cuttin springs....

[TurboShadowES]

i have a "spare" set of springs for my shadow, and was going to cut them to lower my car... is this a good idea or bad? will it ride real bad? i only wanna lower it a inch and half or so. and one done this before either? how much should i cut?

I also have a set of springs out of a 1st gen tona, that are a 1 and a quarter shorter, but im a friad they may be soft... will they?

If they're spare, go for it. I cut the springs in one of my non-dodge cars, and it wasn't that bad, until I got a little overzeolous and went low enough for the struts to constantly bottom out. But even that, I've gotten used to now.

[topdollar69]

just a word of advice, if you do cut them coils, lock the bottom end of em down with a spring clamp, I learned the hard way in my laser, hitting a bump at 70 in town, having a coil pop of the strut and almost hitting a parked elcamino, really opened my eyes, aparently when you cut the flat part off it really changes how easily the coil can jump off the perch. It was a pretty exciting experince, at least nothing was damaged(very lucky).
The clamps I used came from the local parts store, one pair is all you will need. They havent came off since, but Im still wishing I had a real set of lowering coils.
Ben

[Vigo]

yeh it will work fine as long as you dont cut them with a torch and clamp them down as mentioned. ive also seen dodge front springs jump off the strut perch when theyve been cut, thats gotta be scary.

go for it

[ravenc]

i have a 93 dance 4 door cut my rears 2 full coils from the bottom top is smaller. has me sitting low tires in the well. got bout 2 inches till i hit the bump stop no prob there.
fronts i went 2 coils after testing 1 tires bout an inch from well. looks level rides bit rougher tho. bottoming out is a concern especially the tranny pan warning u hack on front spring u will need an alignment 40 60 bux at les schwabs make an appointment first like 2 days in asdvance

You can allways use a torch to heat up the coil and than compress it to your specs.





GLH II

[altered7151]

Quote:

Originally posted by 4U2 LUZ2 You can allways use a torch to heat up the coil and than compress it to your specs.

Danger Will Robinson!!! Do Not heat up the springs, getting them hot with a torch with temper the springs and completely alter the spring rate of the metal. If you cut the springs you are at least keeping the same metal properties, but once you heat the springs up you totally change them and have no idea what they will be when done. Ever have a lowered car behind you at night and the headlights are just bouncing all over the place? That would most likely be the result of an "Oxy-Acetelyne lowering kit"

[TurboShadowES]

cool.... im gonna wait to lower it tell i learn how to align the thing at school, im refuse to pay some $40 to do somthing im gonna learn how to do!


i have some shelby Z springs, may just put those in

[LancerShelby]

Shelby Z springs will lower it and make it stiffer too!!

Word of advice. I spent FOREVER with a hacksaw trying to cut springs on one of my cars. It sucked and I was worn out after the first one. So my friend walks up with his dremel and a cut-off disc. He had the next 3 springs cut inside of 4 minutes. Grrr..

[daytonairoc]

I don't believe in cutting springs but there are somethings to think about before you start cutting.

Measure each side before cutting the springs. So park on a level surface. Measure from the ground to the fenderwell.

Before you start cutting you need to knew a few things about OEM springs on cars. Chrysler usually lists several different spring part numbers for the front on each side. This is because of different options like transmission and a/c. This is mutlipled by different levels of suspensions offered per model. Even MP autocross front springs are specific for left or right.

This brings up a common practice on cars with coilover suspension. Its called corner weighting the car. There are two steps on in this process. One is to using slightly different spring rates to adjust weight disturbation. The other is to adjust ride height for driver and fuel. Since springs rates aren't adjustable, it only leaves ride height to play with.

Normally you can turn the locking collar to adjust ride height on each side to make up for driver/passenger weights. In the rear fuel level is an issue, as is spare tire and other crap you carry back there. So now measuring comes in to big play. Cutting x amount off one side maynot produce the exact results side to side.

Now that you are ready to start cutting. Try removing small amounts of a coil first. I'd personally cut 1/4in off at a time per side to start with. As you get closer to your desired height then start taking smaller cuts out. I'd also cut in loops around the car instead of focusing on just the front or back. Cuts on one spring will throw off measurements until you loop around the car. Hence taking measurements all the way around before cutting.

I personally wouldn't lower the car where you can't fit two fingers between the tire and fenderwell lip. This is important if you plan to run a big tire or/and sticky tire. MP springs lowers a shadow to ruffly to two fingers. With KYBs installed durning autocrosses I would roll over onto the tire so badly I thought I was fuel starving in hard turns. Rolling the fenderwell lips wouldn't have helped either with the 225/50 tires I run. I have autocross video of this somewhere. So if you are running OEM or KYB dampers, it could become a problem.

It will take ime to do this right, but its worth it.

[awdvr6]

I saw this in another post

" The rear is messed up because when you lower these cars, the axle wants to move over to the passenger side due to the geometry of the rear end. I'm solving this by putting in an adjustable panhard bar/track bar(the one that goes from the right rear wheel up on an angle to the vertical bracket, just below the exhaust) to move the axle back over to the left."

So even if I cut my springs I still need to buy an adj panhard bar?

[TurboShadowES]

it would be so easy to build one

[awdvr6]

Please enlighten me.

[TurboShadowES]

all you would need to do it cut it somwhere, probaly the middle where it will clear everthing and take a good 4 inches or so out of the pan bar. then weld a think peice of all tread into one of the cut sides, and a nut onto the other peice of the bar... so now if you spin it in, its shorter, or out its longer. a jam nut probaly wouldnt be a bad idea eaiter.

my friend bought one for his cherokee a while back, paid $120 for somthing that i could built for $20.