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Whats the best way to cut springs finding how much to take off, never done it before as iv always had coilovers but cant justify paying stupid money for some just for a cheap 205 daily
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DREAMER
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Gem
East Midlands
Posts: 1,328 
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Grinder, we usually take a couple off, let it settle a couple days and if its not enough, go for more  |
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yeah i no a grinder, but how do you cut it at what angle horizontaly or vertically along one of the coilsif you get what i mean???
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DREAMER
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I'm all for cutting springs - but with all due respect, If you're asking questions like this you probably shouldn't be DIY engineering your suspension.
You can buy lowering springs really quite cheaply. 106 and 205 springs are interchangeable.
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Last Edit: Mar 8, 2012 17:02:33 GMT by cobblers
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`state
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 1,215
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Kittens and nuns will die!!!
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Look at all the plastic people who live without a care.Try to sit with me around my table,but never bring a chair.
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Its a simple question don't think you get what i mean I'm not stupid I'm a pipefitter/welder by trade just asking if it matters which way i cut it as if i cut it horizontally it would sit better but if it dosent matter it would be alot faster cutting it vertically thats all, why do people on here always have something negative to say just wanted a opinion off someone whos done this before thats all
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DREAMER
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Vertical dut at the point where you want the spring to sit,,in other words cut it where it will sit in the spring cup of the strut,cut off 1 coil at a time,seems a lot of work to me when proper springs are cheap enough to buy BUT hey ho it's your descition
Dave
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Brand new lowering springs for a 106/205 are £10 on ebay.
Cutting springs works great a lot of the time, but it's not ideal especially on these front struts which have shallow spring seats that are dead close to the tyre. If you must, on these it works out roughly a 3:2 ratio. (cut 60mm to get a 40mm drop)
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Last Edit: Mar 8, 2012 23:31:46 GMT by cobblers
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Some days you just need to take a grinder to an inanimate object, just to make your day a tiny bit better!!
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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I had to change a pair of coil springs on a Corsa B yesterday. Owner had lopped 2 coils off, failed an MOT for insecure springs then had the springs break on the way home from the test. Still want to cut them?
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44
1974 VW Beetle 1303s
1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV
1988 VW LT45 Beavertail
1998 Volvo V70 2.5
1959 Fordson Dexta
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I had to change a pair of coil springs on a Corsa B yesterday. Owner had lopped 2 coils off, failed an MOT for insecure springs then had the springs break on the way home from the test. Still want to cut them? ...and this is the kind of information that people end up quoting as if its gospel. Chopped springs is NOT an MOT fail and NOT dangerous if done properly. A spring can be insecure when the car is jacked up (i.e. become unseated) and still pass the MOT....it just has to relocate properly when the weight is put back on the suspension. If you failed it because it was loose when you jacked it up, that's not a valid failure. Standard springs break...Mk4 Golfs, Mk2 Smarts, MX5's (to name but a very few) are all prone to the standard springs breaking. Just because someone with chopped springs has them break doesn't mean ALL chopped springs will break. It's all about knowing what you're doing and making sure you do it properly. Please don't try and make it sound as if your one experience with this Corsa will automatically replicate itself on every single car with cut springs. That's just complete BS. |
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Hey I didn't do the MOT I just got the job of rectifying the fails which in this case was a set of new rear springs. The owner also told me he'd only cut and ground the springs 2 days before they broke.
As for the chop springs being dangerous point, I disagree due to what I was taught during my Automotive Engineering degree. But that argument has been done a million times and doesn't need to be done again. Your car your way after all
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44
1974 VW Beetle 1303s
1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV
1988 VW LT45 Beavertail
1998 Volvo V70 2.5
1959 Fordson Dexta
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Hey I didn't do the MOT I just got the job of rectifying the fails which in this case was a set of new rear springs. The owner also told me he'd only cut and ground the springs 2 days before they broke. That's a different matter again, isn't it? As Corsa B rear springs are double pigtailed, the fail would (should?) have been for the spring not seating correctly. If a pigtail was cut off, which it must have been unless they cut two out of the middle ;D then I imagine insecure or incomplete springs is a valid fail but still isn't especially valid to this thread. |
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...proper medallion man chest wig motoring. |
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Ben beat me to it. Pretty much every Vauxhall/Opel spring since like 1980 is not really suited to chopping as they are variable wound/pigtailed/etc.
springs are made at the factory by cutting a bigger coil of metal into a smaller coil of metal. Thus cutting springs is not at all dangerous because every single spring on every car in the world was cut...
What can be problematic is where old weak springs are cut or where cutting the spring has an adverse affect on the geometry (which would probably happen if you put an all-new spring that length in there) or where people quench them as they heard that's what you have to do or some other wrong-thing about how they did it.
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1937 Austin Street Rod - 1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1976 Rover V8 - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Mike
East Midlands
Posts: 3,387
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The owner also told me he'd only cut and ground the springs 2 days before they broke. And my ex had a completely standard spring on her SEAT Toledo break off one coil randomly, no fault of anyone/anything. It just pinged out. These things happen. Back on topic.. I bought 30mm lowering springs for my 205 and chopped one coil off them (single vertical cut with angle grinder) and filed off the sharp edges and they were fine. Ran them with GTi shocks and the ride was good. I did have to wire them to the cups tho otherwise they didn't re-seat. It sat like this after:  |
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The owner also told me he'd only cut and ground the springs 2 days before they broke. And my ex had a completely standard spring on her SEAT Toledo break off one coil randomly, no fault of anyone/anything. It just pinged out. These things happen. Back on topic.. I bought 30mm lowering springs for my 205 and chopped one coil off them (single vertical cut with angle grinder) and filed off the sharp edges and they were fine. Ran them with GTi shocks and the ride was good. I did have to wire them to the cups tho otherwise they didn't re-seat. It sat like this after: I like that, looks good on the Allycats |
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[/quote] This looks so cool with minimal work and a great difference I love it same colour as mine 2 has yours got the lovely tweed interior |
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DREAMER
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it would be hard to give a straight forward answer to how to cut the springs as it all depens on the type/shape of the springs and the spring seats. also there's only so much cutting you can do before the suspension sits on the bump stops. of course you can cut down the bump stops, or remove them as some peeps do, BUT they are there for a reason. you could end up with the ball joints running out of travel and that will break stuff. or have a brake hose come into contact with something it shouldn't or tyre rub on a part of the car where it will get damaged, like sidewall on a upper wishbone or similer. of course having a spring disslocate when the weight is off the suspension, for instance when coming over the brow of a bridge/hill at speed. could have the spring come out of the spring cup and either go into the tyre. or just come out and have the car come down with the spring hanging out, thus causing some steering issues  another thing to be carefull of when cutting springs is, if using a cutting disc in a grinder, make sure you don't cut into the coil next to the one your removing. putting a small cut into a spring WILL weaken it and lead to it breaking. these are things that need looking out for. as has been said many, many, many times. cut springs are fine. it's just they must be done with competance  FWIW. i rarely cut springs, you can only go so low. and if i want low i normally end up building some custom, short coil over legs. |
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Absolutely - there is such a thing as too low. That's true however you plan to lower your car. Thats why it's nice to think cars are only modified by people competent to make these decisions....
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1937 Austin Street Rod - 1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1976 Rover V8 - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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will
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,023
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Mar 10, 2012 18:40:26 GMT
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   -2 coils. Not the easiest car to do safely as has been said the bottom cup doesn't offer much of a seat for the springs. The ones above where tied in with jubilee clips. It's far safer to chop them off the car though I was too lazy for that in this instance. Spring compressors, steady hand and bravery/stupidity required for the later method. |
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