Technical Cutting Coil Springs

heat them if you know how....done in 5 min....and don't have to worry about one flying out and putting you in a coma

 

First car I lowered was my Mom's '47 Chevy before I got my license. Just took the springs out. Mean looking rake. Mom almost killed herself in it. Dad took it to the shop and had the springs put back in.

 

^^^^^^^^
Did that to a '46 Chev 2dr ... I maybe just turned 15. Had 8.20 Royal Masters out back and one 6.40 Master & one 6.00-16 up front.
Over 20 mph the fronts squealed, & it ate both of them in a day.

 

Thanks, @themoose
1951 two door Oldsmobile Sedan Pale Yellow lowered, screw on Moon Discs, no side pipes.

Hello,

When my brother got his first car, it was a stock height pale yellow 51 Oldsmobile two door sedan. The first thing he did was to cut the coils to lower the front 2 inches. It instantly gave it an “attitude” for driving a teenage car. Not lowered all around like some cars in our neighborhood, but just the front.

It was good when backing up inn our narrow driveway, but unless it was crawling backward, it scraped the steep driveway entrance/exit. Upon coming back to the house, one had to go ever so slowly and it still scraped.
Our 2nd Westside of Long Beach house purchased in 1953... showing the 51 Oldsmobile Sedan parked in the small two car garage, after 1956.

The driveway was steep enough so, an angle was necessary to get down and up the driveway to the backyard garage.

He could not get into the Bixby Knolls driveway of the hangout restaurant parking lot. It scraped too much and it did the same, going out of the other entrance, too. So, he instantly went to the local Oldsmobile dealer and got some front springs. Now, they got cut about 1 inch. And now, the entrance/exit was fine for both places, our house and the local drive-in restaurant parking lot for Friday/Saturday nights.

He put on some side, under the door, long Lakes pipes and had them connected to an exhaust outlet for each side, at our local muffler/welding shop. That was a cool looking move. But, when he got home, it was again, a slow crawl so as not to scrape the side chrome pipes. The sound of the pipes when the cap was taken off made it worthwhile.

But, he was prevented from going into the local drive-in restaurant parking lot and so, before he scraped them anymore, he sold them to a friend with a stock height Chevy sedan. That car looked lower, but was able to get into the driveways in Bixby Knolls.

So, now, it was a one inch front and similar lowering for the back. He kept the 51 Oldsmobile, a pale yellow for almost a year and a half. By the fall of 57, he had it painted a Lime Green and sold it to a close friend.

The lowered stance was fine for a couple of teens, cruising around, but with 4 or 5 teenagers inside, the 51 Oldsmobile was low enough to get pulled over by the local CHP or police cruiser. When the 5 teens got out, the whole car was raised up to legal limits and nothing was below the lower edge of the steel rim/Moon Discs. So, no fix it tickets. But, the teens did not get back into the car until the CHP left the area. Then once back in, the car was, again, a lowered rake sedan for cruising. YRMV

Jnaki

When it was my turn to have a semi lowered car, it was the 58 Impala. But, over the years since the fall of 1957, constant racing, long highway cruises to the beach, mountains and deserts did a number on the springs. Plus, we had at least 4 teenagers inside for its daily drive to high school and cruising. By the time I graduated and earned some money, I was able to get the 58 Impala modified with Buick Skylark wire wheels and it looked outstanding.
again, thanks, @themoose
The good thing was that springs were getting used almost daily and now, perhaps it was sagging slightly. So, with the new Skylark Wire Wheels installed, it looked like it was on a lowered rake. So, two birds with one stone. A lowered look Impala and newly modified, installed Buick Skylark Wire Wheels made cruising nicer and still was able to win those late night encounters… It was still fast and now it looked like it could enter a few car shows. YRMV

Note:

Start off with a one inch cut and see how that works for you. If you cut too much to begin with, you will have the same experience as my brother and his first cut. (Required, a new set of springs to start all over) Unless, of course, you want a fully lowered car for your daily driver. Now, make sure you have new shocks to help out the ride.

 

That is the disadvantage of cutting coils is it changes the spring rate.

Have you looked into oval track racing springs? They come a verity of diameters, heights and spring rates.

I would suggest getting an AFCO Racing catalogue or contacting them directly.

https://www.afcoracing.com/

https://www.afcoracing.com/store.aspx?itemid=3384&pagetitle=Springs

https://www.afcoracing.com/catalog.aspx