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4 minute read
Zonker's Rear Spring Leveling Modification (aka cutting rear springs)
Compliments of zonker @ fiat500owners.com
3-1-2012
FIRST: I know this is a topic that can raise blood pressures and emotions as to the safety and effectiveness of it so please, if you want to rant, take it elsewhere.
This is a helpful guide for those believers who are willing to do this change to their car, at no cost, to give it the ride stance that matches the EU spec 500s.
OK, ethical disclaimer out of the way, so now down to brass tacks. This job took me under an hour and the tools used were simple:
1. two scissor jacks (to raise/lower the car incrementally, helps with locating the coils on the perches and reconnecting the shocks)
2. The proper female torx socket for the shock bolt (Or a 9/16 - 6 point socket and ratchet which was all I had that fit and worked)
3. A cutoff wheel on a die griinder or something equivalent
A. For starters, chock the front wheels, place the car in gear (manual trans) or park (auto trans).
B. Place the scissors jacks in the stock lift points and lift the rear of the car just before the tires leave the ground
C. Remove the two lower shock bolts (9/16 socket). Then raise the car up until you have the clearance to remove the spring from it's perch.
D. Remove the spring and seperate the rubber insulators from the spring, taking care to note which way they will reassemble (tops are different from bottoms)
E. Mark and cut spring so that half a coil is removed from both the top and bottom of the spring.
Comparison of stock spring to cut spring:
F. RE-install the rubber spring insulators and springs in the order they were removed, paying attention to line up the lower insulator in the "D" shape of the lower control arm's spring perch
Pic of Perch:
G. Lower car slowly, taking care to make sure rubber perches are correctly locating on to their respective spring seats. Then re-install the lower shock bolts and lower car.
Done!
Your finished product should sit level, with a stance like this:
After putting a few miles on the car I can confirm this is a mod that leaves NO adverse side affects or suspension geometry issues.
Hope this Helps!
Here's a good side by side comparison of the change in rider height of my car. First pic is the one the dealer took to show case the car online, and the second is the finalized job.
