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I don't think the springs have ever been removed from the car until now. I've owned the car since 1988 and it had 43K miles then. I have finished the left side and the car is still on jacks. Right side should be done today. The right side spring looks like its seated properly now that it has been mentioned. Hopefully the car will be back on all fours today or tomorrow. Just a side note on the removal of the old CA bushings; my air chisel had them out in about 30 seconds!
I've decided to cut one coil off the bottom and use my grinding wheel to flatten the bottom a bit. The tires are 245/45-18 which are 26.7" diam.
Buying new springs is fine provided the car is all stock with no weight changes. Mine isn't, so there is a very good chance I would need to cut the springs anyway to get the height I want. If I need to remove the springs and cut a bit a second or even a third time I'm good with that.
I should have both sides done over the weekend in conjunction with installing poly bushings on all the control arms.
I have the 550 springs and have many mods to lower weight including aluminum heads, water pump, intake also borg steering box and the list goes on. Also there was not a difference in ride height between aluminum and iron heads with the 550 springs. Years back with stock springs when I pulled the heads it did sit up quite a bit, but the 550 springs are so stiff that the weight change does not seem to make a big change in height. But here is a photo to see the height on my car.
'Lowering' coil springs are relatively inexpensive. Why would anyone in this day and age still mess around with cutting springs and affecting ride quality and suspension spring rates when you can buy engineered springs to do the job properly?
This just seems to be a 70's era bubba solution that never went away IMO.
This. Cutting springs? While Aesthetically pleaseing, it sacrifices performance. Your car is worth it, purchase a performance spring. Also know that cut springs only look good for so long before they sag. If you don't plan to keep the car, cut and enjoy. If this is a forever car, you won't regret your investment into new springs.
I have the 550 springs and have many mods to lower weight including aluminum heads, water pump, intake also borg steering box and the list goes on. Also there was not a difference in ride height between aluminum and iron heads with the 550 springs. Years back with stock springs when I pulled the heads it did sit up quite a bit, but the 550 springs are so stiff that the weight change does not seem to make a big change in height. But here is a photo to see the height on my car.
This is the height I'm looking for in the front. Nice looking ride!
I have the 550 springs and have many mods to lower weight including aluminum heads, water pump, intake also borg steering box and the list goes on. Also there was not a difference in ride height between aluminum and iron heads with the 550 springs. Years back with stock springs when I pulled the heads it did sit up quite a bit, but the 550 springs are so stiff that the weight change does not seem to make a big change in height. But here is a photo to see the height on my car.
When I rebuilt my OEM L-82 in 2014, I already had 550 springs in the front and the replacement AFR aluminum heads did raise my front end height. I had to cut a 1/2 coil off both front springs but did have a hell of a time getting the cut spring to fit correctly in the control arm pocket.. Cutting a half coil off the 550 springs lowered my front about 1-1.25 inches...
I should have this project finished today. The CA bushings came out easy on the left side but were a bit more challenging on the right side for some reason. I thought I was going to have to remove the fan shroud to get the right upper control arm out but realized the forward CA mounting bolt was a little loose. Ah, it's a press fit so I wiggled it loose and removed the bolt. CA came right out.
I had the left side spring cocked and had to correct that. I hope its in the pocket correctly now. I have a helper today so I should get the right side spring in correctly the first time around. If the car isn't lowered more than an inch then the springs will need repositioning.
Remember to let the car weight down onto the installed springs BEFORE tightening the bolts that hold the control arm bushings in place (or they will fail in a shorttime).
Keep us updated with pics and measurements..........
I'm also a big fan of the 550# spring. Put 'em in my 82 and love them. That spring shown there looks like it has seen better days. They aren't that expensive (I think I paid $80 for my pair), I'd just order some 550# springs and be done with it. They even come powder coated too! Plus knowing how much work it is to get that spring out and in there, for me it's just not worth the effort to do more than once.
It's just surface rust/dirt on the spring which won't effect the spring rate. For me, I just didn't see the point in spending money on new springs when there is nothing wrong with the ones I have. With the help provided on this forum, it was not a difficult job removing the spring using simple tools.
05-14-2016, 07:08 AM
