looking to cut my springs but have a question...I have a 65 Mercury Maruader. going to buy new MOOG springs and cut them. Want to take off about 2 coils. How low do you think I'm going to get. The springs that i have on my car currently are old and they must be sagging because my fender sits just at/above my front tire. Would like it to tuck a little. Here are the specs for the stock replacement springs. I believe that my car is just under 5000lbs. <TABLE width="100%" align=center border=1><TBODY><TR align=middle><TD align=middle width="8%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19>Part # </TD><TD align=middle width="8%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19> Inside Dia</TD><TD align=middle width="8%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19>Bar Dia</TD><TD align=middle width="8%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19>Install Height</TD><TD align=middle width="10%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19>Load rate (lbs)</TD><TD align=middle width="10%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19>Spring Rate (Lbs/in.)</TD><TD align=middle width="8%" bgColor=#e9e9e9 height=19>Free Height</TD><TD>Type</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE width="100%" align=center border=1><TBODY><TR class=text3><TD>8170</TD><TD>4.040</TD><TD>0.690</TD><TD>11.00</TD><TD>2375.0</TD><TD>360.0</TD><TD>17.59</TD><TD>One Square End and 1 Tangential End</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Can anyone help me decide how many springs to cut? how low would 22 coils take me? Think I'd bottom out
As much you don" t want to hear this the only way to see is cut a 1/2 coil at a time put it together and look at it I know thats a lot work but I know from exp about cutting to much at 1 time also remember to leave it a little high to start with because they will settle if you get it right without letting them settle I will promise you it will be too low leave it a little higher because you can always cut more but you can"t add it back
Do a search on here starting with"cheap alternative" I believe it was. Aerostar front springs for the front of early Fords.
+1 DO NOT cut more than 1 1/2 coils! And PLEASE use a good spring compressor. I've cut coils on 3 different cars I've owned and 1 1/2 is the "magic number" if you want to go low and still have some travel in your suspension. (Check out the pics in my album of my Tbird(pic 1 and 4). I cut 1 1/2 out of new coils. I had almost 3 inches of space between the top of the tire and the fender lip before I cut them.) Also,Does your coil sit on top of the upper A arm or between the upper and lower?
try asking "crashnburns."..he has a 64 marauder that drags ass....if you dont bottom out whats the point...?
bottoming out isnt really the issue. I just want it to be drivable. All of my cars have been low but this is my first classic car. Dont mind drivin slow...just dont want to lose my oil pan on potholes
I'd go one full coil. Generally, that will give you about 2" drop. The thing is, it's not guaranteed, due to weight diffences, spring rate, suspension geometry, etc. Also, I'd drive it for a week or 2 before trying to cut more...you'd be surprised how much the springs "settle in" after bouncing around in the car for a while! Wouldn't go more than 1 1/2 or 2 coils on any car.
Thse guys are right . You can take away but you can never put it back. Take your time and be careful!
Yep not guaranteed but I know one thing that will be guaranteed BUMPSTEER! Cut to much and then tell us about an alignment and drive ability. Then you'll be asking about the Ackerman angle and why the tires are pigeon toed.
Wanna know the real story from a long time spring cutter? You're alot better off with that amount of drop buying a different spring. Open the catalog to the spec page and find something with a shorter compressed height, and a slightly higher rate. You're starting off with a much more appropriate spring instead of buying the wrong spring and cutting it to what you want. You also have more influence on the spring rate to prevent bottoming out. good luck
I did something similar on a '65 Belair some years back. I did a full coil, reassembled the one side, took the spring out again and cut another 1/2 coil out of it. It sat just right and I never noticed it dropping after that. They were new Moog HD springs. Just make sure you don't have any coil-end issues. Some springs locate at the top and bottom, some are ground flat on the top end. Which means that you have to keep the end to end relationship the same. Also, if you use a torch to cut them, try to immerse most of the spring in a spackle bucket of water so the heat doesn't impact the rest of the spring. Bob
I've been wanting to cut a coil off the front on my '60 t-bird. I think 2 might be too much for your car as well. I would go with 1.5 max if I were you.
It's a good idea to paint a white stripe down the side of the spring starting with the end of the first coil. That way if you cut it a few times, you'll have an accurate reference point so that you'll be able to cut it accurately on both springs. I bet you'll be somewhere in the 1 to 1-1/2 coil range. 2 is probably too much. The more you cut, the more stiffer your ride will get, because the spring rate goes up. If you cut too much, it'll ride like a cement truck.
Think that Im going to go with 1 and a half...should I cut the springs on the car or buy the MOOGs and cut them? I know all about camber issues. I said it before...all my cars have been dropped. Kinda used to goin thru tires in a years. cambers a bitch
When I did mine, they were brand new Moogs. But the HD 396 motor ones, the car sat way too high. Of course the camber was way negative. Dropping it down will bring the camber towards the positive to a point. Which is much easier at having to add shims than take out what isn't there. I'm not sure if your car has the sliding a-arms or uses shims. As long as you're not trying to drop it too low, you should have plenty of room to get it aligned within specs. Bob
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