Lowering Advice Needed

[Ems]

If I lower the Manta by 40mm do I need to cut down the cones by 40mm?

Thanks

[Kevin Abbott]

Cut the cones off

[pat]

they will get crushed like a coke can , no two ways about it , i have known folks use a saw to take an inch or two off the end stops to reduce it but any sizeable speed bump or pothole that you dont spot will result in some reshaping of the steel

[Ems]

I was thinking of cutting 40mm off and welding another plate to it. Then fit another bump stop.

[paulmanta]

I always remove the rubber bit carefully and then cut about an inch and a half out of the cone, when I have the bottom bit in my hand I then remove the bit that holds the rubber in and weld that back on the now shortened cone.

This way you can still use the original bump stop, it looks original and if you hit a big pothole you will not be grounding the car out.

ETA Pic:

This was for my Ascona so I took less out than I would for a GTE or a car I was going to drop further. The Ascona only went around 20mm lower but you get the idea.

Edited June 23, 2013 by paulmanta

[Ems]

Thanks for the picture. Good idea to use the original bump stop rubber.

[paulmanta]

If you want to use the original bump stop rubber you will need to cut the metal tube off first and then remove the rubber once you can get a pair of long nose pliers in it from behind, the mushroom head of rubber will just split and break if you try to pull it from the outside.

Clean the rubber in hot water and then clear waxoyl will restore rubber to almost new condition.

[Mick]

Do you need shorter shocks with a low front end? I have removed the bump stops from mine but the shocks bottom out before the comes hit.

I was thinking of Chevette ones as I seem to remember they are shorter?

[pat]

used to be recommended that if the springs were more than 25mill , lower that shortened dampers were used