Lowering a Holden HQ Statesman

[Ext User(cocking my lovegun)]

I'm nearing completion of the body and paint work when someone
mentioned about lowering the front and rear suspension. The idea has
appeal. Anyone done this to their old Holden... how did you go about it?

[Ext User(atec 77)]

cocking my lovegun wrote:
> I'm nearing completion of the body and paint work when someone
> mentioned about lowering the front and rear suspension. The idea has
> appeal. Anyone done this to their old Holden... how did you go about it?
>
http://www.whiteline.com.au/
pick the amount of drop and order

[Ext User(Gonz)]

lowering springs will do the trick..

remember all the rage used to be raised rear and lowered front, my Q used to
look great with 2 inch lowered front springs and pompup air shockers in
rear.

My dad used to have pumpup air bag springs in the rear of a EH wagon.

[Ext User(cocking my lovegun)]

I've seen someone simply cut half a coil off the springs. Is that what
you mean by 'lowering springs' Gonz?
Gonz wrote:
> lowering springs will do the trick..
>
> remember all the rage used to be raised rear and lowered front, my Q used to
> look great with 2 inch lowered front springs and pompup air shockers in
> rear.
>
> My dad used to have pumpup air bag springs in the rear of a EH wagon.

[Ext User(Gonz)]

> I've seen someone simply cut half a coil off the springs. Is that what
> you mean by 'lowering springs' Gonz?

No, you tell them how much you want the car lowered, v8 or 6 and they will
supply you with prelowered springs, don't try it yourself

a friend did it and the car was something like 3 times lower than he wanted.

[Ext User(Michael C)]

"cocking my lovegun" <geoffharrison@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:1165232613.895947.139860@j44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> I'm nearing completion of the body and paint work when someone
> mentioned about lowering the front and rear suspension. The idea has
> appeal. Anyone done this to their old Holden... how did you go about it?

The correct way to do this is to get the lowered stub axles from hadfields.
These cost $600 but don't alter the suspension geometry. You also have the
advantage of being able to fit up the 330mm commodore brakes with corvette
calipers for a fairly reasonable price.
>

[Ext User(Noddy)]

"cocking my lovegun" <geoffharrison@iinet.net.au> wrote in message
news:1165234864.785393.316500@80g2000cwy.googlegro ups.com...
> I've seen someone simply cut half a coil off the springs. Is that what
> you mean by 'lowering springs' Gonz?

That's one way of doing it, but not if you want to retain any modicum of
ride quality.

Cutting coils off the springs has the same effect as them being fitting in a
semi compressed state, which makes the ride as choppy as hell.

--
Regards,
Noddy.

[Ext User(John McKenzie)]

Noddy wrote:
>

>
> That's one way of doing it, but not if you want to retain any modicum of
> ride quality.
>

To be honest I think the original reference was aimed at fitting new
springs that have been selected/set to give a lower ride height without
a dramatic increase in rate.

Cutting a coil would increase the rate a fair bit. It's possible that to
some extent a slightly revised rate would be worth a look since there's
less travel left in the suspension before it bottoms out and
additionally because the factory std springs were a bit soft imho.

You'd possibly get away with it on this particular car, but cutting
springs on a strut front is more likely (in my experience, though I've
only seen bad results and helped to fix, never actually been responsible
for the fuckup) to lead to a case where if the car is up on a jack, the
suspension can sag beyond the amount the springs will extend with no
load. The springs are no longer captive and can slip out of their
'pocket'. If this happened when the car got slightly airbore, or around
a hard corner with enough inside lift, where it's already close or
actually out of control, when it 'lands' with the spring dislodged, it'd
then (if it wasn't too late already) almost certainly result in a major
whoopsie. possibly fatal.

> Cutting coils off the springs has the same effect as them being fitting in a
> semi compressed state, which makes the ride as choppy as hell.
>
If anything it's worse,


--
John McKenzie

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[Ext User(CatharticF1)]

"cocking my lovegun" <geoffharrison@iinet.net.au> wrote in
news:1165232613.895947.139860@j44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com:

> I'm nearing completion of the body and paint work when someone
> mentioned about lowering the front and rear suspension. The idea has
> appeal. Anyone done this to their old Holden... how did you go about it?

I think about 6 feet under should be enough.. ;-p

--
CatharticF1

"What you thought was Freedom is just Greed."

[Ext User(tipsy@beerlover.com)]

On 4 Dec 2006 03:43:33 -0800, "cocking my lovegun" <geoffharrison@iinet.net.au> wrote:

> I'm nearing completion of the body and paint work when someone
> mentioned about lowering the front and rear suspension. The idea has
> appeal. Anyone done this to their old Holden... how did you go about it?

Heat the springs up with an oxy torch.

[Ext User(Michael C)]

"Gonz" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:9tUch.2468$HU.1735@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> lowering springs will do the trick..
>
> remember all the rage used to be raised rear and lowered front, my Q used
> to look great with 2 inch lowered front springs and pompup air shockers in
> rear.

Look great in a similar way to how the mullet used to look great at the time
:-)

Michael

[Ext User(Scotty)]

<tipsy@beerlover.com> wrote in message
news:1kgan2d5sikks2qag8kb7dfnk2qok7lbfs@4ax.com...
> On 4 Dec 2006 03:43:33 -0800, "cocking my lovegun"
> <geoffharrison@iinet.net.au> wrote:
>
>> I'm nearing completion of the body and paint work when someone
>> mentioned about lowering the front and rear suspension. The idea has
>> appeal. Anyone done this to their old Holden... how did you go about it?
>
> Heat the springs up with an oxy torch.


And create a death trap, not a great idea. Drive down to a reputable
suspention shop and get them to do the job, then you wont void ya insurance
either assuming that you have it.

[Ext User(Noddy)]

<tipsy@beerlover.com> wrote in message
news:1kgan2d5sikks2qag8kb7dfnk2qok7lbfs@4ax.com...

> Heat the springs up with an oxy torch.

And then watch it fall onto the ground and be totally undrivable?

--
Regards,
Noddy.

[Ext User(tipsy@beerlover.com)]

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 10:55:18 GMT, "Noddy" <dg4163@(nospam)dodo.com.au> wrote:

>
> > Heat the springs up with an oxy torch.
>
> And then watch it fall onto the ground and be totally undrivable?

It's an old Holden so the latter is already in force. ;-)

[Ext User(Athol)]

Noddy <dg4163@(nospam)dodo.com.au> wrote:
> <tipsy@beerlover.com> wrote:

>> Heat the springs up with an oxy torch.

> And then watch it fall onto the ground and be totally undrivable?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_spring

:-)

--
Athol
<http://cust.idl.com.au/athol> Linux Registered User # 254000
I'm a Libran Engineer. I don't argue, I discuss.