Lowering Your Suspension
By Karl
Schluter -Low Zep
Please check with the local laws in your
area/country before undertaking any of the below. Having new coil springs made
up and rear springs reset by a qualified spring company, may be the best
option. Some countries have laws on how the work is carried out and how low the
car can be modified too.
Front struts can be fitted with a
threaded tube once the lower spring platform is removed and a new top spring
plate put in place. This way the lower spring plate can be raised or lowered to
suit different ride heights and different poundage springs. Shops that
specialise in Rally and race cars stock these as do some suspension stockists.
Standard MKlll’s can be lowered at the front one inch by taking one and a
half-complete coils out of the front spring or 2 complete circles for lowering
of 2 inches. Bear in mind this will also firm the spring and ride of the car by
a certain percentage. I recommend removing the springs from the car and using a
high-speed air or electric 4-inch cut off wheel to remove sections of spring.
Then I round off the end of the spring and with it mounted in a vice, you bend
down the last 3 inches of the spring so it better fits the spring platform.
Different inserts can be modified to fit inside some of these struts, including
Holden Commodore inserts for MKlll’s.
MKlV inserts are still available through
some companies; these can also be retro fitted back to MKlll models.
To lower the rear end of leaf sprung
cars, I recommend 2 inch lowering blocks with extended (new) U-Bolts. If you
wish to go lower, get the springs reset and possibly an extra leaf or two added
in, but allow for this when measuring for new U-Bolts. Overall this will also
firm up the ride of the car but a good spring company should be able to advice
on this.
Thanks to Adrian Beckham for the above 2 photos.
Disclaimer:
The advice and guidelines given in these articles are given in good faith.
The owners and managers of the Galeforce Zephyr site will take no
responsibility for any injuries or loss sustained while carrying out the
described tasks and procedures or any consequences arising. Please read
the Safety First
Article