Lowering Spindles, Springs or both ????

[ubanks2000]

First Time EVER.....

The front of my cutlass sits too high. Its about 5 to 7inches from the tire compared to the back that sits almost on the tires. For the best stance and lowering it with out it being too low. Do i use a 1in Lowering spindle and 1in lowering spring combo or do i go with a 2in lowering spindle. I dont want it too low, i just want it sitting low. And in the rear one side is lower and softer than the other. i do not believe the frame is twisted. is that just change out shocks and springs ?

 

[87SS383]

You say the front tires are 7 inches from the wheel well? You could go with a 2" drop spindle and 1" drop springs in the front. It would be 3" total, with 4 inches to spare. You should try and change both rear shocks and springs, and if it's still sitting kinda cockeyed than you might be in some trouble. Any accidents in the rear of the car?

 

[FE3X CLONE]

My '87 has always been that way. One side had always sat lower than the other in the back. Even after changing out all the suspension. It's also a pretty common trait for the later Cutlass's to sit higher in the front than the back for some reason.

I would just go with cutting your front springs, reinstall them and see if sits where you want. If not, cut a little more and reinstall.

Where exactly is the 5-7" your measuring??? The only time I've ever had that much clearance between the tire and fender lip is without an engine in the car. Maybe not even that much.

 

[[email protected]]

I do not recommend cutting springs ever.
1. Springs are flat at each end, so they fit their perch correctly. A cut spring will not fit your perches as comfortably no matter how fancy and precisely you cut them.
2. Cutting a spring will create heat(no matter how it's done;Swazall,grinder, or torch(obviously)), an In turn that heat will mess with the temperament of the steel.

There is a right way, and then there's other ways of doing things. I think buying a spring that is specifically designed for a purpose is the right way vs. hackin' away at one, and it's probably safer as well.


I have noticed springs marketed for S-10's are much cheaper. On any spring your looking at, find the spring load rate(causing X amount of drop, for the weight rating of that vehicle)(divide it out to incriminates that's easy for YOU to work with(I suggest 1/4")(, take your cars front end weight, fractionally determine the precise amount of drop that spring will make. Roughly a 2" lower spring for an S-10 with a 4.3L, gave me 3" in my Monte with a 350 Chev.

 

[FE3X CLONE]

Have you ever cut a spring? What negative effects have you seen from a vehicle that has had the springs cut using a sawzall/cutoff wheel vs. a spring that hasn't been?

 

[[email protected]]

No. Personally I have never cut a spring, nor do I personally know anyone who has cut springs in their car. I remember asking my shop teacher in power mechanics freshman year of high school(in 1995) and getting the same reply I just recited. Bottom line is that something designed to do a specific job is probably always going to outperform something that's been designed for something else and then altered to work.

I have lowering springs, because I wouldn't want to put into question the integrity or constancy of operation, by doing what I know in my mind is not the right thing to do. For my reasons stated above, I feel it goes against common sense.(but yet I'm all about the airRide systems, so WTF do I know)

If you want to have them constantly wearing through spring cushions and eventually be squeaking, go for it.
I also hear that they can have a tendency to chatter over railroad tracks, due to the shortened "fully expended length".

 

[Bonnewagon]

I've cut springs and it's no fun. I use one half of a spring compressor tool (the threaded set of fingers) to keep the spring up in the well while I cut with a high speed cut-off wheel. That keeps heat to a minimum. I drill out the shock mount hole up top so the spring tool fits through and add some washers to the big nut that turns the threaded rod into the threaded fingers. I compress the spring enough to swing the lower control arm out of the way and then cut the spring. I only cut 1/4 coil at a time and reassemble everything to see what the effect was. Don't believe anyone who advises "cut so-and-so off to get so-and-so drop". Every car and spring is different and you need to use trial and error to sneak up on the proper ride height. If you cut too much, you buy a new spring and start over. I put 77' TA 400 springs in my Malibu with 400 and the front was like yours way high. It took 3/4 of a coil to drop it so the fender lip was 1" higher than the tire. Cutting a spring changes the spring rate so the car will ride harsher, which may be what you want. As for lowering spindles they can work but realise that lowers the whole front end and other components can be affected, like tie rods hitting rims, and exhaust pipes hitting speed bumps and man hole covers. The best way is a set of springs designed to get your car where you want it and no one knows how to do this better than a really good spring shop.

 

[ubanks2000]

Yeah i had the engine out for over a year, so i when i but a motor back in i noticed it didnt go down very much.

@ FE3X Clone I am not gonna cut the springs because i may end up with something to soft that bounces too much. I may go with the 2in spindle first and then the springs. Also i dont believe its been hit in the rear it seems pretty original. Also i am measuring from the top of the tire to the bottom of the wheel well.

@ Bonnewagon ok that was helpful, i need to check to see if i even have 2 inches to spare to the ground. I also thought the spindles would keep the geometry angles straight.

 

[Bonnewagon]

It won't affect the steering geometry but on my friend's car his tie rods hit his centerline rims. He added spacers to get the rim away and THAT affected the geometry. He hates how it rides and is now looking into getting the correct springs like he should have done in the first place.

 

[FE3X CLONE]

No. Personally I have never cut a spring, nor do I personally know anyone who has cut springs in their car. I remember asking my shop teacher in power mechanics freshman year of high school(in 1995) and getting the same reply I just recited. Bottom line is that something designed to do a specific job is probably always going to outperform something that's been designed for something else and then altered to work.

I have lowering springs, because I wouldn't want to put into question the integrity or constancy of operation, by doing what I know in my mind is not the right thing to do. For my reasons stated above, I feel it goes against common sense.(but yet I'm all about the airRide systems, so WTF do I know)

If you want to have them constantly wearing through spring cushions and eventually be squeaking, go for it.
I also hear that they can have a tendency to chatter over railroad tracks, due to the shortened "fully expended length".

Well, that's fine. I was just curious. I've cut springs plenty of times as well as have friends that have done it and put thousands of miles on them without so much as any of the problems stated.
I won't argue that the best way is to either have a spring made to do what you want or buy lowering springs but I also don't think cutting them is as bad as some think. Maybe on paper it should be but in the real world its fine?

Have any of you ever had your own springs made? I know I have a local company that can build a spring pretty much to suit whatever you need. I tink the best thing would be to actually cut your stock springs and reinstall them and keep doing that until you get the look your after. Drive it a while and to let them settle in, then once your happy, take them to a spring shop and have a brand new set built to match.