I have a set of iroc front coil springs [5662] ready to put in my 82 z,,, that has 242,000 miles. But i was thinking of putting base camaro springs in [5602]and cut half a coil off,, as to soften ride but lowered it also. Any thoughts...--- AT this time on orig springs i hate the harsh ride.-Also when replacing do i compress the orig spring TOO THE lower arm ,, and remove ???.----[Im gonna replace bushings in arms]

You don't HAVE to compress the stock springs, before lowering the a-arm.

I DO recommend though, if you don't compress the stock springs & what I've always done in the past......

Wrap a short chain around the a-arm & the lowest coil of the spring. In the event that it tries to fly out, the chain will hold the spring in place & preventing it from becoming a projectile at you, when lowering the jack under the a-arm SLOWLY. Chances are it won't, but a chain is cheap insurance.

thanks,,, now when im changing springs by lowering the control arm,, your saying you undo the two pivot bolts right ??? and lower it with jack under arm.---

We are talking about the fronts right?

Easiest & SAFEST (don't ask how I know) way it to leave the 2 bolting/pivot bolts in place. Pull the tie rod ends loose, wrap the chain in place, get the floor jack in place under the a-arm, jack it up ever so slightly, take the nut off the ball joint, pop the ball joint out....Then SLOWLY lower the jack.

Make sure the car is jacked up HIGH enough before you start, & on jack stands. To swing the a-arm down far enough, its gonna hang down pretty far, before the spring will clear.

the 5602 springs are rated at a really soft rate of 347lbin. so hacking off 1/2 coil will drop u alot. with the softer rates u could drop 2" where as the 5662/5660/5664 u would drop something like 1" bc of the higher rates. the 347lbin rate with 1/2 coil cut would be like 2" drop minimum i would say and increase your spring rate to about 400-450lbin rate. i dont think your gona be happy with the results. esp with the weight of your V8 etc. i would stick with the 5660 and then cut off wat u want. its a 598lbin rate where as the 5662 is a 704lb rate and the 5664 is a 748lbin rate.

get the 5660 is a soft spring for the V8 it was used on 305 carb/TBIs like the RS's. and then u can hack off the 1/2 coil for 1" drop and get a lower rate then the 5662s.

when u take the springs out make sure u have a jack under the Aarm and lower it slowly. u could put a chain around it and loop it in the chain/aarm for saftey. i dont do it but u have to be careful. putting it in will be more difficult. loosen the Aarm bolts to lower it and the same to install the spring. problem with stock springs is that they are a real pain bc they are so tall. u will prob need a spring compressor to compress the spring inorder to get it in. make sure its seated properly in the Aarm pocket and that u also have the rubber isolator on top. i just did my fronts, but i cut 3/4 coil off my new moog 5664s. i didnt need a spring compressor but it was still a pain to get in. once u figure it out, i got mine in, in about 15min. thats assembled with struts/swaybar endlinks etc.

Indexed between the two drain holes. For ease of installation, tape the isolator to the spring.

JamesC

thanks guys, im going to buy a set of the 5660 , Also i read where someone was changing spring by taking out pivot bolts and then lower. arm ??? -- MY OLD TRICK, was use the old spring as a helper to break ball joint loose [nut loosened] then cut the old spring with a torch to relieve tension,, and then lower arm, and remove old spring [pieces]----- hey,, wheres a good place to get thos 5660 springs

I know the strut is safer to do spring swaps but my monza has the type that pockets into the body and the LCA and the shock was run in the middle of the spring. But pulling the spring was a pain in the @$$ so I decided to do something stupid but fun and that was to put a jack under the LCA and pull the shock out and put a bar behind the spring and lower the jack from a safe place and from under the car pry the spring and launch it across the yard. Don't try it but the distance we got was well over 100ft and it could kill a person.

u have to shop around. summit isnt that expensive but u have an automatic 10$ handling fee. i got mine from amazon for 54$ free shipping. was at my house in 4days, 3days before xmass.

the spring will kill u if it shoots out. dont be near it when u are lowering the Aarm. i like to hide by the doors and lower it like alil girl. i use electical tape to hold the spring isolators. i also just unbolt the top of the strut from the strut tower and unbolt the sway bar endlinks and pull the brake lines. the spring is lowered and the whole Aarm/brake/strut/spindal etc assmebly comes down all together and the Aarm pivot bolts can be unbolted and the whole assembly removed as one piece. allows uninstall/intall alot easier/faster.

I just unbolt the lower ball joint (once the car is jacked up and sitting on jack stands and the a-arm is supported by a jack), and then lower the jack slowly until it's free. That's the way I've found to be most effective. Probably a good idea to chain the spring to the arm somehow, but I've never done it.

yes,, i got the 5660 springs coming.--Now im trying to decide if i want to hack off half a coil ?????.--- My exper, with moog springs is they sit higher than they should.-I put in a set of iroc rear springs last summer, and as i suspected it sits too high.[ more than stock iroc] - gonna try some how to lower back this spring.

You could consider going with Ground Control Weight Jacks.

Deciding to go with different rate spring (stiffer or softer) in the future is cheap & you can adjust up or down for FREE in the future.

Once you cut, your down.....Can't go back up.

ground control weight jacks . ????? what exactly are you refering too, if i may ask.--- Nevert mind i did search,,, i think ill stay with orig plan.

In case you didn't find their page....
http://www.ground-control.com/gccamcat.htm

Weight Jacks are THE choice of road race or autocross.

I'm getting a set sometime between now and when I start my LS1 swap. Want to get the ride height without experimenting with different springs.

Exactly why I suggested the weight jacks...Choose your spring rate, then have a few inches of up & down adjustment, without spending a penny.

Same spring rate, different height.

Very true. Just make sure when ordering to not get a soft rate and expect to drop the car all the way down. I think I'm getting 700/150 and 800/175 so that I can have a set for a ride close to mine and then a stiffer set for auto-x.

ok i checked them out ,,but gonna stick with 5660 spring. has anyone here actuall put the 5660 spring in and how was the height.???? or the iroc spring

ok,, i got my 5660 springs today. And i also have a set of the iroc? 5662. Having hard time as to which to use,, Any sugestions, anyone who has used either and how they liked the ride ?

WOW ,, did a search here --Now im not sure at all which spring to use 5660 and cut half coil or the iroc spring,, and dont cut ?????????

haha man ur freaking out.

the rear springs u stuck in are prob giving u the ORIGINAL right off the show room floor ride height.. anyone who has bought a 3rd gen and has the original springs in it, i can bet u are sagging already. 20yrs on a spring will cause it to sag. the moogs raised the car to original ride height. i have heard of the moog 5665 AKA rear springs to increase orginal ride height by 1/2" or so... but thats all heresay.

u have a few options both the 5660 and 5662 will give u the same ride height. there will be alot of fender gap in the front just like the stock rear. if u install either of them without cutting coils all ur gona have is stock height but 2 different spring rates. the 5662 spring will have a harsher ride as well as a stiffer ride. u will feel more bumps in the road etc. the 5660 installed will give u same ride height but alil softer of a ride... u will feel less bumps and the car will be a smoother ride than the 5662. the 5662 is a more performance spring rate compared to the 5660. if you want stock ride height then just install the one that will give u the ride quality u want. if u want it lower then u only have one other choice.

your next delema is that if want it lower than stock height u have to start cutting. if u cut the 5662 u will lower it. but u will also increase spring rate. this will give u a harsher ride than wat u have already. spring rate will increase to about 800lb in from the 704 its rated at depending on how much u cut off. so if u really want a lowered ride height but not a harsher ride then ur only real choice is to cut the 5660. By cutting the 5660 u will increase the spring rate but depending on how much u cut the rate can still be lower than the stock 5662 spring rate and u can achieve a lower ride height then the stock 5662/5660 ride height.

a general rule of thumb is that your suppose to hack off a 1/2 coil first and install it, drive it around for a week or 2. if u want it lower then u have to rip it all apart and hack off 1/4 more of a coil. and continue this process(1/4 coil cuts) till desired ride height is achieved. now i can tell u that the 5660 spring if u were to hack off say. 1/2 coil u will drop the ride height about 1" and increase spring rate by about 10%. so spring rate of 598lbin u will have 660lbin rate approximatly with 1/2 coil removed. so u will still have a softer spring than the 5662 but will have a lower ride height. so ur car wont look like a 4x4. its up to u. its not recomended to cut more than 1 full coil off. this will give u a crazy drop of more than 2" and not enough spring rate for the amount of drop. i wouldnt go more than 3/4 coil with yours since u want a somewat smoother ride.

i would do the 1/2 coil cut from the 5660 spring and it will be easier to install then the full lengeth spring. ur prob gona need a spring compressor. and when u cut coils off a spring. use a cut off wheel please. and do it like 30sec on and take a min or 2 off. i like to cut for 30sec on one and then do the other. take a min brake and then repeat. this is so the spring doesnt heat up much. also u are cutting the bottom of the spring. the side that fits into the Aarm pocket. its the opposite of the side of the moog spring that is painted with a white spot.

how much did u get the springs for? if u mess up or if its not what u like then u only made a 60$ boo boo. and u can throw on the 5662s. if u cut off 1/2 coil and do it evenly on both sides. install them right. im sure u'll be happy with the results. u should have a smoother ride but one that doesnt look like a 4x4. GOOD LUCK!

remember i just did this to my moog 5664s. 3/4 coil hacked off in one shot and had it installed in about 1hr time. take ur time. cut it in spurts allow the metal to cool and ur golden.

Thanks custom,,,,I was just unsure which to put in.-My exper, with moog springs that i have done over the years is that they WILL, sit higher than normal ??, And was afraid if i put in the 5662 it will be chopper or 4x4.-- IM going to cut the 5660 half coil, and see if i like.--ill repost with results.-- P.S. last summer i put in the iroc rear springs and compared it to a freinds iroc that has only 15,000 miles orig, and im a good inch higher.-So it seems- Moog stock replacments seem to sit higher

now the rear springs is a diff story. some believe they sit higher and sum dont. i have my stock WS6 springs and they seem to be the same height. same number of coils etc. but some guy tested the spring rate and although he didnt post spring rates (he had his own spring rate machine) he stated that they springs are stiffer than the 107lbin advertised moog rate. he stated removing the rear isolator and cutting a 1/2 coil off the rear will net u a 1" drop than stock and a spring close to 200lbin rate. if thats correct and using a spring calculator will prob determine that the rear springs are not 107lb in but i would say closer to the 160lbin range. this is calculating increase in spring rate with 1/2 coil cut. the rear should increase maybe 30lbin. the increase spring rate prob accounts for the higher rear stance when replaced with the moog 5665.

as far as 15,000 miles... that doenst mean the springs arent sagging. just the weight of the car on the springs will cause sag over 20yrs.

its not that the moog springs seem to sit higher bc they are just taller springs... but that the moog rates are higher than stock which causes raised ride height. personally that is a good thing. from what i kno the Ebiach springs prokit/sportlines just lower ride height and not spring rate. so the prokits rate is 704lbin front and 100-160lbin rear progressive. that is how they lower the height. the fronts are just trimmed moogs essentially, just 1" shorter in free height. the rears are just super soft and progressive. this low 100lbin beginning rate lets the car settle lower until it compresses enough for the progressive'ness to kick in. this is how they get the rear to settle lower than stock... essentially just putting shorter springs with stock rates. and putting softer springs in the rear.

real sports cars dont use progressive spring rates since it allows for a squisher ride due to having to go through a longer range of motion to get the desired rates. linear springs are far better, and provide constant predictable spring rates.

Sorry to ask a silly question, but what are the rates for a stock 1989 RS with the 305 TBI??? I am going to go for half a coil, and hope I get right around 1 inch or so drop in the front..How much will this effect Ride quality, handling, etc????..Thanks, Tom

it would prob be the moog 5660. rated at 598lbin.

cutting a 1/2 coil will lower it 1" and increase spring rate by roughly 10% so ud be at like 658lbin. thats not too bad its soft. so ur ride will be smooth but not as smooth as ur stock is now. it will sit 1" lower front. so i would prob remove the rear spring isolator and that will lower it 1/2" rear.

you ride quality wont suffer too much. it will be a lil stiffer than ur stocker but will let u be a tinny winny bit more spirited in ur driving. again upgrading to the 5662 will make it stiffer and allow u to drive the car harder into the corners but u will feel more bumps and ride quality will suffer

This is basically whats you'll end up with. This is 1/2 cut coil up front, 3/4 cut coil rear, & no rear isolaters, on a 90RS/305TBI/T5 car..

hey stephen,, that pic is not to good,, but it looks like it sits alittle lower than 1 inch.--Your pic looks like fender is sitting almost on the tires in the fromt

I don't know how you can call it "not to good"...It is what it is.

The tires NEVER rubbed, not even in full autocross competition, which is the reason for the #12, parts stickers & sponsor lettering.

Is this one better for you? You can see there was about 1" of clearance. In the first pic, it was in grass & the tire turned.

i got an 88 base camaro with the 305. be cuttin the springs soon. springs arnt the best, but theyll do for now. i want it to be close to that one you have in the picture right there stephen. maybe a little lower. kind of afraid that with it being so low, if i hit bump just right the tires will rub. what kind of tires are you running in that pic of the camaro with stickers? 40's?? unfortunately ill have to do with what i have which is 225/75's, so my tire is a little taller. i think with with 1/2 coil off the front springs and 3/4 coil off the back i should be pretty close to being maybe 1/2 inch from tire to fender lip. what do you think? i know its almost impossible to tell until you do it, but any ideas?

(this is a picture of a members car, but i loved the height i had to steal it.)

i want my camaro to be the same ride height as the front is, the back i think could be lowered like another 1/4", not much but its noticable. you think with that much of a cut i can accomplish this ride height?

245/50ZR16s, front & rear.

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the car with the track wheels, but they were 16 x 8 3-piece Revolutions with 245/45ZR16 Hoosiers for the track.

I wouldn't recommend going much past the 1/2 cut coil front, 3/4 cut coil rear.

thanks stephen,,, i didnt mean anything by the pic of the car being bad,, just the veiwing of the space between fender and wheel,, by the way ill be running stock iroc tire size.--I have a set of the iroc springs too that i might try or the RS Cut spring. -- unsure which ??-- Street driven

Use the IROC springs. A bit stiffer, so they car will handle better & be less "too soft".

My wife drove the race car to work every now & then. Wasn't a too harsh ride, at all.

i was told that the moog iroc spring will set high ???

Higher than a stock, 20yr old, RS spring? Sure. ANY spring will drop SOME after 20 yrs of use. Depending on how it was used in its life.

Stock RS vs Z28 vs....whatever? No. Not unless a 1" +- difference bothers you. All stock springs will given you pretty much the same ride height.

Just get some Weight Jacks & tailor the ride height up or down, to YOUR desired end result, without changing springs....Wishing you had gone stiffer/wishing you had gone softer afterwards is way cheaper too, plus the adjustability of ride height, without changing springs, is nice.

camaro88 that car is sitting pretty low. my sportlines didnt sit that low. they are rated for a 1.6" drop front and 1.3 rear. my car sat more like stephens. altho the 225/75 tires are a bit taller than the stock 245/50's its still hard to say.first thing id do is get rid of those 225/75s for some 245/50/r16 or 245/45/r17s before you start messing with ride height and cutting springs.

SO i have a set of new RS moog and a set of iroc moog new.--mmmmmmmmmmm which to use. --orig was going to cut off half coil from rs spring ???

Cut the IROC springs & put those on.

Cool, Thanks guys...For now im just gonig to do the front, unless I have driving problems like that...I kinda like the raked look....

its a simple decision... if u want better handling and dont mind a more bumpy ride go with the cut moogs. if u just want a lowered car that will ride more like ur stocker then go with the cut RS springs.

i vote moog 5662s aka irocs.... but thats cuz i love harsh rides that can handle like its on rails. hence why i went with 3/4 coil cut off moog 5664s for a 875lbin rate

yeah id love to get some wheels and tires, but i dont have a thousand bucks lol. i wont be able to get wheels and tires for at least 8 months or so (get a better job) so when i end up getting wheels and tires, if its sitting to low ill just get some used IROC springs somewhere. id rather do my springs again in 8 months, then drive around like i got a lift kit. when i do get some wheels and tires, pretty sure im gonna get some 15X10 on the back and 15X8 in the front. 315/50's on the back and 275/40's on the front. buuuuuut that'll be about 1000 dollars later haha

im not sure if you kno how hard it is to get the springs back in the perches... anytime ur taking the springs out u only want to do it once... trust me. ive never had to deal with springs that havent been lowered like sportlines or my cut moog 5664s but they had the same free height so i kno i could get them in. the moogs were kinda pain. but i couldnt imagine doing the stock springs... alot of ppl cant do it and most spring compressors dont work or fail and kill the person. i think u would be better off just waiting. instead of taking it all apart and not being able to get it back together again... and then not have ur ride.

just my .02. but if u do it good luck and hope it works out

i appreciate your concern customblackbird, im not an ASE certified tech or anything "special" like that, but im in a family that is very big with cars and we've restored many older cars (1930's and 40's) so im very sure that me, and my dad can do this. i wouldnt suggest anybody changing springs and dropping rears on their own, its very dangerous. so im very confident that we can tackle this project. itll be easier the second time around anyway, since we already done it once ha.

with the 75 series tire the car is going to look like a 4x4 My suggestion would be If you don't have the dollars for New rims and tires right now. Check craigslist for wheels and tires there are some good deals on there if you can't find any then atleast replace teh tires on your current wheels to at the most a 65 series tire. my stock sc when i got it back in 89 came with 65 series tires I want to say they were 235/65/15 but that was 20 some odd years ago. heres a pic of them on the car.

also here is a pic of my 92 it has stock v6 springs all the way around with a 350 sbc under the hood the rears were the size you were suggesting in the rear. the rears are 275/60/15 and the fronts were 235/65/15 I think I had a total of 250 bucks in the wheels and tires. off of craigslist. 200 for the prostars and tires and the front rims and 50 in the 2 front tires

yeah i been lookin on craigslist. unfortunately im in such a small city that the only good place to look is in chicago, 150 miles away. for a good deal id take the cobalt up there and get them (30 mpg), but like i said im still looking for a good deal. found a couple nice 70's corvette wheels, but im waiting for the day i find some prostars for 200 bucks

dont worry i REALLY want these 75's gone. it does look 4X4. when i got this car the tires were as smooth as the door. i NEEDED tires and needed them now, so i had a junk van that 4 tires with 65% tread and thats where they came from. only had the car for 5 months now, and i been replacing things left and right so i havent had time to save for tires lol. id like to sell my currect wheels for about 150 bucks or so, that would give me more money to spend on wheels. but nobody wants these wheels so they prolly wont ever sell.

i got the SLP wheels ZR1 style on mine. they are 17x8. i got them from SLP a few yrs ago like 2 yrs actually. they were cheap like 500$ for all 4. and i went to a vette show and got Nitto 555s 245/45/r17 for 100$ each. figure 900 for all of it and about 100 for mounting and balancing.

my fam we have 3 vettes. 74stingray,78 vette, and a 68vette convertable with BBC and i have to say i dont like any of the stock rims they had. better off just to keep looking. and im just warning ya not to do the springs yet. hold off but if u want to then let us kno how it turns out. take before and after pics and postem

of course ill post some before and after pics. itll be a little while since ill have to do all the rear end stuff as well. ill take some pics right now so everyone can see what im dealing with. ill get it in like 2 seconds lol

alright so the first is just the whole car. i honestly like the 75 series tire on the back just because it fills the fender well nicely. the front just looks like garbage. the second pic is the front and 3rd is the back. im lookin for a 1- 1.5" drop in the front and about 1" in the back. This wont happen for a while, so ill prolly have new wheels and tires by then (hopefully). im open to any critisizm to my decision, and i def hope for some great discussions. my dad will be makin the LCARB's at work within the next week, and i think if im going to be doing this it will start after my dad swaps the engine in his truck. im gonna be saving money throughout the next couple weeks to buy the proper suspension components, but ill be fabricating my own as well. so we'll have a lot of time to discuss everything so i can get everything planned out to the TEE. thanks guys.

lol geez looks like its riding on balloon tires. those things are huge lol. im used to seeing 245/45/17 or 245/50/16.... those rims look so tiny in them donut tires.

it will look good when ur done hopefully. have your dad look at spohn and UMIs design before he makes the LCARBS. with a 1.5" drop ur gona need the lowest hole to have the correct angle on the LCAs. the 1" drop u can barely get away with the first hole.