I want to cut my front coils to improve the stance of my 65. I would like to drop it an inch to an inch and a half. Does anyone have any suggestions on how much coil to cut so that I don't have to take these things in and out several times?
Cutting the coils
- Thread starter TobyGaff
- Start date
68GEETEE
5 Year Member
For what its worth, drop springs are cheap and take the guesswork out of lowering your car. You can purchase a 1" drop spring pair for around 60.00. IF that isnt low enough, you could go ahead and do the Shelby control arm drop which would give you another inch lower.
Cutting coils is a guessing game, once you cut them you change the spring rate, and what happens if you didnt do it right? THen you have one side lower than the other.
Just my opinion.
Cutting coils is a guessing game, once you cut them you change the spring rate, and what happens if you didnt do it right? THen you have one side lower than the other.
Just my opinion.
TurboDoctor
Founding Member
Agreed, Cutting the coils is kinda old school and not really even worth the time. You can buy coils that are 3 times better than stock coils for a reasonable price. Cutting coils still leaves you with a 30 year old coil.
I have cut my springs and know others who have. As long as the springs are new the ride doesn't seem to go bad. I've cut stock springs for people and the handling of the car decreases. I have the 620 springs and cut one coil off which lowered my car one inch. Another guy with the same springs in a 67 with a 289 cut one coil off and it lowered it 1.5 inches. The only problem with mine is that if I jack the car up to where the wheels come off the ground I have to reset the springs because they are too short but my friend with the 67 who cut more off doesn't have this problem. Good luck.
dodgestang
Active Member
TobyGaff said:
Everyone has made suggestions without asking a clarifying question.
Do you have the old stock coils in there now, or have you replaced them already?
For most people when they pull out the old 35yr springs and replace them with the 1 inch drop springs they discover their car to be sitting at the same height and in some cases higher than it was before. Old springs sag with age and the car sits lower because of it.
So, if you have original springs, then FIRST, you want to get drop springs. You do not want to cut and re-use 35 yr old springs...SECOND after installing springs every single time drive around the block to let them settle then look at stance.
After you have done this, or if you already have new springs in your car cutting the springs should be done 1/4 coil at a time...you can always take more off, but you can't put it back on once you cut it off. As a point of note, if you have drop springs now taking the springs out is easy, you don't even need a spring compressor and if you have stock hiehgt new springs, once you start cutting them you will also be able to pop them in and out with a compressor after you have lopped off a little. This whole project should only take an Afternoon and that is including 4-5 repetitions and cutting if you REAALY NEED TO get that low...which you most likely won't.
Also note, cutting the springs will increase your spring rate resulting in a firmer ride....if its firm now, you will approach harsh ride charateristics quickly. I have made this recommendation before that if you are running 620 drop springs and want to start cutting them, you might consider buying a softer spring, installing it to see height, and then cutting to suit....since each cut will increase the spring rate.
To cut the springs, take both out of the car, sit them next to each other and mark them at the smae time so you can be sure that you are removing the same amount from each spring other wise one side will sit lower than the other and you will have different spring rates from side to side.
Mark your springs, and cut them with a cut off wheel...do not use a torch this will 'hurt' the springs.
brianj5600
Active Member
Cutting coils to lower an inch won't change the spring rate much. I could not tell the difference on my S10. Start with 3/4 to 1 coil. If the spring won't stay in place at full extension, I would not ride in it. Try it, it is free, if it does not make you happy, buy the springs everyone else is talking about.
Thanks for the advice guys. Since the overwhelming feeling was to not cut the springs, I went out and got a set of 1 inch drop springs. I have them in, but also have the steering and engine out of the car, so I can't really tell the difference right now, but once I get it back together, hopefully it will put me where I want to be.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
68GEETEE
5 Year Member
dodgestang said:
The point is not about new or old springs, the point is cutting coils is old school technology and is unnecessary with the quality parts available that will achieve the goal the first time out of the box, no guessing games.
dodgestang
Active Member
68GEETEE said:
You missed my point. I know a lot of people that BOUGHT the drop springs and were still not happy with the height and wanted it lower. I agree buying drop springs is the correct way to lower the car, but if you have bought them already and still want it lower, then what?
I always like to preface advise (online especially) by trying to find out the most about a certain situation first. The orignal poster did not say if he had new or used springs (at least if he did, I missed it) so I thought it best rather than just say "Buy drop springs cutting is bad" (which is actually my personal opinion) I would include as much information as possible. It is true by and far far most of the time that if you have original springs on your mustang, it is already sitting at or more than an 1 inch lower than stock height because of spring sag. Given this well documented condition, simply installing new drop springs if you are replacing stock originals will have no effect on the current height of the car. Prob. something worth mentioning...which I did.
68GEETEE
5 Year Member
zookeeper
Founding Member
Too often, people who don't know anything other than what it says in the parts catalog simply bolt on parts without realizing that it still may not be what you wanted. To suggest that you can buy that set of coils that will give your car the perfect stance along with a perfect ride is a pipe dream at best. I say if your car sits level now and you're satisfied with the spring rate, then cut 'em. Cut a half or quarter coil at a time, reinstalling them after each cut and moving the car forward and backwards a few times to settle them and see if that's what you're after. Think it's too much work and you'd simply like to buy 'n bolt? What're you going to when your new springs sit the same as your old one's or worse, higher? Don't think it doesn't happen because it does. A coworker of mine is a parts salesman's dream. He wanted the low look and bought some one inch drop 620's only to find the car sat a touch higher than his stockers. So he cut them only to find that by cutting a coil off made them go from a bit stiff to waaay too stiff. So he bought a $180 set of progressives that sat a little lower, then installed KYB's, which raised it a touch and caused a harsh ride. So he removed that whole works bought a pair of 550 custom-wound coils ($$$$) and was right back to a stock height car. I spent a Saturday dropping my A-arms an inch and cutting my springs a quarter coil at a time until I got it where I felt it looked best. Maybe it's just personal preference, but I like the stance of my car much better and my total expense was...zero. My point is, no matter what road you choose, be prepared to spend time and effort (very unpopular these days, I know) getting it perfect. Don't settle for "close enough" or you'll be sorry every time you drive the thing. Ok enough of my ranting.
WOW. You go Zoo.
Toby: You should wait to do anything with you suspension until you have your engine back in the car. That way it will be loaded down. The engine weight will do funny things the springs. I know having gone from a 289 to a 429, and clamped down sporings to supported springs. The 620s are going to work for me, but I took my time deciding. Take your time and do one project at a time.
Toby: You should wait to do anything with you suspension until you have your engine back in the car. That way it will be loaded down. The engine weight will do funny things the springs. I know having gone from a 289 to a 429, and clamped down sporings to supported springs. The 620s are going to work for me, but I took my time deciding. Take your time and do one project at a time.
zookeeper
Founding Member
Good point, you can't accurately set the ride height until everything is on the car. Another trick is to weight the car with the weight of any passengers regularly carried. Early Mustangs are very softly sprung and 300lbs of passenger (that is passenger and driver) weight makes a height difference of nearly an inch on my car. Set your car too low with no weight inside and you might find it riding on the bumpstops when it comes time to actually drive it. A trick used by pro builders is to fabricate something to take the place of the springs that is adjustable when trying to get an idea of what looks good to you. For instance, make up a solid bar with a piece of pipe slid over it and holes drilled every half inch and a pin place through the holes. Then you can mount this jig in where the spring would go and try various heights until you get it to look like you want. Then measure the fender height, install your springs and you'll at least have a "target" to try for if you decide you need to cut your springs. Yes, it is a lot of work, but the results are well worth it. Before I stripped my car for paint, I dropped it, added the wheels and tires I wanted, and drove it almost daily for nearly a year. I was amazed at how many times I looked out the window of the shop I work at to see someone stopped to look at the car. I mean the thing was not perfect at all! It had faded paint (and a mis-matched repair on one side), ripped driver's seat, rusty bumpers, etc. and people would gawk at it like it was the nicest car in the lot! I attribute that solely to wheel and tire size and stance. Get that right and all else is forgiven, get it wrong and all the paint and chrome in the world won't matter.67GTA-FB429 said:
67GTA-FB429 said:
Yes, I know that. When the engine was in the car, it sat too high, so I put in the drop coils. Once I have the engine back in, then I will decide if the coils helped... and I wish I could go from a 289 to a 429.... preferably in a Boss!
-Toby
HistoricMustang
Active Member
Face it, you are going to have to cut them to get the exact height you desire. It is an ugly job but has to be done unless you want to have several sets of "pre cut" springs laying around.
Get a hack saw or die grinder and a new set of 620's (I use 750's) and set aside and afternoon of jacking the car up and down, cutting springs and moving the car between cuts and of course an adult beverage or two and the usual cuss words.
HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com
Get a hack saw or die grinder and a new set of 620's (I use 750's) and set aside and afternoon of jacking the car up and down, cutting springs and moving the car between cuts and of course an adult beverage or two and the usual cuss words.
HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com
Any future engine mods should also be planned out, I know when I put long tubes on my 289 instead of stock exhaust manifolds, the front end rose about 1/2" on stock springs. There's a big difference in weight between cast iron and aluminum heads and manifold, too. These will affect final ride height.
67GTA-FB429 said:
I did the same thing with my 620 springs... I ended up cutting a coil off and lowered the car an additional inch and half. LOOKs great but have not driven it yet???? I used aluminum heads, R model front, fiberglass hood, I was thinking this was the cause of the 1" lowering springs not letting the car down as much as I had hoped.
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