When Ford rolled it off the assembly line, it’s load capacity had to accommodate four passengers & luggage, A/C, different engine & transmission weights, etc., etc. etc. The excessive spring rate gave a numb feel to the steering. Worse, the spring rate meant the lower control arms pointed down & outwards - exactly the opposite for optimum handling. Even though cutting the springs would make them even stiffer, I wanted to get the lower control arms level with the ground and “reverse engineer” it back from there. So, in the best hot rod tradition I began lowering the front suspension by chopping 1 1/2 coils off the front springs. My friend Jimmy Da K (peering behind the car) has much steadier hands than mine and did the honors with his 7” DeWalt grinder.The results spoke for themselves. The lower control arms were now parallel with the ground. Even better, the car felt much more “snuggly” on a quick trip around the block. Even though the springs were now far too stiff & short & rattled in their perches, it was a good first step and gave us a direction to go.
