Michael's Zcar Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I have a dilemma and I have discussed this with many car experts. The results are mixed, so I thought I would post this question again because opinions are very mixed, only causing more confusion regarding this topic. I am not interested in putting my car on the track but currently its stance is ridiculously high with an enormous wheel gap. All the after market lowering springs currently available will only on average lower my car by at best a little more than an inch which will not help me with the over 3 inches of gap I am trying to eliminate. Quality adjustable coil overs are extremely expensive and also require fabrication/welding/butchering my original Z car which I would like to avoid. I have been told that if I have to try cutting springs I should avoid using heat to cut the springs and only remove a quarter coil at a time. Also, I am not sure if it is better to remove a section from the top of the spring or the bottom? This type of lowering alteration has been done for street and track cars for many different makes of cars with success. Anyone willing to share their positive or negative experience and tips, particularly with Z cars in the years between 1975-78, would be greatly appreciated. Through reading a lot of these forums, I also am concerned about creating camber issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Part of your problem is the small diameter of your tires. If you're planning a tire change in the future you might factor that in also. Don't forget that distance of the body from the ground is more important for driveablity than tire-fender gap. Measure and focus on that. You might end up with a nice-looking gap, but be stuck to flat roads and off-street parking only. I used a bench grinder to cut my springs (all I had at the time). A simple cut-off blade on a chop saw, or hand tool will work also. The "don't use heat" advice is about using a torch to heat up the coil and letting it sag in to place. The camber problem isn't really there with the MacPherson strut system. Edited February 17, 2015 by NewZed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) That's a super clean looking car. Save up for a coilover kit. Do not ruin a car like that by cutting springs or even fooling around with lowering springs. That's just my advice. I have done all of the above-everything was a waste of time and money until I bit the bullet and sectioned my struts and installed coilovers. Make it a summer project and do it right. Camber plates are optional, but DP makes a very nice set that you can truly bolt in without any cutting whatsoever. I have run them for 10 years and I still like them very much. Do it right, or leave it as is. That is a $5,000 z-car, don't butcher it. It deserves to be treated well. PM me if you want more info. Edited February 17, 2015 by RebekahsZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) You get what you pay for. If you just go cutting the stock springs, I think you're going to be really disappointed with the result. Either do it right, or don't do anything at all. Especially because it looks like you have a pretty nice example, and it would be a shame to ruin it with half-assed modifications. Edited February 17, 2015 by rturbo 930 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 You can put your car on a track in stock form. Lowering it 3 inches alone will introduce quite a few more problems if you are just cutting the stock springs. Some camber will be introduced, less shock travel, bottoming out on the shocks, LCA angles being out of the ideal arc, having to reseat the springs each time you jack up the car, etc etc. If you plan on tracking it a better set of shoes and pads with high boiling point brake fluid and a good tune up will go a lot further then cut springs will. A lower sidewall tire and a corresponding larger rim will also stiffen up some feedback from the road. With that said, to answer your question, cutting a quarter coil and letting it settle each time would be the way to go. This is fairly tedious if you do it the correct way (disassembly followed by reassembly), and quite dangerous for the first few if you do it the easy way (cutting on car with suspension in full droop hoping for the best). If possible it is better to cut from the top as it will make it easier to seat the springs. If you are concerned about your stock car, then just keep it stock. Enjoy the short comings and enjoy the experience. If you are focused on track times then it may be time to kiss stock good bye or buy a beater car and make that your track toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 You can't see the springs and they're replaceable. Cutting a coil or two is common and shouldn't be considered butchering. If you don't have cash to burn on your hobby like some people do, cutting a coil is a simple, inexpensive way to get the job done. Now if you're planning to roll or cut the fenders so that you can drive it slammed, that might be considered butchery, if done wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Lowering the car more then 2" requires cutting the strut tubes on s street driven car so that's about the most lowering you'll get. You will also need to make sure your bump stops are in good shape. There's a thread in the FAQs that talks about fitting Tokico 280Z springs in a s 240Z. There's math in there that will help you calculate how many coils to cut for your springs. Cutting a 1/4 coil at a time is silly. You'll spend all weekend on one corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowpoke Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I was about to do the same as you and cut coils, but i decided to wait and just to coilovers instead. I'm glad i waited. When i took apart the stock setup, it had not been touched since 76! Springs were gross, shocks where NFG, bumpstops had disintegrated into dirt.... By the time i would have replaced all of the worn stock stuff and cut the spring i was halfway to a coilover setup. I was a good feeling to not have to put the stock stuff back on. I had also did some searching and it seemed as though most people who cut springs send up getting coilovers eventually. It took me awhile to save up but i just enjoyed the car in 4x4 mode. It still was fun and got lots of complements. Nice car and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) There's a thread in the FAQs that talks about fitting Tokico 280Z springs in a s 240Z. There's math in there that will help you calculate how many coils to cut for your springs. Cutting a 1/4 coil at a time is silly. You'll spend all weekend on one corner. I followed this to the letter after ditching the progressive Tokico 240z springs and it worked out beautifully. Cutting springs (not stock springs) is an inexpensive solution if you are not going for the slammed look or looking to track the car. Most people set their coil overs ONCE and that's it. Seems like a huge waste of money for something with all that adjustability and you just set it and forget it. Lastly, your car is running small tires as NewZed stated. The stock rolling diameter is 24.1 inches, not 23 inches. Thus, putting correctly sized tires on there will eliminate 1/2 inch of the gap and aftermarket springs will lower it another inch. My tires are actually an inch taller than stock which helps to fill the gap as well. Edited February 26, 2015 by ktm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) I'm fat, as a result, the car sits lower....which helps fill the gap as well. Bo, can you explain in more detail how a 1" diametrical change of tire equates to a 1" radial decrease in fender gap in the 12:00 position? Edited February 26, 2015 by Tony D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I was not thinking clearly when I typed my response and deserve the slap upside the head...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 My girlfriend was asking what I was laughing so hard last night... "When he sees it, he's going to go 'aaaaaaaarrrrrgh!'"LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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