Front end too high

[Trhbub]

Need to get front end lowered. They installed new springs and it’s too high for my liking. My question is, in your opinion get the springs cut or just get new lower springs? 

[Michael Boyte]

New springs would definitely be the best option, however many people have cut their springs without issues. I believe once the spring has been cut, you have jeopardized the strength of the coil spring and the proper seating of the spring 

[Dtret]

I’d find out what spring was put in the car and see if there was a mistake made in the order process. Then you will know what spring not to get if you replace. 

[Whons]

I had the same issue. I put new springs in mine, supposed to be the correct springs. I talked to Eaton Springs and they told me for every inch cut off would lower the suspension 2.00". so I sat my springs on my bench upside down on the squared end and with a tape measure followed it around to 1.00" lower and marked and cut it. Worked out great. For me it lowered the suspension almost 3.00". The car has the stance I wanted and with everything new in the front end it handles like a new car. the cut end of the spring sat perfect in the pocket in the lower control arm. Here's my car.

[Trhbub]

Whons, that’s what I have seen researching the topic. The stance on yours is what I’m looking for. Thanks!

[Michael Boyte]

Another option is to use the 2in drop spindles, quite a few people have done this to achieve the look without having to do any cutting. 

[Blackhawk]

Make sure the springs are installed correctly. There's a cup in the upper mount that the spring can easily catch on. The spring mount in the lower control arm has two holes close to each other, the spring has to be covering one but not the other; if the spring is rotated it can easily add height.

[Trhbub]

Blackhawk, just seen a vid on that exact thing. Will check it out. Thanks

[MCfan]

The front end does look unusually high. The apparent reason is that your newly installed spring are providing TOO MUCH Preload.  It would be most helpful if you knew the preload value of your original factory springs. With that as a reference, you could then select or modify a replacement spring to achieve whatever “stance” you want.

Do you have a Build Sheet for your ’72? If so, it will tell you which of the seven factory front coils were initially installed, selected based solely on TOTAL WEIGHT of your vehicle, including options. A two alpha character code will be shown in the box labeled “FRT SPRING” (Box 13 for ’70; Box 16 for ‘71; not sure for ’72). If you can find that code, you can look up the exact spring specifications of your original springs.

So where do you look them up? A vast amount of technical information is provided in the Resources section of this site at: https://www.firstgenmc.com/forums/index.php?/resources/gmheritagearchiveinfo/

You will want to download the 1972 Monte Archive Package

On page CHASSIS-3 in the FRAME AND FRONT SUSPENSION section you will find this Front Spring Specifications table:

Note the far right-hand column lists the preload for each factory spring in pounds when installed in a stock front suspension with a given working height of 11.7 “.  The preload values vary from 1500 lbs for the lightest (least options) ’72 vehicles to 1900 lbs for the heaviest (most options) vehicles. Those preload values are easily determined by the data in the two adjacent columns: Free Height and Deflection Rate.  Preload (lbs) = [Free Height – Working Height] x Deflection Rate  For Example: the preload value for the “AO” spring is [18.29” - 11.7”] x 250 lbs/inch = 1647 lbs.

If your particular ’72 is a low optioned, small block car and you install a spring with a higher than stock preload value, the front end will obviously sit higher.  That higher preload value is due to either a taller spring (greater Free Height) or a higher Deflection Rate (greater than 250 or 275 lbs/in) or possibly both.

Yes, you can reduce the Free Height by cutting a specific amount off each coil. Every inch you cut off will reduce the preload by the number of pounds in the Deflection Rate. Preload reduction = Deflection Rate (lbs/inch) x Free Height reduction (inches). Unfortunately, you cannot change the Deflection Rate of a spring so you may solve Ride Height/stance with spring cutting but also change your car’s handling characteristics because the spring is now too strong/stiff.  Replacement spring selection based on specifications is still very important.

So, what if you don’t have a Build Sheet or any other way to know which of the factory springs your ’72 was built with?  You can still get close, if not exact, with a bit more work. Going back to the GM Heritage 1972 Monte Archive Package on this site, near the end of this document is a section on VEHICLE WEIGHTS.  You will see that the curb weight of a basic ’72 Monte is 3603 lbs (distributed 1994 lbs Front and 1609 lbs Rear).  Next you will see a table of Optional Equipment with associated incremental weight added to the basic vehicle if ordered.  Even without a Build Sheet, you should be able to easily add up the additional weights of your vehicle's known options.

Now, knowing an approximate Total Weight of your ’72 look again at the previous table of Front Spring Specifications. If the lowest (1500 lb preload) spring was installed in the Basic ’72 configuration (small block with no/few options) and the highest (1900 lb preload) spring was installed in the heaviest possible (i.e. fully optioned/loaded big block), where would your vehicle likely fall based on Total Weight? Just pick the factory spring from the table of seven based on your assessment and use those specifications (Deflection Rate, Free Height and Preload) as a target for your replacement spring specs.

You can easily calculate the preload of any possible replacement spring as shown above and decide if you want less, the same or more preload.  You are not likely to find an exact replacement for any of the seven stock springs, of course, so some compromise may be necessary. Good luck.

[Whons]

That's a lot more info than I knew about. No wonder you don't get the exact spring when you order them from a parts store. I'm glad I researched how much to cut off when I  did my 71. It really did work out well for me. 

[McCall72]

Non AC TRW springs with about 2 inches cut out of them. 

[Trhbub]

Got the front springs cut. Looks better.

[Dtret]

2 hours ago, Trhbub said:

Got the front springs cut. Looks better.

That looks a heck of a lot better. Well done. 

[1970mcss]

Looks great, love the color too