Re: [DML] Lowering the Front Springs

["Walter" <Whalt@xxxx>]

The article in Delorean World is the 'hack & swap' method. You take the
springs from the rear, cut some off of one end and put them on the front.
Then you put the front springs on the rear. I think this is the worst
possible way to lower a Delorean for two reasons: 1) This lowers the rear
an unnecessary 2" when it was only the front that was made too high. 2) The
springs are supposed to be flat on the ends. Once cut, you loose this flat
surface as the spring now has a 'raw' edge that won't seat as well. You can
help this a bit by grinding the sharp edges down, but it is still a crude
way to lower your car.

Another problem with this method is getting the springs back on the rear of
the car. When I replaced my rear shocks, I rented (for free from Pep Boyz)
a spring compressor. Even though I put the springs right back on the way I
took them off, this was not an easy job. It would have been MUCH harder to
do if I had to decompress/recompress the spring before I put them back on.

Whatever you do to lower your front, be aware that the front shock absorbers
will be too long when you are done. Using the car this way will beat them
apart. There is a Monroe/NAPA cross reference for this part, but it will
require some spacers on the lower bolt to make it fit right. PJ Grady sells
a new set of shocks specifically made for the car that take all these things
into consideration. You can't go wrong with them. Check the DML back
issues for more info.

The right way to lower a Delorean is to install a new set of front springs
that put the car at the height which it was designed to be (which is 1.5"
lower than when shipped.) I bought a set from PJ Grady long ago for $195.
I still haven't put them on my car because I haven't had the time. I since
heard a rumor that the supply of lowered front springs was running low and
they were looking at having another batch made. I just took a peek at DMC
Joe's site. He sells the complete package of lowered front springs with the
new PJ Grady shocks. Check the end of one of his e-mails for the latest
link. It looks like he is in the process of updating his site.

It seems reasonable that if you only wanted the front lowered, then you
could just cut the front springs and leave the rears alone. But I have
never heard of anyone doing this. If you want to try this, it would be
interesting to find out how much spring to cut off since the instructions in
Delorean World are for cutting the rear springs and then putting them on the
front. I suppose you could take an educated guess and do some trial and
error. But your best bet is to buy the lower spring.

Walt Tampa, FL