cutting front springs

[jgh64pkup]

how many coils can you take out without totally screwing up your ride

[royo]

I would only cut 1 complete coil off it. then put it back in and see if you like it

[jgh64pkup]

thanks it already had one cut off of it but i want it lower

[Shane]

It's not recommended to go more than 1 full round due to alignment issues. Save your pennies and buy some drop spindles got get another 2 1/2" of drop.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Shane

It's not recommended to go more than 1 full round due to alignment issues. Save your pennies and buy some drop spindles got get another 2 1/2" of drop.

The other related problem on these trucks w/cutting more that one coil is the coil becomes too short. 'Too short' by definition means that when the trucks suspension extends ( big bump/dip on the highway) the springs will become dislodged & can fall out of place (or completely out of the truck) causing sudden steering related issues.

Don't risk yours or others safety.

[Shane]

Very very good point Scoti.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Shane

Very very good point Scoti.

Unfortunately that was learned @ the school of hard knocks in my buddies 69. That was also the same truck that had the rear coils cut & welded to the trailing arm. The revised version corrected the rear compromise (made a 'bucket' for the coils to sit in) & we made stops that prevented the front suspensions ability to extend beyond the height of the spring to keep it from falling out.

Years later, the The Drop Shop in Chino CA offered a specific urethane bumpstop to do the exact same thing. I don't believe they exist anymore (the part or the company). That 69 had 2-coils cut from the front & IIRC, 2-coils from the rear. It looked cool, but rode like crap & was the reason I waited to lower my 1st 67-72 until I could do it right. I only had to wait about a year because it was about the same time Western Chassis introduced a new product to the market that would become the new standard for sport trucks & classics . . . .... the drop spindle. Yep, I'm a dinosaur.

[Jblackie47803]

What constitutes "one coil"? I have seen different pics from different people. Some seem contradictory to what I think one coil would be.

[Shane]

one coil = one turn of the spring

[Jblackie47803]

So essentially the piece you cut off would look like a large rounded split washer?

[joe231]

I cut one coil plus 3 inches of another on our '66 with mid 80's cross member and suspension components, got right around a 2 1/2" drop, didn't have any issues with the spring becoming dis-lodged......I am now running the same coils on my '80......the biggest problem I have found with cutting old coils is you have no idea if they will sit at similar heights, even though I cut the exact same amount from each spring, both trucks had a lean.
cutting coils to me is only a temporary solution until you can afford drop spring/spindles.....or in my case, until I get my air stuff installed

[Jblackie47803]

Just out of curiosity, which side did they lean towards?

[jgh64pkup]

i ended up cutting the other off and had the problem with it falling out so i just put a limiter on the lower control arm(chain attached to control arm and crossmember, grade 8 hardware)

[joe231]

Originally Posted by Jblackie47803

Just out of curiosity, which side did they lean towards?

which ever side the weaker spring was on
on the '66 I think it was to the passenger side, on the '80 it is to the drivers....
of course the '66 had the gas tank behind the seat and on my '80 the tank is on the driver's side....need to move it to the passenger side

[7T2]

May be too late now, but if you HAVE to cut springs to lower a truck you should do it with something like a cutoff wheel or sawzall. Even then you should do it with the coil sitting in a bucket of water. Cutting with a torch is really bad for the spring. Anything involving enormous amounts of heat will destroy the spring rate of the steel, giving you a worse ride. You should go slow and keep the temperature down as much as possible for the best results.

[joe231]

a port-a-band works quite well...