I have the brakes all torn apart in my 76. I am down to bare spindles . I really want to take the coils out and cut them down ,but have never done it . I realize there is a lot of force in a big block coil spring . I really want to do this though . I read that you first unhook the sway bar then place a hydraulic jack under the A arm and then unbolt the to rear swing bolts . what about the ball joints in the front . Do I pop those out with a seperator . I need some advise.thanks

if you are wanting to lower the front, get the correct part. there are some things you can modify on car, springs are not one of them. they are designed to be a certain length. if you cut them it will reduce the strength of the spring. the tension will be less. thats why lowering springs are tighter wound.

as for separating, remove the sway bar, remove the shock, then place a jack under the a-arm from the front of the car. put some tension on the jack. then remove the nut off the lower ball joint. now be sure that noone is in the trajectory of the spring and very very slowly release the jack. remember if you are not careful someone could be seriously injured or killed.

Actually shortening a spring icreases the spring rate,spring rate is measured by weight,and that weight figure, example-1200 lb. front spring,it takes 1200 pounds of weight to compress the spring 1 inch,beyond this point it takes more weight to sapress it another inch,and so on and so forth,so if a given spring rate is put to a spring and u take an inch out of it,it now has the same coil diameter and takes more weight to sapress it that inch,i know this as the result of racing stock cars for years and dynoing springs every season,some times we'd have to cut a spring to modify ride heighth, it can be done,some times u just can't buy the heighth spring u want to get the ride heighth u desire. the reason that lowering springs have a bigger coil diameter is to make up for the loss of heighth,because if the spring is shorter it won't compress as much,there for u need a higher spring rate to allow for less travel---Dan

I don't think I want to increase the spring rate of the coils , maybe I'll just put the brakes back together until I can afford to get smaller diameter coils.The car already rides stiff and I don't want to make it worse . Thanks for the help guy's.

you could also try small block springs for an air conditioned car....especailly if your big block has alum heads and intake.

No aluminum heads , Oval Port cast iron , battery in trunk no a.c., aluminum intake. all excess weight off front .no heater core ,blower motor.no 15 m.p.h. bumper shocks either. I was looking at the moog 5278 s.b. a.c. springs ,what do you think?I still want to stuff 245-45-17"s eventually with 17x8 American Racing 505's with 4" b.s. a/a The 25.7" tires are the perfect size for the Nova.

the sbc air cond. springs should be fine. We have used them on several street / drag cars with no problems for years.

Just got the brakes back together today, going to give it a run tomorrow. thanks for the advice Jay.

which springs do ya have in it ?

They are not big block springs, GM didn't offer the BB engine after 70 in a Nova. They may be some stiff aftermarket springs.

I just installed cut sbc springs into my car today. I just took the upper ball joint apart then lowered the jack with the car on jack stands.

I believe these are big-block springs. Maybe out of a Chevelle? ,but not sure .The motor and trans. are out of a 72 Chevelle that I do know.

Jim Chevelle springs are 4.75" in dia and almost 20" long, 4th gen Nova springs are 5.5" in dia and less than 14" long. They could however be from a 2nd gen Camaro. I think they might have been available with a BB in 1970 and maybe thru 1972.