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Old 02-02-2010, 02:02 PM   #1
glock35ipsc
Next project: 1970 K10
 
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Location: Fort Collins, Colo 80524
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When figuring out how much drop you want.....

I just wanted to throw this out there......

Keep in mind when measuring for your drop that you need to take into account the wear of your stock suspension and springs. Drops are generally figured from a stock ride height with a suspension and springs that are not worn out or have many many miles on them. I've seen too many people measure where their truck sits at that moment, then order an x/x drop and are disappointed that they only got a 1" drop from where they were before, when they were expecting a 3" drop.

True, replacing hard parts, like a spindle, will likely yield the advertised drop. And more custom stuff like air bags and frame mods are obviously not a concern here. But when springs are involved (leaf or coil), that's probably not going to be the case. I have seen that many times with the 67-72 crowd who lower with springs front and rear. I knew someone who ordered 2" lowering springs for the front of his truck, and it sat HIGHER than with the old worn out un-cut springs he replaced! Kind of a pricey mistake.

This is just something that popped into my head while noticing several drop threads lately, and thought I would post this simply as an FYI to the folks who are new to all this crazy stuff.
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Old 02-02-2010, 02:10 PM   #2
S10Fan
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Re: When figuring out how much drop you want.....

You bring up an excellent point. Cutting 1 coil on truck A could easily bring totally different results when cutting 1 coil on truck B.

I've seen brand new springs right out of the box show different "spring rate" when tested with a spring rate tester.

Here's a good article on coil springs............

http://www.stockcarproducts.com/spgtech.htm
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'99 Silverado 1500, 4.3, 5-speed, reg cab, short bed
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Old 02-02-2010, 03:08 PM   #3
JohnC
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Re: When figuring out how much drop you want.....

Great tid bit Bob!
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