Just another inch...
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City
This spring cutting thing looks very interesting. I would also like to reduce the body roll and pitching in my Expy. I need to replace the shocks anyway but as high as it sits, I don't think replacing them will make as big a difference as I'm looking for. I wonder if a reciprocating saw with a nice Bosch metal blade would get through spring steel in an acceptable period of time. Thanks for the tip guys!
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,262
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma
Originally posted by iron horse
....been obsessed with finding a way to reduce cross-wind body roll for a while.......
.......front and rear swaybars, lowering kit, hard bed cover, shorter-wider-harder-sidewall tires all helped, but I still had a lot of cross-wind bodyroll in my 99' F-150 supercab, flareside 4.6......
Found this thread and started cutting! hehe My goal was to lower my truck from the 2 inch drop to a 3 to 3.5 drop in the front AND to increase the spring rate (make them stiffer) to reduce body roll.
I had two sets of stock 99' f-150 front coil springs laying in the garage and the djm 2 inch drop springs on the truck. I trashed two sets of coil springs and made a total of 11 cuts with a hand grinder and grinding wheel and installed and removed coil springs 9 times before getting it right!
I ended up with a front drop that is 1-4th of an inch lower than what a Belltech 3 inch drop coil spring provides. The drop was exactly the same on both sides. After almost two weeks (waiting for springs to settle) I had it aligned today. I was able to have it aligned within factory specs and I did need a caster camber kit.
Cutting the coil springs makes the springs very stiff. You feel every bump but I like feeling connected to the road. I have very little body roll in high cross winds now! This is the best thing I have done yet, for sports car type handling! It helped much more than the swaybars did.
To get this drop and handling I cut 1.25 coils out of each coil spring. I used a stock pair of coil springs. I highly recommed if you are going to do this, to cut one full coil first and install it. YOu should get about a 2 inch drop. Then cut ONLY one-eighth to one-FOURTH of a coil after that!!!!!!! You will drop over half an inch! Expect it to settle one-eighth to half an inch more as well.
You must cut each coil in the exact same place, so use a tape measure before cutting, and make sure the second coil is cut exactly in the same place as the first. Remember to take into consideration the width of the cut made my the grinding or cutting wheel. You can not use a torch. It will screw up the spring rate. I tried a hacksaw......but I wanted to finish this year!
If you feel uncomfortable cutting the coils, or do not have the proper safety gear, have an expert do it or save up for some progressive rate springs like Eibachs (although, my cut coils are much stiffer than anything out on the market).
Remember, with cutting 1 and one-fourth coils, I was at the limit, if I wanted it to be aligned correctly!!!!!!! Also remember this was perfect with my 29.5 inch diameter tires (265-60-17).
Note: Always consult an expert before attempting any of this. This is only my opinion and I am no expert. Take all safety precautions!!!!! As in at least eye proctection and do not do this around anything flammable!!!!!! It looked like the Fourth of July in my garage due to all the grinding sparks!!!!!
Also Note: Tried some )01" Lightning Bilstien shocks with 30 to 40 K on them. They provided MORE body roll and yet were harder bump hitting in the rear, so I removed them and went back
to my cheapo Toxic shocks with 25 K on them. The Toxic drop shocks provides less body roll, yet did not hit bumps as hard and yet were stiffer than the Bilstiens
Final Note: You can also avoid all this and just buy a set of $15 dollar coil spring adjustable lowering clamps and try it. It supposely increases the spring rate (makes stiffer) as well. If you do not like it, you can always return to what you had. But that was to easy and logical for me.....
....been obsessed with finding a way to reduce cross-wind body roll for a while.......
.......front and rear swaybars, lowering kit, hard bed cover, shorter-wider-harder-sidewall tires all helped, but I still had a lot of cross-wind bodyroll in my 99' F-150 supercab, flareside 4.6......
Found this thread and started cutting! hehe My goal was to lower my truck from the 2 inch drop to a 3 to 3.5 drop in the front AND to increase the spring rate (make them stiffer) to reduce body roll.
I had two sets of stock 99' f-150 front coil springs laying in the garage and the djm 2 inch drop springs on the truck. I trashed two sets of coil springs and made a total of 11 cuts with a hand grinder and grinding wheel and installed and removed coil springs 9 times before getting it right!
I ended up with a front drop that is 1-4th of an inch lower than what a Belltech 3 inch drop coil spring provides. The drop was exactly the same on both sides. After almost two weeks (waiting for springs to settle) I had it aligned today. I was able to have it aligned within factory specs and I did need a caster camber kit.
Cutting the coil springs makes the springs very stiff. You feel every bump but I like feeling connected to the road. I have very little body roll in high cross winds now! This is the best thing I have done yet, for sports car type handling! It helped much more than the swaybars did.
To get this drop and handling I cut 1.25 coils out of each coil spring. I used a stock pair of coil springs. I highly recommed if you are going to do this, to cut one full coil first and install it. YOu should get about a 2 inch drop. Then cut ONLY one-eighth to one-FOURTH of a coil after that!!!!!!! You will drop over half an inch! Expect it to settle one-eighth to half an inch more as well.
You must cut each coil in the exact same place, so use a tape measure before cutting, and make sure the second coil is cut exactly in the same place as the first. Remember to take into consideration the width of the cut made my the grinding or cutting wheel. You can not use a torch. It will screw up the spring rate. I tried a hacksaw......but I wanted to finish this year!
If you feel uncomfortable cutting the coils, or do not have the proper safety gear, have an expert do it or save up for some progressive rate springs like Eibachs (although, my cut coils are much stiffer than anything out on the market).
Remember, with cutting 1 and one-fourth coils, I was at the limit, if I wanted it to be aligned correctly!!!!!!! Also remember this was perfect with my 29.5 inch diameter tires (265-60-17).
Note: Always consult an expert before attempting any of this. This is only my opinion and I am no expert. Take all safety precautions!!!!! As in at least eye proctection and do not do this around anything flammable!!!!!! It looked like the Fourth of July in my garage due to all the grinding sparks!!!!!
Also Note: Tried some )01" Lightning Bilstien shocks with 30 to 40 K on them. They provided MORE body roll and yet were harder bump hitting in the rear, so I removed them and went back
to my cheapo Toxic shocks with 25 K on them. The Toxic drop shocks provides less body roll, yet did not hit bumps as hard and yet were stiffer than the Bilstiens
Final Note: You can also avoid all this and just buy a set of $15 dollar coil spring adjustable lowering clamps and try it. It supposely increases the spring rate (makes stiffer) as well. If you do not like it, you can always return to what you had. But that was to easy and logical for me.....
for 00expo
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
I have a big problem I installed the DJM suspension drop 2/4 and to my suprise the front didn't go anywhere the new measurements are 31.5 in the back and 34.5 in the front I am not an expert but this doesn't add up I do not have the original measurments but the truck is realy high in the front ????
I was told it might be the shocks are bottomed out and holding the front up so I removed both front shocks and measured and I got the same height does anybody have any suggestions PLEASE !!!!!!
Am i missing something or did I do something wrong I do not know what it is I need all of your expertise guys ???
Am i suppose to have the same height in the front and the back from the floor to the bottom of the fenders becasue I am 3 inches off if thats the case ????
I was told it might be the shocks are bottomed out and holding the front up so I removed both front shocks and measured and I got the same height does anybody have any suggestions PLEASE !!!!!!
Am i missing something or did I do something wrong I do not know what it is I need all of your expertise guys ???
Am i suppose to have the same height in the front and the back from the floor to the bottom of the fenders becasue I am 3 inches off if thats the case ????
Last edited by Snoop911; May 28, 2009 at 10:54 AM.