Cutting Springs

[Ryan_3]

Is it bad? or risky? I want to lower a bit my escort mk4, its on standard steelies. what your opinions then? thankx

If you were logged in, you wouldn't be seeing this ad! Register your free account today, or log in if you already have an account.

[cossiejsy]

dont do it and just go and buy some proper lowering springs

[:hEnNiKeR:]

DON'T!!!

[FORD RS MAD]

I made the mistake of doing this years ago on my mk3 escort,cut a coil off each spring resulting in them comming out of the cups,not worth the risk mate.

[botters]

it also alters the spring rate and will make it drive like a sack of shit just buy lowering springs mate they are peanuts anyway

[Ryan_3]

well dont want to cash out 100 quid tbh, just tought of the cheapest way!

[1.9 xr2 on 40's]

ive done it on dozens of cars like mk1/2 fiestas mk3/4 escorts mk4 fiestas, mk6 escorts
alsorts never had issue

i know a mate who have a esc cabbie with no rear springs fuck it was low riding on cut down bumpstops

[Munch]

Bonus Boy loves cutting his Springs....ask him!

[sir nose]

ive done it loads,but the post above about the spring rate is correct but thats the only issue unless you cut off too much.

[Ryan_3]

well here how its stands. I know its has rust and needs a respray lol



well then if I dont cut much, will be ok?

[DanW@FastFord]

Originally Posted by Ryan_3

well then if I dont cut much, will be ok?

Well it won't blow up or anything, but it will ruin your handling and make the ride a lot more 'choppy'. If you get carried away you'll make the handling dangerous.

[m4tt274]

just fork out the £65-£120 for the lowering springs.
would look good dropped but do it properly.

u would be better improving the car than making it worse.

[Moonstone Steve]

Chop shop springs to mind

Steve

[lead_foot]

Do it! It's not dangerous, it's only dangerous if your a complete mong.

[lead_foot]

[gazdon]

i cut my 2.8 sierra xr4x4 springs 3 weeks ago never again in the end i got some lowerd cosworth springs of ebay £20 unused as the ones i cut were moving in the back big time i only cut one coil and the backend was on the floor fuck that again.

[pani_k]

Not trying to offend you or anything mate but have you got plans for it or something because it looks like a heap anyway and it won't look a lot better or handle better lowered or not.

[steves24V's]

yeah just cut them i've done it loads before nobody has come to any harm yet!

There is always a first time but there's no chance of you ever bumping into me so i'm not bothered.

[Dan1281]

fuck it, give it a go, if it doesnt work buy some lowered ones

[dp1958]

had to do this to a mk2 xr2,avo lowering springs on the back,jamex and konishocks front, a good 2 coils back aboutthe same front, with 15in rims looked great with no trouble but cant talk for different cars........

[Dan1281]

i've learned to stop trusting the internet nowadays, theres a hell of a lot of people who think they know what they are on about. better off just putting some thought into it, learning how things work and making your own decisions.

[BIG.GEOFF.H]

i done it a few times when i was younger and couldnt afford to buy proper springs the old skool info on chopping springs is class thats the way 2 do it i dont recomend it thow

[RS Grant]

Originally Posted by gazdon

i cut my 2.8 sierra xr4x4 springs 3 weeks ago never again in the end i got some lowerd cosworth springs of ebay £20 unused as the ones i cut were moving in the back big time i only cut one coil and the backend was on the floor fuck that again.

Sorry, but I properly LOL'd at this post.... I got the mental image of a have-a-go-hero standing back after doing the deed, grinder still spinning to a halt and just thinking "Oh fuck, what have I done..."




Cheers,
Grant

[Ryan_3]

Originally Posted by pani_k

Not trying to offend you or anything mate but have you got plans for it or something because it looks like a heap anyway and it won't look a lot better or handle better lowered or not.

not at all mate thankx fro the reply.

I will respray it myself same colour, a 1.8td engine and some rs turbo wheels

[steviecossie]

Dont chop the springs LEEPU, if you cant afford lowered springs then save up for them

[Big-Dan]

Originally Posted by Ryan_3

not at all mate thankx fro the reply.

I will respray it myself same colour, a 1.8td engine and some rs turbo wheels

Get some proper springs fitted mate, sure someone on here will have a cheap set you can buy.

Big-Dan.

[milesy23rst]

Originally Posted by Ryan_3

well dont want to cash out 100 quid tbh, just tought of the cheapest way!

£100?????? where have you been looking??? you can pick a set of decent lowering springs up for between £50-70 mate

[wozzy]

Originally Posted by Dan1281

fuck it, give it a go, if it doesnt work buy some lowered ones

Originally Posted by steves24V's

yeah just cut them i've done it loads before nobody has come to any harm yet!

There is always a first time but there's no chance of you ever bumping into me so i'm not bothered.

Originally Posted by lead_foot

Do it! It's not dangerous, it's only dangerous if your a complete mong.

Originally Posted by sir nose

ive done it loads,but the post above about the spring rate is correct but thats the only issue unless you cut off too much.

fuck me!!! what a load of big fat hairy BOLLOCKS!!!!!! What a great example of internet car forum tuition coming from the 'barry bodgit crew' £50..........FIF-TY-FUCKIN-QUID for some lowering springs. thats all!!! But somehow i get the feeling that no matter how much people with half a brain cell will tell you to buy some lowering springs, you will still go out........... with an angle grinder............and cut the springs in half. Then respray the car with halfords 'matt blue'.......... in a dusty car park............ on a windy day!!! beautiful. Your masterpeice will soon be complete

[wozzy]

Originally Posted by 1.9 xr2 on 40's

ive done it on dozens of cars like mk1/2 fiestas mk3/4 escorts mk4 fiestas, mk6 escorts
alsorts never had issue

i know a mate who have a esc cabbie with no rear springs fuck it was low riding on cut down bumpstops

yyyeeeeeeeeeaaaahh!!! you're the man. and your mate is now my hero!!!!
Thats genuinely one the the stupidest, but funniest things i've read in a while. Thankyou for making me laugh lots on a quiet friday night in!!!

[st3v3]

Ryan- ive done it before and i wouldnt do it again, hows the MOT's over there ? in uk if the spring drops when the wheels are off the ground fully ie: suspended then it can lead to an MOT fail, also, it can and will alter how the car suspension works in different situations, depending on cornering speeds etc etc.

[Glenn.]

They will be cheap enough on ebay for a set of lowering springs surely.

[st3v3]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/lowering-sprin...item2a050bd2b2

if youre quick !!!!

[cossiejay]

dont do it you live where there are fucking big hills with no guard rails to stop you going over the edge when your freshly cut spring drops out and sends you flying over the top

[jammerrs]

just cut one coil off and make sure you bend the top one flat again

if you have the tools to do it properly then get it done (blow torch, angle grinder hammer, and what ever you need to get the spring off)

its when people take the piss just having one coil that isnt level that it doesnt work.

EDIT: skip past all the peoples post that dont know how its done properly and have a read

http://passionford.com/forum/general...pparently.html

[stevostyles]

done it but wouldnt do it again as they DO come out . my bruv cut his and lost it on a corner wiped out 3 cars and a garden wall and we both say it was doing this that caused it . caused that much damage he got a tt99 code on his licence .

[CossieRich]

Oh

[benjaminsarmy]

Normal


Lowered 1"

After installing new KYB GR-2 front struts and KYB upper mounts, the front of my Shelby Charger was raised about 1". This is most likely from the fact that the KYB struts are gas charged and the old shocks were, well, old. I believe that the upper mounts were a little different than the stock ones but I'm not sure if that added to the rise in the front end as I already got rid of the old mounts and can't compare them to the new ones. If anyone has some stock Mopar L-body front mounts to measure, please send me the distance from the bearing mount to the large flanged surface.

Now the easiest way to get ride of the height increase is to get the Mopar 1" lowering springs, oh yeah they decided to stop making them. And no aftermarket company makes any either. Well I can't afford coil overs so the only option is to cut the stock springs. Cutting the springs will not only lower the car, but will make the springs stiffer as it takes out some of the compressability of the spring.

Now as always - the general disclaimer applies. If you decide to do this you must follow strict garage safety procedures because you can be seriously hurt if the car falls on you or the spring slips out of the compressor. If you hurt yourself, its your fault. This is only my experience with cutting springs.

Procedure:

1. First jack up the car (on jackstands please) and remove the front struts. There are two 18mm bolts that bolt the strut to the spindle, two 13mm bolts that holdthe upper strut mount to the strut tower, and one 10mm bolt that holds the brake line to the strut.
2. Safely compress the springs with a set of spring compressors. Remove the large nut on top of the strut. Now pull the hole mess apart.

3.Place the spring firmly in a table vice. The side you will cut is the bottom rings. I originally cut one ring off but this didn't give much drop since most of this ring is already bent up for the spring seat. I then cut another half ring (for a total of 1.5 rings) which netted a 1" drop off the front on a car without A/C. I used a electric angle grinder to cut the springs and it went through the ring with very little effort. 1.5 rings is about the maximum you can cut off these L-body springs. At this point the spring is so short that it is no longer under tension when you reassemble the strut (hey no spring compressor needed) and it is just barely tall enough to touch the upper seat.

4. Now after you've cut the spring you will notice that the spring will not seat very well on the lower seat. So we have to come with a way to hold the spring to the seat enough til the car's weight is reapplied over the spring and compresses it. Now you could do this many ways. I chose to use a set of spring lox since they already had the spring wire shape and were just the right size. You need to drill a 3/8" hole in the hump of the spring seat just inboard of the spring seat on the strut and just back from the raised notch where the end of the spring goes. Now clamp down the spring lox with one bolt hanging outside of the strut. Use locks washes and double nuts to keep them from working loose.

5. Reasseble the car and check ride height, you may have to drive the car to let the struts settle. Also check the alignment as camber will change will ride height. I could tell the difference in spring stiffness after cutting (placebo effect?). I wish that Mopar still made the 1" lower springs as they have a stiffer spring rate than all L-body springs, but the XHD springs cut are still pretty stiff.

[Ryan_3]

Originally Posted by milesy

£100?????? where have you been looking??? you can pick a set of decent lowering springs up for between £50-70 mate

looked at ebay and they were at 100, but looks like i didnt search enough!

Originally Posted by wozzy

fuck me!!! what a load of big fat hairy BOLLOCKS!!!!!! What a great example of internet car forum tuition coming from the 'barry bodgit crew' £50..........FIF-TY-FUCKIN-QUID for some lowering springs. thats all!!! But somehow i get the feeling that no matter how much people with half a brain cell will tell you to buy some lowering springs, you will still go out........... with an angle grinder............and cut the springs in half. Then respray the car with halfords 'matt blue'.......... in a dusty car park............ on a windy day!!! beautiful. Your masterpeice will soon be complete

No im not cutting them now hearing some expereinces. btw im going to baremetal the car new mudguards, bonnet and front panel

Originally Posted by st3v3

Ryan- ive done it before and i wouldnt do it again, hows the MOT's over there ? in uk if the spring drops when the wheels are off the ground fully ie: suspended then it can lead to an MOT fail, also, it can and will alter how the car suspension works in different situations, depending on cornering speeds etc etc.

not everyone is the same. but theyre abit a pain now mate so it will have a chance to fail.

Originally Posted by st3v3

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/lowering-sprin...item2a050bd2b2

if youre quick !!!!

missed them

will keep an eye on some bargains