Update. Removed the springs yesterday....and they have been cut. The length of the springs has been reduced to 11". Almost 1.75" off of the original manufactured length. (Pretty much a full coil). Also before I dismantled I did an experiment. I jacked the truck up on the chassis rail allowing the suspension to drop down. I then chalked the bottom half of each shock absorber. Next I took the truck out down a bumpy gravel road nearby. When I jacked up the truck again the chalk had been transferred to the rubber washer/seal on the top half of the shox. As suspected the shox are bottoming out. Luckily I have obtained from a rodder over here a brand new set of 400lb springs. I hope to get them fitted tomorrow and give the truck a good test drive. I will keep you all posted when completed.

Suffolkman

New pair stock springs & my chopped coil

 

That will make a big difference in your ride with the correct height springs

 

Does that mean that because the springs are 1.75 ins longer the truck will lift by the same amount ?. If it does that will not be a problem because it was very low. I just want the ride to be greatly improved.
Suffolkman

 

It should put the lower control arms where they should be and give you back the travel in the shocks

 

That would be perfect !....lets hope it works. Thank you for all your input. Like I said....hoping to get the springs fitted tomorrow.

Suffolkman

 

I wouldn't expect the full 1.75" in ride height since there will be some compression loss. But you should see at least an inch of height adjustment, and a greatly improved driving experience with better springs and no bottoming out. As I mentioned before, the cut springs will be harder to compress, effectively increasing the spring rate. So even with the same initial rating, you should have a smoother ride with the full length springs.

 

As your spring is mounted in from the tire it should lower the far end of the lower control arm ( tire ) more than the lengthened spring . The closer to the pivot point the spring is the more it will raise the truck when lengthened .

 

The springs will only sit where the were designed to sit, there is no adjustment to the springs other than the length and spring rate...
I'm pretty sure he has it all figured out now with the proper length spring

 

Yes John maybe I could have explained it better I wasn't suggesting he move the spring mount . . If you move the middle of the control arm 1 inch the outer end will move more than that relevent to where the spring is situated on the control arm . I am not good with links but if you research " arc length " it will explain it much better than me .LOL

 

The lower control arm is in a fixed position so no adjustment unless you're going to re-engineer that cross member and the top of the spring is self centered in the upper spring hat. Upper control arm adjust camber and caster..

 

Yes it's pivot point is fixed but if you move the center of the arc 1 inch " longer spring " the outer end of the arc "tire " will move more than 1 inch . If your spring is mounted in a position similar to P or 1 on the left side of the diagram then the outer end " tire " at k1 will move 1.5 .

 

The part you're all missing is the arc and pivot points are not static. The center of the true axis is not where the control arm connects to the chassis, it's farther inboard closer to the center of the vehicle. The entire vehicle moves as you change the spring length. The calculation is a bit more difficult than displayed. I know how it works, but the math to describe it is way above my pay grade. Higher math was not my strong suit.

 

The suspension was designed to work with the parts supplied originally once the proper length springs are back on there will be a vast improvement...lol

 

Absolutely right all I was saying is that a 1.75 inch longer spring will raise the ride height more than 1.75 inches .

 

However, the two springs will collapse differently when the weight is applied. The length difference will be less than the 1.75" when loaded. How much less will depend on the weight applied. There's a lot of variables to consider when calculating ride height and comparing different length and spring rate of the springs.