have reached the desired amount of drop

I like to park mine one some cement & have a buddy keep a tape measure ran from the ground to the fender well & keep track of how many inches of drop you've done

I have done up to 6" but the ride sucks, so 4" or maybe 5" is about the most I would do

Oh, & when you lower the first side it will be a lil lower than when you lower the second side (because its not level at that point)

Hope you get it done & have no problems just like me & hundreds of other people who have done it for the past 40 years

Now, I will go out saying one last thing here
Im not saying this is the best thing to do or anything you should do, just another option in the lowering world & if you want to be low & ride good & not worry about springs breaking, then bag your truck
Its not much different in price from drop springs & you dont have to have a tank & compressor, just a lil bit of air line & a couple schrader valve will do the job just fine

[thelonerife]

The only reason I would heat a spring is to get an idea of how much drop I wanted to install. (To order my springs). If you do a wanted ad in the parts section for some, somebody just might hook you up. i have some 5'' rear and 2'' front that I'm still not sure I'm going to use. I want to get my wheels/tires first. But somebody I'm sure has some laying around. Don't forget if you go real low you may need to relocate shocks and might need to change your panhard bar. Do it safe or don't do it.

[joe231]

i have heard of people using jack stands under the frame to "land" the truck at the proper height, then let them cool and remove the stands....i have never done it, just heard some talk of it

[el curioso]

lowering blocks

[allen123]

Are they cheaper than springs?

[LONGHAIR]

You can only lower about 2" with blocks. You start running into another safety issue with more than that.

Yes, I have done the jackstand thing....way back in the day. Part of the reason I wouldn't reccommend doing it. It does not ride well. Those coils are essentially "stacked" like "coil bound" and that leaves a lot less spring to carry the load...it's a lot stiffer.

[Spray-Bomb]

Originally Posted by allen123

Are they cheaper than springs?

You can get some Slam Specialties bags from Suicide Doors, for $75 a piece

And you can get some drop springs from CPP for $95 a pair

So its about $55 bucks more to go with bags
But the cool thing about the bags is, if you ever hook onto a trailer you can just air it up more to keep it level & if you ever decide to bag the front, the rear is already done

Its what I would do if I was going to buy something
IMO, just heat em, see if you like the height & then buy some bags & put under it

[N2TRUX]

Sorry, but just because you have done it doesn't mean it's something that should be recommended. Yes you can heat your coils and get it low cheaply. The possibility of the spring actually breaking is low, but the probability that it will continue to sag is guaranteed.

If you want to cheap out now, be forewarned that your truck will ride like crap and progressively get worse. Anything more than a 3" drop by spring regardless of how it accomplished will net a poor ride. Heating the springs is the fastest way there.

You can replace the springs now, or heat them and replace them later.

[el curioso]

Lowering blocks FAQ

[Shane]

Not the "best" way to do things, but I have a set of rear Malibu / Chevelle springs that I'm not gonna use ... let me know if you're interested adn we can works something out. cheap too.

[Number98]

Originally Posted by Shane

Your safety as well as every other person on the roads are worth the $100 a set of drop springs cost.

Save your money and do it right.

[noteron]

Hey Spraybomb I was thinking about running bags w/o a tank or compressor until I saved up more money for a drop-member from Poterbuilt. I just didnt think it would work. Where can I buy the schrader valves?

[camaro__thunder]

You can get the valves at any OREILLY auto parts, by the tire stuff.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by noteron

.... Where can I buy the schrader valves?

It will work just fine. You can find them on line as well as your local auto parts. If you do the front it will probably work better if your run a separate line/valve for each side. This will prevent air transfer from bag to bag and inhibit body roll.