Lowering

[Firecap44]

I have an 87 2wd truck would like to lower it. So here's the question can it be done by cutting a round or two off coils and doing a flip in rear?

[panhandler62]

Both will lower the respective ends of the truck. I wouldn't cut more than a single round though (opinion does vary on that)

If you want to go lower than that I would swap in drop spindles.

[Firecap44]

How low will one round get and a flip in rear?

[tinydb84]

Likely 2 in the front and 5 in the rear.

[CC69Rat]

A coil spring works a lot different than it may appear. Us humans would think hey, it's 14" long.. If I cut one round out of it it's now 12" long. I get a 2" drop.

Think of it like a diving board. Let's say the board is 10' long. A 250 lb guy bounces off the end and the recoil puts him 3' in the air.. The board flexes whatever amount.

Now, cut 2 feet off the board. The same guy jumps off the end. The board will be stiffer and less recoil right?

Your spring is just a straight bar all coiled up to create spring tension. If you cut a round out of it you also lose the tension of what that extra round once held up (truck drops lower) and the spring becomes stiffer like the diving board example.

One turn in the spring will yield more drop than just the height difference. I'm not saying it's wrong to cut the springs. I have cut small block springs in my big block truck. Why?.. to reclaim that stiffness for the weight of my motor and still get the drop I was looking for.

Just make sure you get an alignment if you decide to do it.. and expect a little stiffer ride. Good luck man.

Laterz..

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by CC69Rat

A coil spring works a lot different than it may appear. Us humans would think hey, it's 14" long.. If I cut one round out of it it's now 12" long. I get a 2" drop.

Think of it like a diving board. Let's say the board is 10' long. A 250 lb guy bounces off the end and the recoil puts him 3' in the air.. The board flexes whatever amount.

Now, cut 2 feet off the board. The same guy jumps off the end. The board will be stiffer and less recoil right?

Your spring is just a straight bar all coiled up to create spring tension. If you cut a round out of it you also lose the tension of what that extra round once held up (truck drops lower) and the spring becomes stiffer like the diving board example.

One turn in the spring will yield more drop than just the height difference. I'm not saying it's wrong to cut the springs. I have cut small block springs in my big block truck. Why?.. to reclaim that stiffness for the weight of my motor and still get the drop I was looking for.

Just make sure you get an alignment if you decide to do it.. and expect a little stiffer ride. Good luck man.

Laterz..

And..... While it's true the ride can potentially become more harsh than vs the un-cut coils, it's possible it might not be enough for the amount of drop the vehicle would now have & you run into an issue w/bottoming out easier.

The safe thing is 1-coil max. If you need more beyond that, I would recommend shorter coils w/a better (optimal) spring rate for the amount of drop.

[chevyrestoguy]

A single coil cut in the front, plus a pair of drop spindles, and a flip in the rear will give you a 4/6 drop, which works great on the '73-'87 trucks.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

A single coil cut in the front, plus a pair of drop spindles, and a flip in the rear will give you a 4/6 drop, which works great on the '73-'87 trucks.

x2

[PEDROSKI]

Im torn between cutting a coil or doing a drop spring. Already buying moog steering parts and bushing. Do I cheap out and just cut a coil?

[tinydb84]

Originally Posted by PEDROSKI

Im torn between cutting a coil or doing a drop spring. Already buying moog steering parts and bushing. Do I cheap out and just cut a coil?

I'm all for cutting the spring but there is a chance you pull your springs and they are all bent or different heights. Just FYI

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by PEDROSKI

Im torn between cutting a coil or doing a drop spring. Already buying moog steering parts and bushing. Do I cheap out and just cut a coil?

It's your call really.... If you don't mind getting back in there after a trial period then cut a coil off the current springs & see if you like it. If you don't want to mess w/the current springs & are already buying Moog parts:

Moog # 6082 722 lbs/in 6 cyl, and light v-8
Moog # 6542 842 lbs/in std v-8
Moog # 6102 1015 lbs/in bigblock, longbed c.s.
Moog # 6104 1016 lbs/in 3/4 ton, sits 1/2" higher than #6102
Moog # 6454 1060 lbs/in 3/4t bbc, c.s, 1ton

Fresh springs w/the appropriate rates. Cutting a coil will increase the rates slightly (10-15% from what I've read).

[PEDROSKI]

Thanks for the info gentlemen.