I was wanting to cut the springs on my 65 electra im customizing and i was wondering how much to cut off. Looking for about a 2"-3" drop. Do i cut off the the amount i want the car lowered, or is it a trial and error kinda thing. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Start with one coil. You can't uncut them. I lowered my T-Bird by cutting one, set it down and then cut another. You may need a shorter shock depending on how low you go. I left my originals in and it's worked so far.
Cutting off one turn should give you 2", maybe a bit more depending on your spring rate. Don't cut off more than that at a time.
Good advice. I may see how this work over the weekend. Really didnt want to have to buy new shocks but those big cars look good sitting loooow! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Another thing to consider, when you cut coils, it increase your spring rate (stiffer ride). Cutting a coil or two won't be anything too outrageous, but will be a noticeable difference.
I put over load springs on the back a while back because i found that with a full tank of gas and a full back seat the tailpipes drug. Its pretty stiff in the back now. I may just wait til i can afford airbags. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
On most cars every inch you take from the vertical height of the spring (lay it flat on your driveway and measure straight up with a tape measure) will give you something in the range of a 3" drop in the ride height of the car. I took one QUARTER coil off of the front springs in my Mustang II suspension in my '53 Chevy and it gave me a one-inch drop of the car in the front. The more you cut the stiffer the spring gets, which means a two-coil cut will not drop your car twice as much as a one-coil cut. Personally I go one half coil at a time with the "better safe than sorry" approach. You can always cut more later but the goal is to cut as little of the spring away as possible to preserve your ride quality.
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