cuttin' coils

[BluTrukker]

If I cut the front coils will it seriously affect my suspension geometry? Has anyone had any major issues? I only plan on cutting one wrap out. Roughly how much drop would I get out of this? If I cut the rears the same, it should drop evenly right? Can I still use the factory shocks? Its a 68 C10 LWB.

[big_al_71]

Originally Posted by BluTrukker

If I cut the front coils will it seriously affect my suspension geometry? Has anyone had any major issues? I only plan on cutting one wrap out. Roughly how much drop would I get out of this? If I cut the rears the same, it should drop evenly right? Can I still use the factory shocks? Its a 68 C10 LWB.

you can cut the front and it will ride like crap you can cut from one to three coils up front and it will lower as much as three inches. The back can not be cut because of the pig tails on top and bottom are need to be held in place. You can heat them so the truck will really ride like crap. Once you wlower it the factory shock would be too long and would be bottomed out.



The lowering springs alone are like $225.00 shipped for all four just buy those and it will ride 100% better. then get your self some shocks and you are set..

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

you can cut the front and it will ride like crap .......

Sorry, but that's not an accurate comment. I agree that it is better to replace the coil with a new one, but cutting a wrap off the stock set will not make it ride bad. I wouldn't cut more than one or one and a half but there are those that have cut more and say they ride good.

[BluTrukker]

If I get the lowering springs, I will still need shorter shocks right?

[72BlckButy]

That will depend on how low you go....

[BluTrukker]

I am thinking only one wrap. I don't want to drag frame, I just want a slightly lower stance than factory. Will it mess up the camber on the front and make the wheel look tipped in? So other than getting lowering springs, the rears can only be lowered with heat? I really don't care to do that.

[cduster]

You can use spacers between the axel and trailing arm to lower the rear some. I cut 1 coil from the front on mine with no adverse effects. still rides the same. 1 complete coil was between 2 and 3 inches on mine.

[BluTrukker]

2-3 inches sounds about right. Can you lower the rear that much with blocks only? Could the blocks be fabbed out of square tube, or would you recommend buying them? I ask only because I am on a super tight budget and need to reserve most of that for body work and paint this winter. I have the tools and knowledge to do fabrication, but this is the first time I have ever lowered anything.

[big_al_71]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Sorry, but that's not an accurate comment. I agree that it is better to replace the coil with a new one, but cutting a wrap off the stock set will not make it ride bad. I wouldn't cut more than one or one and a half but there are those that have cut more and say they ride good.

I am talking from experience from my own trucks on good roads here in miami. As far I am concerned it does not get anymore accurate than that.

[68C10HotRod]

I'm going to agree with cduster. I cut my fronts 1 loop & gained about 2" so I did 1.5 loops & got a little over 3". This put top of the tire (255/60/15 on 15x8 ralley) at top of the fender lip - it looked really nice & didn't ride too bad but the 88-98 disc conversion pushes the tire out a little & it rubbed on hard dips in the road. BTW, use a cutoff wheel to cut coils, not a torch.

If you don't care about load capacity in the bed, PM me if you might be interested in a cheap set of rear coils that say 5" drop. I had to change them to 4" when I raised the front up 1" to keep from having a tail dragger.

[UltraBlue71]

I have seen the front coils cut on several of these trucks, (always with a cutoff wheel too, 68 c-10) my family has been doing it for years, The truck may bottom out a little easier but it has never affected the ride quality on any of them, I cut a full coil (circle) out of my 3/4 ton it dropped it 1-1.5 at the bottom of the front bumper, I then installed standard 1/2 ton shocks and it rides like a champ.
Now if the spring is shot its shot, cutting a coil out will make it even softer, which may be what Big Al is referring to.

I would try cutting the one you have first and if it works great, if not buy yourself a set of lowered ones and try them
but what do I know, I'm just a low life pink named user.....

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by BluTrukker

2-3 inches sounds about right. Can you lower the rear that much with blocks only? Could the blocks be fabbed out of square tube, or would you recommend buying them? I ask only because I am on a super tight budget and need to reserve most of that for body work and paint this winter. I have the tools and knowledge to do fabrication, but this is the first time I have ever lowered anything.

You can fab rear blocks out of square tube or some guys take old trailing arms, cut the ends off and use them as lowering blocks.

[epashhans]

Originally Posted by UltraBlue71

I have seen the front coils cut on several of these trucks, (always with a cutoff wheel too, 68 c-10) my family has been doing it for years, The truck may bottom out a little easier but it has never affected the ride quality on any of them, I cut a full coil (circle) out of my 3/4 ton it dropped it 1-1.5 at the bottom of the front bumper, I then installed standard 1/2 ton shocks and it rides like a champ.
Now if the spring is shot its shot, cutting a coil out will make it even softer, which may be what Big Al is referring to.

I would try cutting the one you have first and if it works great, if not buy yourself a set of lowered ones and try them
but what do I know, I'm just a low life pink named user.....

My truck had the front coils cut from the previous owner...so I am unsure how many, but I would say around 3"-3.5". It rides fine. Actually it rides quite nice, but it bottoms out very easily. This gets old real fast. If you hit anything uneven going around corners it even bottoms out. It would probably help if I had newer shocks and sway bars. And my truck has a 454...so a little more weight in the front. As you can see there are lots of variables. Its a good amount of work to take out the springs, cut them and then put them in, but its cheap. As you can see you will get mixed opinions on here. I would say go for it, see if you like it while you have a chance to save some money, and if you don't you can get yourself some drop springs. One thing about the putting blocks in the back...it works, but if you have to go very much it puts your trailing arms down closer to the road...it also depends on what wheel/tire combo you have going. I simply don't like being able to see so much of the trailing arms from a side view. Either way, you will figure it out!

I bit the bullet and bought this kit with a 3/5 drop:

Lowering and Handling kit

You can choose 1-3" drop on the front and 3-5" drop on the rear I believe. Seemed to be the best deal I could find for a complete kit...that had everything I needed. I guess we will see! PM me in a few months and I will let you know what I think. I have a feeling it will be a very large improvement...or at least I hope so...

[meangreen68]

don't forget that if you use lowering blocks on the back more than 1" and run 15" wheels, you will have bolts draging the ground if you have a flat tire. Alot of people do it anyway, but thought I'd mention it. I also cut my front coils 1loop, and used heat to lower the rears, but I have an extra set of stock springs to put back if I have a problem. Just to add my 2 cents, It did affect the ride quality a little on front and significantly on the rear. And one of my rear shocks started leaking oil soon after. Watch this sites classifieds, there are springs on here often.

[BluTrukker]

Thanks for all the info guys. I definitely have some things to think about. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Should be starting body work around christmas.

[Shane]

You cut 3 rounds off a front coil spring on these trucks and you're gonna need some new coil springs.

1 full round normally equates to about 1 1/2" - 2" of drop. My experience is that cut coils don't drive distinctly different than dropped coils.

[BB72CHEVKT]

Also remember the springs that are on there now are approx 40 years old and are more than likely sagging. If you buy drop springs you may not see as much drop as you thought you might get.

[BluTrukker]

so if one wrap equals about2 inches, roughly how much of a drop do I need to bring the rear down to level or slightly higher than the front? I suppose that is one of those trial and error deals.

[chevjayfsd]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

you can cut the front and it will ride like crap you can cut from one to three coils up front and it will lower as much as three inches. The back can not be cut because of the pig tails on top and bottom are need to be held in place. You can heat them so the truck will really ride like crap. Once you wlower it the factory shock would be too long and would be bottomed out.



The lowering springs alone are like $225.00 shipped for all four just buy those and it will ride 100% better. then get your self some shocks and you are set..

No way in hell I'd ever cut 3 coils off of the spring... That's asking for trouble.

Just by a set of drop springs and you'll be happy.

[chevy truck crazy]

Ya just drop a little cash and then it will ride like a dream, I cut a coil up front on some 2 inch drop springs so it would have a little more of a rake to it and then I used lowering shocks and it rides better than I would have imagined.

[leddzepp]

Bottoming out all the time equates to poor ride quality in my book.

[epashhans]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

Bottoming out all the time equates to poor ride quality in my book.

Exactly. Not many miles and you get sick of it real quick...definitely worth the money to do it right...if you have the money.

[BADPURPLE70CHEVY]

Buy drop springs and save the trouble.....

[UltraBlue71]

Blutrukker I took my truck to a spring shop and they rebuilt my rear leaf package in my 3/4 ton, they took out 3-4 springs then de-arched them to make the truck sit level then baked them in a kiln to re-temper them, this dropped the back 4 inches, keep in mind this is a truck with the heavy rear spring option... I then cut 1 round out of the front coils for a little rake. I did this because it saved me a little money and you get the same result as dropped springs. It sits exactly the way I want it to on the 265/70/r16 tires, they fill the wheelwells up and you cant see the inner fenders or wheelwells on the bedsides which is what I was looking for.

By the way your signature block is one of my all time favorite quotes
and it has inspired me to change mine to one of a piggish nature...

[BluTrukker]

Thanks for all the info guys, I'll keep you posted on my progress