I swapped in a 406 to replace my lathargic LG4 in my 85 Camaro sport coupe, and in the process took the AC and obviously all the emmisions equipment out. Now the front of the car sits really high. I'd like to lower it, not lowrider, just about 1/2-3/4 under stock. Would it be bad to cut my stock springs to make this work? I'm not looking to get the car to handle better by doing this, just to have a better stance. I have a PST front end kit and GR2 struts and shocks... Otherwise does anyone sell just a set of front lowering springs? Thanks!

Dave

 

I'd do lowering springs personally....

 

did you have the front tires off the ground for a long period of time? if so you may just need to drive the car for a while to let the front settle back in. otherwise, i would cut the springs. cutting a half coil will result in a 1" drop or there abouts and will also increase the springrate about 10% so if you're starting with some pretty stiff springs you may find them to be too stiff after you cut them. do a search on the proper procedure to cut the springs.

 

Dave, isn't a 406 much heavier than the 305? Seems like the lack of a/c equipment would still have the 406 being heavier. (I pulled my a/c system from my car, it truthfully wasn't as heavy as I thought.)

 

same thing happened with my 350 swap, car sat with the springs fully extended for about a week, after that they slowly returned to just above normal

 

A 400 (why people insist on altering its CID "name" after performing routine maintenance to correct a worn-out condition is a mystery to me) is within a pound or 2 one way or the other of a 305, or a 350, or a 283, or a 327.... they're all small block Chevy motors.

They're right about the springs settling after being unloaded for a long time. Give it a few weeks of driving before you decide it's really necessary to do anything.

 

The point is not one motor weighing more or less than another. Anyone who's worked on SBC motors would know that. Especially someone who did just a little more than "perform routine maintainance to repair a worn condition", ask me for the specs and then we'll talk. I'm sorry if I confused you, I have a 0.030" over 400. There's no reason to insult a person's intelligence on this forum.

The question is refering to the reason the car is higher in the front than it should be (especially after driving it 20,000 miles after the swap) and how it should be corrected.

 

OK, that's different then, the springs would certainly have had time to settle.

But if they're old stock springs, then they're .... old stock springs. It's amazing how much different a car will drive with new springs. If you're going to go to all the trouble of taking them out and messing with them, get new ones. Find some that are specified to drop it a small amount from the stock height, like an inch or so, to avoid the front-end-dragging-the-ground look.

My comment about the weight was in regards to the post about a 400 weighing more than a 305, which of course it does not.

OBTW I had a 400 in my 83 for many years; when I got sick of my worn-out stock springs I put in a set of Moog ones, part # 5662 IIRC. Ride height is about the same as stock. It did not change noticeably when I put this weenie 305 back in it to get the car through California emissions.