Just put a new set of coils in my 67 special front and rear the rears look great but the fronts sit way to high i went from a v6 to a 350 v8 and was rubbing the wheel wells i got springs that are for a 340 special I got them from espo.com (recomended by a board member) i called the company and they say there the right ones for the car and that they should settle a little I need 2-3 inches. any ideas i thought about cutting a coil or two off
That's a bummer... What pn spring did you get? My books show a #5346 being the 'correct' replacement. EDIT>>>>> the #5346 may be obsolete. For comparison, my '66 Special measures 14" from the center of the wheel cap to to lip of the front fender. With 235/60-15" tires it sits a tad bit high, but looks kinds cool, in an 'old school' way. :bglasses: My GS measure 13.5" with G70-15's. Unfortunately, your best option would be to put in different springs. I don't know how much new springs will settle.
the part # from espo spring co. was 5244 Iam also 14" from wheel center to front fender the cars not high up like a Gasser but before i did the swap it sat great a lot of people asked if i had lowering springs i am going to wait until spring no pun intended to let the car settle then decide what to do thanks
If, after they settle, you're still not happy with the stance, here's a general rule of thumb for cutting springs. First, use a hacksaw, sawZall, ir die grinder. DO NOT use a torch. I know some people think this should be obvious, but a lot of people don't know that using a torch, although quicker, makes the springs brittle. Second, and this is a rule of thumb, and not so much an exact science, but every half coil is about 1 inch of height. The exception being the little pigtail on the end of the spring that is bent in. That is only good for a drop equal to the diameter of the spring. So, when everything settles, and you think you want to lower the front by cutting, measure where you want it, and cut less of at first. As much of a pain in the ass it is to put it together to take it apart again, you can always take more off later. Good Luck, -Josh
Thanks for that info Josh. I also thought of leaving a few hundred pound sand bags on the hood over the winter is that just stupid?
I guess that depends on what you want your hood to look like when you pull them off in the spring time. I figure your springs should settle about a half an inch to an inch, max. From there, you can decide what you're in for as far as lowering your stance from there. -Josh
Hi. I've cut my front springs. A very easy way to do it is to get A RotoZip. That's what I used and I could not believe how quickly it went through it. I had water ready for a long haul cut. It took no more than 15-20 seconds and it was through it. Try and take a measurement of the spring while it's in the car and compressed from one coil to another to help determine how much to cut to get the desired ride height. Then the sand bags will help with this as you just keep loading them on until the desired ride height is achieved. This will help avoid you taking the springs in and out several times to get the right stance you're after. But always error on the side of caution. You can always cut more out, but you can't "glue" a piece back on. For my car, removing 1 full coil dropped the car 1.25". You must also understand that the springs will become more firm after cutting them. I don't know the science behind it, but you are changing their spring rate when cutting them. It's not a lot, but it does happen. Good luck.
Look up the spec in a specification manual. Any spring manufacturer should be able to supply that to you if you persist. If you can't find one I may have one but I'd have to dig deep for it. As long as it is within that range, it shouldn't matter if you shim up the rears to match the front. Usually you have to measure between the top of the rubber bumper on the lower control arm and the frame. Your springs WILL settle, but rarely more than a half inch or so as measured from the bumper to the floor. If it is higher then the max spec, then I would worry, because that would throw off your front end geometry and no matter how you align the front wheels your tires will wear on the edges and your handling will suffer. Spring height affects the ''camber'' a lot, as well as the ''toe''. As for cutting the spring down, I hope you like a very stiff ride b/c that's what you'll certainly get. :Smarty:
I should take that back. Info is from a 1986 Moog catalog I have. That number may be obsolete. The spring chart does show a 5246, maybe it was just a typo? Your 5244 is listed for other apps such as big and small block Chevelles, and GTO's. It appears to be more of a heavy duty spring....such as cars with A/C. Look at the specs for the #5246....it is designed to 250 lbs less than your #5244. So if you put 250 lbs on your front end (I suggest two 125-lbs girls) and like how it sits ( I mean the car:spank: ) the #5246 spring might be a better choice for you. Will ESPO take returns? IMO they gave you 'too much' spring if you want a low stance. But your present ride height is in the ballpark for 'stock'. I wouldn't recommend cutting the springs. The last coil is wound differently, so if it's cut, it might not sit in the spring pocket properly. Here is an online spec chart for Moog springs: http://bbb-carb.com/moog_Coil_Springs.htm And the chart from my '86 Moog catalog:
Yes espo will take them back thats the easy part. Getting them out and another set in sucks that was an all day affair. I told them 3 times non AC car!
