Cut coils?

Wally wrote:

nicksta43 wrote: The most important thing is keep them as cool as possible, getting them hot will effect the temper of the steel and could cause them to break. Do not cut them with a torch! It gets the steel way too hot. Even a chop saw or sawzall is a much better option.

More internet lore. I've only done it with a torch. The ten seconds that it takes to lop off a piece of spring is not going to cause it to shatter into a zillion pieces or collapse under it's own weight. The time spent cutting a spring with a hacksaw would be better spent getting a second job to new springs.

Not really there bud. A sawzall with the right blades, band saw, or my favorite a 14" chop saw cuts through very quickly. No one ever mentioned hack saw. I have used a torch to cut them but there are many other methods that are just as quick and don't introduce nearly as much heat into the steel. Hell with the band saw you can literally touch the just cut steel with your bare hands. As I said before if you only want a minor drop or slight increase in rate cutting the springs is a very viable option. It makes no sense to spend the money on new springs to get the same results you can get for free. IF you want to go low or increase the rate a lot you will need to get new springs because it's something you just can't do cutting stock springs.

EDIT; I am sure there are a lot of young guys lurking here and I think it would be a bad idea to give them the go ahead to just take a torch and whack away at their springs when doing it this way is just as easy.

Jensenman wrote: Since it's only hot for a few minutes and right at the end of the spring which would be on a 'dead' coil, it's doubtful that using a torch or plasma cutter will introduce enough heat in a 'live' coil to make a noticeable difference.

+1

I've watched friends heat springs before. Put a scissor jack at the desired height, heat each corner a little at a time until it settled there. Never had a problem in several years of abuse.

On the other hand, I've seen springs that have never been touched just break for no reason. Don't know what to say about that.

As for cutting, I would think an air powered cutoff wheel would do the job best.

Cutting springs, or even installing lowering springs/blocks, change the suspension alignment dynamics. Remember that if you alter the ride height of the car wou will need to go through the suspension and make sure everything is still correct so you don't loose handling, etc.

i have to figure out to bloody fit the springs that are to tall for my stock car. they are stock springs but they dont seem to want to go in very easy. and by the looks of it we need to get a special spring tool or cut a couple of coils for them to fit. going though the suspion is not a big deal since i have to anyway since changed the lenght of the lower control arm this weekend. going from beging a circle jerking car back to use in autocross and drift.

If its for the Monte Carlo try and rent/borrow one of these

It goes inside the spring, put the hooks on the coils and tighten and compress the spring. After you put the ball joints together you can reach the nut through the shock hole in the lower control arm to loosen and remove the compressor. Are you using the stock springs or something stiffer?

stock i think. its only thing i could find junkyarding. had to keep in mind challange ides. but yea, need to pick one of thise up somewhere, or just bloody cut the springs...not sure which is the best route.

The junkyard is full of options for these cars. I have a chart somewhere with camaro firebird and caprice spring rates and heights, sway bars and steering boxes to make shopping easier.

~909~ has run two seasons on cut-down, stock coil springs. No problem.