Need help with front springs issue!

LeeRemmos

Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2015
After doing some research, I decided to install Moog5660 (with a 1/4 coil cut) in order to lower my front end a tad. I was at 27" to the fender with the stockers and now after install I am 28.5". I wanted to drop to around 26". I know the 5658s are supposed to be lower than the 5660's by an inch but that isnt enough for me since I will still be 1/2 inch higher than I started. And thats not accounting for the 1/4 coil I had cut out.

What should I look for as far as the install being done wrong? Cause I am thinking its a possibility since it raised so much from stock......even though they were probably old and tired, I am thinking its too much of a raise in height for the 5660 to be installed correctly.
 
1/4 coil off, won't allow the ends to seat in the pockets.

This, they won't fit in the pockets right and it might sit higher than you want.

Since you've already lopped a quarter coil off, lop off the other 3/4s so it fits right and see if you like it. If that's too low, get another set of springs and use a taller lower ball joint instead of cutting the spring.

0.5" taller:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-K6145-Lower-Ball-Joint-500-Extended-Length-Stud,234885.html
1.000" Taller:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-K6145-Tall-Lower-Ball-Joint-1-000-Extended-Stud,234886.html
 
if they were the stock springs being replaced they could've been so worn out and actually had a lower spring rate than the ones you bought, which would make your new ones stiffer than what you had thus the raise in ride height.


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How tall was the new spring compared to the old spring ? Many (most) factory replacement springs run taller than they should be.
The spring should be installed so that the top end of the spring sits into the step in the upper frame mount. Wherever it sits in the lower a-arm is where it sits, but it should not cover the drain holes (say if you cut 3/4 coil). If the spring end sits past the step in the frame, that would be the only install issue that would raise the car, besides the spring being too tall.
 
By any chance was this on a 86?
From the factory they're a lot lower than a 87
 
IMG_0762.JPG
Stock 86 height bs stock 87 height.
 
Appreciate the replies! I like the idea of lopping off the other 3/4 coil but I am worried it will stiffen up too much. Thinking a $50 set of moog 5658's installed correctly (not cut) might get it done if the 5660 with a coil removed is too stiff. Thoughts?
 
How tall was the new spring compared to the old spring ? Many (most) factory replacement springs run taller than they should be.
The spring should be installed so that the top end of the spring sits into the step in the upper frame mount. Wherever it sits in the lower a-arm is where it sits, but it should not cover the drain holes (say if you cut 3/4 coil). If the spring end sits past the step in the frame, that would be the only install issue that would raise the car, besides the spring being too tall.[/QUOT

It was def shorter than he stocker...but its stiffer
 
This, they won't fit in the pockets right and it might sit higher than you want.

Since you've already lopped a quarter coil off, lop off the other 3/4s so it fits right and see if you like it. If that's too low, get another set of springs and use a taller lower ball joint instead of cutting the spring.

0.5" taller:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-K6145-Lower-Ball-Joint-500-Extended-Length-Stud,234885.html
1.000" Taller:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-K6145-Tall-Lower-Ball-Joint-1-000-Extended-Stud,234886.html

Forgive me...new to the suspension thing - i imagine a taller ball joint lowers the front end by raising the tire location farther up the spring? If thats the case, i can reinstall th stockers and just go with the 1" raised joint?
 
Maybe rate is the wrong term. But imagine a long 2x4 it bends easy, then image a short one. Same for steel rod, which is then wound into a coil.
 
Going through ALL THAT WORK splitting the A-arms apart each time to do this is just crazy to accomplish just a 1" drop and a stiffer ride. Why not do it with coil overs and you can have the "Right" spring rate and the ride height adjustability?
 
Maybe rate is the wrong term. But imagine a long 2x4 it bends easy, then image a short one. Same for steel rod, which is then wound into a coil.

if you're talking about a long 2x4 being fixed at one point then applying a force at the end, bending more than a short one then yes you're right. but that's a moment about a point, not spring related. so for moments, the things we need to consider are force and distance from a point. and we multiply those two number to calculate the moment. for springs, the factors to be considered are force (in a cars case, weight), spring rate, and change in length. F=k(deltaX) is the equation. the x is change from unstretched length, so if you're not changing the force (or weight) or spring rate, deltaX can never change.

i know there's a better spring equation out there to help choose a spring for our cars since the spring isn't 100% perpendicular to the mounting spot (i think that's how you describe it?) but that's a good general equation to start with so we can know what comes into play and what doesn't


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A coil spring rolls as it compressed, so less length equals less flex which adds a stiffer feel.
Everyone who cuts coils notices a stiffer riding car or I'm incorrect?
Nobody will back me up on this?
 
A coil spring rolls as it compressed, so less length equals less flex which adds a stiffer feel.
Everyone who cuts coils notices a stiffer riding car or I'm incorrect?
Nobody will back me up on this?

i've never cut any springs, so i can't say anything about a stiffer ride. But which way are you saying the spring rolls as it compresses? if you have a 1m spring with a rate of 350 N/m and a .5m spring with a rate of 350 N/m they have the same stiffness and would compress the same under the same load (weight of the car)

but cutting coils period isn't the right way to achieve the desired ride height, the spring won't sit in the pockets the right way. both ends of the spring should be tangential, so if you put the spring on a table it would stand on its own. if you're that picky about ride height a "partial coil over conversion" is what you need. a beehive like spring with a 2.5" on one end and a larger (i believe 5.5" end) on the other. that way the 2.5" end sits on the shock and the 5.5" sits on the factory upper mount. that's the most cost effective way to get an adjustable ride height in the front of our cars, and is done on many 8 sec and 9 sec cars so for a street car it would be more than adequate.
 
Please take this as a polite discussion, internet can feel impersonal.
The metal bar stock the spring is made of will twist or roll as the spring is compressed.
Another way to look at it. Silverado front torsion bar springs. If they were shorter they would twist less all else being equal. I don't have any formulas to contribute, just examples which may be making it less clear, haha.
 
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