Ok, so I wanted to lower the car so that the wheels fill up the fenderwells a bit more. Lowering also enhances the cornering stability of the vehicle. This is because it lowers the center of gravity. I decided to cut the stock springs. The first thing I did was to jack up the car by the rear differential, put jackstands under it and take off both back wheels.

Then I had to disconnect the shock and sway bar on both sides. Once this is done, the axle dropped enough to pull out the springs.

I then cut 2 full coils off the top of each rear spring.

While I had the wheels off to lower the car, I painted the spokes black to match the other black accents on the car. First I taped them off. I used fine-line plastic tape to go around the rim of the wheel. The plastic tape is stretchable so that you can go around the curve of the rim. I then used a red Scotch-Brite pad (approximately equal to 400 grit sandpaper, but more flexible) to rough up the surfaces to be painted. Then I used my air compressor to blow off any loose particles or dust. Next, I used a wax/grease cleaner to get any remaining residue off. I then used professional satin black trim paint (in a spray can), and put 2 coats on, allowing 5-10 minutes in between coats. This is the same paint I used for all of the rest of the car as well.

Now the car is halfway done. The rear springs are cut, and the rear wheels are painted. In this picture, it is a bit tough to tell the subtle change in the height out back, but it is there nonetheless.

Now for the front. The front is more difficult because you have to remove the McPherson struts and then you are supposed to compress the spring and then remove it from the strut. You have to remove the upper ball joint, and also disconnect the strut from the spindle assembly (that's those two big bolt holes at the bottom of the strut).

Up top, inside the engine compartment, there are four nuts holding the strut in place. In this picture, I only have one nut installed.

Be careful when removing struts, the upper strut bearing can easily come loose, and you could lose the ball bearings. Here is a picture of the strut after I removed the spring from it. I cut one full coil off the bottom of the spring.

I'm all done!

Check out the next page for a few glam shots of the car (with hot girl). ;-)