Suspension and Chassis Questions about your suspension? Need chassis advice?

weight reduction front springs

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Old May 7, 2015 | 06:11 AM
  #1  
ziggy89's Avatar
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From: Muscatine IA
Car: 91 Firebird Formula
Engine: 383
Transmission: built 700r4
Axle/Gears: 4.11, 9inch
weight reduction front springs

Its been brought to my attention that my front end sits a little high now. Car has aluminium heads, fiberglass hood, and ac delete. What springs do you guys suggest to drop the nose 1/2 to 1 inch.
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Old May 7, 2015 | 08:58 AM
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Re: weight reduction front springs

Depends on what springs are in it now.

It's not like you buy something, open the box and pour it on your car, and the car just jumps down nearer to the ground; or, you buy springs, and before you put em on, you hold em up next to the car, and they measure the car's height, and adjust themselves to be however much shorter than whatever happens to be there now in whatever degraded (or not) sagging condition it happens to be in. It's ENTIRELY possible in fact, and in fact OFTEN happens, that you could install "lowering" springs, and the car would sit HIGHER afterwards than when you started. Particularly likely if what you have now is still the sagging drooping wore-out old stockers since they were largely done for before they were 5 years old and haven't got much better since then.
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Old May 7, 2015 | 12:24 PM
  #3  
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From: 51°N 114°W, 3500'
Car: 87 IROC L98
Engine: 588 Alcohol BBC
Transmission: Powerglide
Axle/Gears: Ford 9"/31 spline spool/4.86
Re: weight reduction front springs

Take the springs out, use a cutoff wheel (not a torch) and remove 1/2 coil. Put them back in, drive around and see how the car sits. If still too high, repeat.

If you cut more than 1/2 coil off at a time, it could sit too low then you're buying new springs and starting all over again. 1/2 coil at a time allows more precise adjustment.
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Old May 7, 2015 | 07:25 PM
  #4  
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From: Muscatine IA
Car: 91 Firebird Formula
Engine: 383
Transmission: built 700r4
Axle/Gears: 4.11, 9inch
Re: weight reduction front springs

Cut from top or bottom?
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Old May 7, 2015 | 08:31 PM
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Re: weight reduction front springs

Bottom.

That end is just the winding. The top is ground flat.

If you do that to your old wore-out sagging crappy stock junk, don't be too surprised if the results are unpredictable (i.e. stuff you didn't expect happens).
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Old May 9, 2015 | 07:38 AM
  #6  
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From: North Salt Lake
Car: '86 Camaro, '94 Camaro, 3 others
Engine: LG4 ->L29, L32->LR4, L36, LG4, L31
Transmission: 700R-4, T5WC, 4L80E, SM465, 4L60E
Axle/Gears: 3.42, 3.23, WTB/WTT 2.93
Re: weight reduction front springs

Cutting coils will slightly increase the spring rate, but that will help resist bottoming. If they're already too firm, most guys use Moog 5662s as IROC-Z replacement fronts, 5664s are even firmer, but there are 5660s, which are a little softer. Or save some more weight with coilovers.
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