how to lower the crap out of a standard front end.

FB MAD · Post by **FB MAD** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:27 am

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Yeah Devilrod, I had a thought yours would be probably sitting on the bump rubbers!!

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J,

If you want to lower your car the right way I really wouldn't cut the original coils as once cut, they wouldn't really be up to the job of working as a good spring anymore, and would become too weak.

From memory, HQ type springs are too wide and won't fit up the crossmember spring tower.

You can still buy heavy duty lowered springs for kingpin front ends and most are around the $130 to $160 mark.

You need a heavy duty spring and decent shocks if you lower the front end.You can buy shocks to suit lowered front ends.

Do a Google search for the following spring manufacturers, although I'm not sure if a couple of them are still trading??

Lovell springs ( usually painted blue )
Pedders springs (usually painted red )
Kings springs (usually painted yellow )
Brute Springs ( usually painted green )

K Mac ( not K Mart

) springs ( usually painted orange ) but not sure if they are still trading??
Selby springs ( usually painted yellow ) again, not sure if they are still trading or not??

Also look up "Fulcrum Suspensions" as they do springs or "Pedders suspensions" or "Whiteline suspensions"

That should keep you busy for a while

You can buy lowering blocks for the rear up to 6 inch from memory and it is legal to fit lowering blocks in all states as far as I know and that would be a cheaper way to lower the bum than reset rear springs

however

In the experience I've had with my 2 inch lowering blocks with using standard 4 leaf sedan springs in standard height I find that they are a bit too soft with too much easy travel for a lowered car and really need firming up a bit.

I would be fitting either ute/panelvan springs or fit an extra couple of spring leaves to beef up the spring packs ability and then either reset them to whatever ride height you want,or fit lowering blocks to acheive the desired ride height, or a combination of reset springs and lowering blocks.

Also some new heavy duty shocks making sure they have enough stroke in them to cater for full suspension movement.

Hope that helps.

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:42 am

Try your local spring manufacturers too, they are usually cheaper than the suspension places.
http://www.natspring.com.au/
http://www.boynessprings.com.au/

Dougans Springworks
Unit 8/ 53 Guthrie St Osborne Park WA 6017 - map
ph: (08) 9445 9596

mrs ratbox · Post by **mrs ratbox** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:11 am

sounds like i'm lucky to still be alive

i have only EVER bought lowered springs once, they were crap nowhere near as low as i wanted the car drove or rode no better than the hundreds of cars i've cut the springs in and YES i said hundreds

Harko · Post by **Harko** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:16 am

so now you are liable if they have an accident because a failing spring

I said all as tounge in cheek J , just to the general public listening in .

But yea if you work in retail you need to pay extra attention to mechanical knowledge and aptitude so you can get out of retail

thropzed · Post by **thropzed** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:22 am

J,
If your running HR front, The best thing I've found to lower the front without sacrificing suspension travel is using HKTG stubs. they give you 19mm drop without even starting on ya springs. I've used the HT brakes so run 14"rims but you could still use the HR brakes on the stubbs? Someone will correct me if you can't fit HR brakes on the HTKG stubbs.
I was lucky to have an old front end sitting in the garden with a set of Kings lowered heavy duty springs and now I think I have dropped by about 3 1/2 inches!

Cheers Theo Z......................

mrs ratbox · Post by **mrs ratbox** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:22 pm

can't use HR brakes on HKTG stubs or you can but the calliper won't grab all the disc

there is a down side to the HKTG stubs you have to use 14" wheels, so the 19mm drop is countered by the fact you have to run 1" bigger rims, this is ok if that was yor original plan or you run low profile tyres taking you back to about the same wheel/tyre height

J · Post by J » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:53 pm

sorry to be blunt...
but everytime I say I have a stock front end, in any topic, on any forum people always ask "Oh does it have an HR front?"
I may go red later where the info will be usefull but yeh, thanks anyway.

but yehh il go look for some springs. to chopp

as for the blocks in the ass. Im currently running 2inch ones and would like to go lower. I prefer the idea of re-setting springs as drivin round on blocks just SEEMS unsaferr...

mrs ratbox · Post by **mrs ratbox** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:09 pm

OK we'll get something straight
DO YOU have a stock king pin drum brake front end
OR A HR disc brake front end

you say you have a stock frontend then you say you have a HR frontend

J · Post by J » Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:59 am

stock...
kingpin

thropzed · Post by **thropzed** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:40 am

Sorry J,
I too have suffered from the I'm not sure factor.
My Sedan runs standard king pin front end. I run 2 1/2 inch lowered heavy duty front King springs. It seems to have a nice ride and no bump steer which can be a problem on uneven roads. It is as low as I would want it to be. I have also reset my rear leaf springs to 2 inches lower than standard and don't think I need to go lower. OH! I run 14 inch rims as well, So I can run with the Caddy caps.

Cheers Theo Z....................

J · Post by J » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:59 pm

thanks theo,
as im running 2 inch blocks n i want it lower I might go 3 inch reset, or maybe four

just need to know if the 13x6's will fit under the car. Cos at the moment i have problems with scraping cos i got 205 tyres.

mrs ratbox · Post by **mrs ratbox** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:41 pm

if they rub now they will rub more the more you lower it unless you modify the guards

Mick Jagger · Post by **Mick Jagger** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:19 pm

Heres my suggestion for the rear ,get your rear springs reset so they are flat,then put some 2 inch blocks in thats about as low as it goes. Then all you have to do is get some pump up shocks ,thats what I did with my last EK and it worked for me and only cost a bit over $300 (good second hand shocks $80,reset springs $160 blocks $80) I ran standard rims with no probs apart from the odd soreish back,arhh the price to look cool

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:43 pm

This will make you all cringe.

I lowered the front of an eh with a 307 chev in it years ago by crawling under the car with an oxy torch and heating up the coil just where it starts to rise at the bottom to cherry red then pushing down on the car to let the bottom of the coil flatten out. Even used a tape measure!!
Drove it for years after that with no probs. Took all of 15 minutes.
Did a similar thing to the rear of a VH commodore a few years later, think I removed the springs, heated them, flattened out the bottom coil by pushing down on it, then let it cool down in sump oil (thought that would be smart), put springs in, drove around the block, went over a bump and heard a loud bang. Th spring had broken just above where I heated it.
Went out and bought some springs after that.

muddy · Post by **muddy** » Thu May 07, 2009 10:29 pm

hahaha WOW, that is cringe-worthy.

just for those who are curious as to why chopping springs is frowned upon, think about this...

its all got to do with a thing called SPRING RATE. the further a spring is compressed, the harder it is working to get uncompressed. its Hooke's Law if anybody at all cares (bet nobody does).

so, if you had a stock spring, lets say it's 8 inches high, and you compress it so it stands 6 inches, say it is pushing back REALLY hard. if you then compressed that spring more to 4 inches high, it would be pushing REALLY REALLY hard.

if you then go and chop 2 inches off that spring, so it stands 6 inches high, and compressed it down to 4 inches, it would only be pushing back REALLY hard, as opposed to when you compressed the original size spring down to 4 inches and it pushed REALLY REALLY hard.

so from that, depending on how hard your springs push when theyre compressed a certain distance affects how hard or soft your ride will be.

so chopping your springs isnt particularly dangerous, it will just affect how hard you slam your bumpstops when you hit a pothole, which i suppose could then cause you to suddenly change direction or something.

just something to think about.