Cutting drop springs

[Zep5.0]

Anyone here running 1.6" Vogtlands that cut the front springs? I feel like the consensus was 1/2 coil was perfect for lowering the front a touch more than the back. Hoping for pictures before I go hacking these perfect springs...

 

[XR7-4.6]

Anyone here running 1.6" Vogtlands that cut the front springs? I feel like the consensus was 1/2 coil was perfect for lowering the front a touch more than the back. Hoping for pictures before I go hacking these perfect springs...

Vogtlands in all flavors are tail draggers(Carolina squatters)to begin with, half a coil should level it out,if you want a touch of rake I’d actually go 3/4 coil

 

[Zep5.0]

This is 1/4 coil, and knowing I've shaved 150+ lbs off the front has me wondering. I didn't really want to cut 1/2 coil and wish I went more.

 

[XR7-4.6]

View attachment 10946
This is 1/4 coil, and knowing I've shaved 150+ lbs off the front has me wondering. I didn't really want to cut 1/2 coil and wish I went more.

Keep in mind those are staggered wheel/tire heights on that car, so even though the nose appears higher it’s really because the rear wheel lip is inherently closer to the fender because it’s a 19” vs the 18” front. My car’s the same with the 17”-18” stagger




Is is with the same springs without the stagger





This is with the Tokico springs with 3/4 coil cut from the front on the same wheel sets







Personally I didn’t really like how low the front was, 1/2 coil would be juuuust right IMO

 

[Zep5.0]

1/2 it is, thanks!

 

[CDsDontBurn]

How to cut the spring though? At what angle do you cut the spring? Perpendicular to the spring or parallel to the spring?

 

[Grog6]

Cut the wire like you would cut an electrical wire, (perpendicular to the wire surface)but you use a cut-off tool, while cooling the wire with a wet rag to keep from ruining the tempering of the spring. No cutting torch, lol.

 

[XR7-4.6]

My approach is cut 1/3 let it cool, cut 2/3 let it cool, cut the rest. Cut angle doesn’t really matter but the part you’re cutting from springs is always their “pig’s tail” end, which in the case of our front springs is the bottom(shock perch) side. Nobody including spring manufacturers cuts the coils at any other angle than perpendicular on the pigtail end.


Cutting springs is is a perfectly kosher practice, if done right. The thing to remember is heat changes rate unpredictably and cutting increases spring rate. Most spring cutting horror stories stem from unaccounting for each. Up to a full coil there’s not much to worry about if you keep heat in check

 

[CDsDontBurn]

You guys got me thinking now if I should cut my Vogtlands before I install them.

 

[Kenz]

You guys got me thinking now if I should cut my Vogtlands before I install them.

Make sure you can deal with it being lower. I have the 1" Vogtland lowering springs. If I pull into my garage too fast the transmission mount scrapes. These cars have a long wheelbase. My Firebird is stock and it does the same thing, so 1" of drop puts you at about as much clearance as a Fbody

 

[Vicinity]

Make sure you can deal with it being lower. I have the 1" Vogtland lowering springs. If I pull into my garage too fast the transmission mount scrapes. These cars have a long wheelbase. My Firebird is stock and it does the same thing, so 1" of drop puts you at about as much clearance as a Fbody

I'm not sure what the stock ride height is because the bird came with larger wheels, but Ive also nicked the fuel line on a speed bump (unless it was cut, let's doubt that)

 

[KevinVarnes]

My Firebird is stock and it does the same thing, so 1" of drop puts you at about as much clearance as a Fbody

At this point you might as well go full F-body conversion and just LS swap the Cougar.

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

Ive put the uca through the shock towers more than once with how low my cars are, so I wouldn't cut drop springs.

 

[Ericv8thunderbird]

I cut my old Eibach sport springs, IIRC I cut 1 coil from the front and half a coil in the rear.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Make sure you can deal with it being lower. I have the 1" Vogtland lowering springs. If I pull into my garage too fast the transmission mount scrapes. These cars have a long wheelbase. My Firebird is stock and it does the same thing, so 1" of drop puts you at about as much clearance as a Fbody

It'd be maybe 1/2 coil to fix the "boat look" after I put in my 1.6" drop Vogtlands

 

[XR7-4.6]

Ive put the uca through the shock towers more than once with how low my cars are, so I wouldn't cut drop springs.

Honestly I consider it mandatory with some springs, Vogtlands in my experience in both 1” and 1.6” flavors could use a quarter to a half a coil cut out in front springs to be level with their rear springs. I wouldn’t cut out more than a full coil from the front or a half coil at the rear though.

 

[Kenz]

If you don't want to cut, another option with Vogtlands is to install poly rear spring isolators. I put them on mine and it sits even as far as I can tell.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

If you don't want to cut, another option with Vogtlands is to install poly rear spring isolators. I put them on mine and it sits even as far as I can tell.

I have some of those!

 

[Kenz]

1" Vogtlands with rear poly isolators, 17" wheels

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

Honestly I consider it mandatory with some springs, Vogtlands in my experience in both 1” and 1.6” flavors could use a quarter to a half a coil cut out in front springs to be level with their rear springs. I wouldn’t cut out more than a full coil from the front or a half coil at the rear though.

Gold car has two coils out of the front and a coil out of the rear. Red one has, I think, 3 coils cut out of the stock rears and front coilovers.


I've punch holes in both cars front shock towers cause of this. I'm rebuilding the front suspension and brakes again on goldie so it'll get lifted.

 

[Zep5.0]

If you don't want to cut, another option with Vogtlands is to install poly rear spring isolators. I put them on mine and it sits even as far as I can tell.

I thought the isolators should always be installed?

 

[XR7-4.6]

I thought the isolators should always be installed?

Poly cobra isolators will raise the rear, all things equal. Now aftermarket springs can vary, for me my 1” Vogtlands with poly insulators in mark VIII control arms(which without perches typically drop the rear anywhere between 1/2” -1”) was pretty much exactly how they sat with the iron arms and stock rubber insulators with those springs. Without them as I initially installed them(sorry no pics) it was full on Carolina squat hideousness.

I really don’t recommend the poly isolators unless you are doing the mark LCAs or are deliberately trying to raise the rear tbh. There’s no benefit to them over rubber.

 

[Fred Smailes]

View attachment 10946
This is 1/4 coil, and knowing I've shaved 150+ lbs off the front has me wondering. I didn't really want to cut 1/2 coil and wish I went more.

Great pic of a beautiful car!! Love the wheel choice!

 

[Kenz]

@XR7-4.6 So do the Cobra poly isolators restore stock ride height because the stock rubber isolators wear out/collapse? Or are the Cobra ones actually raising the rear a bit because they were not really designed for our cars?

 

[Zep5.0]

Poly cobra isolators will raise the rear, all things equal. Now aftermarket springs can vary, for me my 1” Vogtlands with poly insulators in mark VIII control arms(which without perches typically drop the rear anywhere between 1/2” -1”) was pretty much exactly how they sat with the iron arms and stock rubber insulators with those springs. Without them as I initially installed them(sorry no pics) it was full on Carolina squat hideousness.

I really don’t recommend the poly isolators unless you are doing the mark LCAs or are deliberately trying to raise the rear tbh. There’s no benefit to them over rubber.

With poly top and bottom on mark arms, I'm sitting way too high right now. But no engine or trans, driveshaft, fuel tank etc. easy enough to adjust once the car is operational.



Half coil cut and installed on 3000GT inserts. I used my 20 ton HF press to install the springs. Wish I would have taken a picture during as I had tarp straps through the springs so they couldn't shoot at me. Was very easy to do other than laying on the ground too out the nut on.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

How did you go about adding yellow to the body donors? Rattle can or powder coat?

 

[Zep5.0]

How did you go about adding yellow to the body donors? Rattle can or powder coat?

Rattle can. Plenty good for a suspension part. Prep is most important. I do have some touch up to do after welding the nuts to the old shock body. The shock body had a very thick and bulged bottom, so there was not as much thread engaged as I'd like. I do not recommend doing this, but it's what I had.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

The shock body had a very thick and bulged bottom, so there was not as much thread engaged as I'd like.

I pulled off my shocks yesterday and disassembled them as well. I see that the bottom of the shock bodies have a nipple and a bit of a bulge.

How many threads were you able to get in?

 

[Zep5.0]

I pulled off my shocks yesterday and disassembled them as well. I see that the bottom of the shock bodies have a nipple and a bit of a bulge.

How many threads were you able to get in?

I got to the nyloc in the nut or just past it. Had I got the stud past the nyloc I wouldn't have welded it. If you can heat the shock body and press it flush that should help.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

I'll keep that in mind!