I installed Hotchkis 1916’s about 500 miles ago and I want to drop my front down ½’ to 1’ more than it is now. Does anyone have any rule of thumb for cutting these?

I heard one person say to go by ½” off the height of the coil to get a 1’ drop on the car and others say ½ coil = 1’ drop.

Thanks !

Tom

I know i have seen many other topics about this subject before. Do a search for hotchkis & cutting springs

I did a search and could not find a response from anyone that had actually done a cut on the Hotchkis springs. That's why I am looking for someone that has done this so that I can get it directly instead of second hand.

Tom

i think there are too many variables. unfortunatly i think it is a try and see process. cut a half of coil off and put it all back together. be sure to take measurement of the frame to ground before and after.

Do you have to use Hotchkis springs in there a arms ?Ihave a Chevelle with their suspension with a 1 inch drop and I want to go back to stock height.

There was an article in SuperChevy where they put on a set of Hotchkis springs on a '71 monte and they didn't quite get the stance they wanted. SO... according the the mag, they contacted Hotchkis and they recommended no more than a 3/4 turn cut off the top off the spring, since the springs are stiffer and any more would affect the suspension geometry. They did it (3/4 cut) and it worked killer. The car looked good and there was no real threat to the suspension. I'll be doing the same if once the car is back together I need just a bit more drop infront.

Well, I going to put this question to rest today. I am going out in a bit, pull the springs, cut 1/2 a coil and see where I end up.

I had a SB in my car and I cut the stock springs almost 2 coils to get it down from the nose high attitude it had and it looked great (see the pic below).

I just finished putting a BB in with the Hotchkis 1" drop springs, but they are still at about 27 1/2" (with 255/60's). I want to get it down to at least 26 1/2".

I will post the results later.

Tom

Ok I'm finished. Here are the figures.

I started out with the front end at 27 1/4' with a 402 BB, TH-350, 255/60-15 tires & Hotchkis #1916 1" drop coils.

The springs are 15" long so I marked the spring at 14 1/2" to remove 1/2" of height. This turned out to be just a little less than 1/2 coil. By the way, this cut was made on the BOTTOM part of the coil. You can not cut the top or it won't fit in the upper pocket right.

This brought the height down to 26 1/4 after I had taken it for a drive over some very rough roads to settle them in.

So, it looks like the 1/2" off the coil height will give you an 1" drop.

Hope this will help someone in the future.

Tom

Tom

Can you check your figures? It sounds like you're in the weeds. graemlins/waving.gif I think you dropped it to 26 1/4 after the cut.

Good catch doug! graemlins/thumbsup.gif I just want to see if anyone reads these. ;)

I wondered what that scraping sound was and why it took full throttle to get it out of the garage. :D

If you just installed that big block,be aware that the extra weight will cause the front end to settle more over the next month or so.
Just for info,my 69 El Camino with front 17x9 wheels and 275/40/17 tires sets at 25 1/4" tall in the front. With the new GW tubular a-arms and QA1 coilovers,I plan to take it lower than that. :D

The engine & springs have been in the car for over a month and 600 miles. It never dropped a hair so I went ahead and made the cut.

The guys at Hotchkis said these spring do not "settle" - what they are at when you put them in is where they stay.

My main point in this post was to give some point of reference to someone that wants to lower the Hotchkis 1" drop springs a little more. The 1/2" off the coil height = 1" drop was pretty accurate advise.

Tom

I had a post about two years ago about cutting the Hotchkis 1901f lowering springs, but the search only shows this year. :confused: I cut 1/3 of a coil off of my aluminum headed SB car and it dropped an inch. It sat higher than stock before the cut, but the springs were a lot shorter and stiffer. I waited a few months to see if they'd settle before cutting, but no dice. After almost 3 years on the car, they still sit the same as when I cut them. At the time they only had one part number for the A body.