About a week ago, I cut a half a coil off of my rear springs and removed the isolators and replaced with heater hose. Now my drivers side is an inch higher than the passenger side. I jacked back up the rear and turned the spring to make sure there was no binding and still it is exactly an inch taller. WTF! Should I cut another half off? Tire pressures are the same too. Any ideas?

 

Was it level before the cutting? Could you have overheated one of the springs more than the other during cutting & caused it to lose strength?

 

Don't think so. I cut in 10 second intervals with about 10 seconds in between. Never really got hot at all. As far as before the cutting, I didn't check the height of both sides before cutting. Do you think I should cut more, like maybe a 1/4 a coil and see where that gets me. I just don't want to go too much, ya know.

 

what did you cut with? a torch? if so, get new springs.

are they both indexed properly and similarly?

 

Apparently, the rears require no indexing.

JamesC

 

I cut them with a cut off wheel with a new disc. I cut the exact amount off of both sides. It's wierd. I've cut springs before and had no problem.

 

Too bad you didn't measure in advance. Some members report a height difference with OE springs.

JamesC

 

So you think I should just trim the taller one till it's where it needs to be?

 

Ok, so I cut almost another half coil off the taller spring(drivers side by the way) and it is no lower, a 1/4 inch lower if that much. Maybe it's the way I removed the springs? I unbolted the upper shock bolts and dropped the rear axle to get them off. Was that wrong? I something binding? I don't want to go cut happy on the springs and they end up jacked to hell! Help!!!

 

I would pull both springs.....
Set them side by side & measure their free heights & compare.

Now put the left spring on the right & the right spring on the left. See if the car height moves with the springs. If not? Its not the springs. One of the shocks binding (taller side)?

Have you moved the car (driven, not just pushed the corner of the car down by hand) since cutting the springs? One of the shocks could have a slight binding/one shock more wore, causing it to compress easier.....And the result would be one side being higher than the other, until the car is driven to cycle the suspension.

 

Cutting changes the spring rate. What the effect would be to springs that have been cut to different lengths, I'm unsure, but I'd personally avoid it.

JamesC

 

Anyone else?

 

Rule of thumb cutting one coil off will increase spring stiffness by 10%

 

Try turning the springs i had a similar problem it turned out to be the way they were seating on the axle spring perches...

 

If you cut the same amount of of both sides. They should sit at the same height. As suggested, pull both and compare side by side. Make sure the top of the spring isnt hanging up on anything.
Also make sure that you dont have a dead shock on either side of the rear. Contrary to popular belief a dead shock will have some effect on ride height.