I just got a set of Moog springs and there is a strip of white paint on each top or bottom spring. Is this to identify top / bottom? Or is this to identify that the white stripes go in the top? I looked but no instructions were given. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Look on the box. IIRC, white is up.

JamesC

 

I did, I looked all over it. It just states that the new springs may be shorter than the originals. I think it is up also, but I just want to make sure before installing.

 

Ignore the paint. It's probably something like a QC mark used in the factory, or the like.

If these are fronts, the end that's ground flat goes on top; and the end of the coil on the bottom goes between the 2 little holes right near the "end" of the coil-shaped spring pocket in the control arm (i.e. you should see the spring there looking through one hole, and see space looking through the other) That's called "indexing" the spring.

 

I've replaced a few sets with Moog replacements. The boxes contained a slip of paper instructing you to install the springs with the white mark oriented, top or bottom, I don't remember. That's not really important though as Sofa is correct in that it is easy to identify the top or bottom of the spring otherwise.

 

Thanks Sofa, the way you described it seems the ground flat end is the white stripe.

There was no paper in the box, but that's fine thanks to Sofa.

Now, if I need to trim the spring do I cut the bottom or top?

 

If you need to trim the spring, cut the end such that, after it's cut, the spring end retains its original shape.

Bottom of the front springs. Although I have read advice to cut the top of the front springs and use heat to form the spring end back 'flat'. I wouldn't use heat though. A cutting disc on a circular saw will slice right through a spring coil.

Don't cut too much.