Wanting to lower my 91 occ

I'm looking into lowering my 91 occ. My wagon has a 94 9c1 complete rear end in. Previous owner swapped it for the rear disc brakes. I've seen where guys are lowering the wagons with g-body springs. I was wondering about using a-body springs (moog 5379 back and Moog 6312 front). I saw a wagon that was lowered with these any really liked it. Was looking for any input and opinions on difference between g-body and a-body springs. Also what's the best shocks to run once I lower the wagon.

You want to use these.

Moog 5662 front
Moog CC501 rear

Perfect drop for these wagons.

Cool. Appreciate the input. Love how that wagon sets. One other question. I have a set of factory Impala SS springs from my Impala. How much will they lower a wagon. Also what size wheels are on your wagon

Impala springs lower the car by about 1 inch.

Oldspower24 wrote:

Cool. Appreciate the input. Love how that wagon sets. One other question. I have a set of factory Impala SS springs from my Impala. How much will they lower a wagon. Also what size wheels are on your wagon

Not sure on the exact drop from Impala springs. I wanted new parts and went with part numbers that are in many wagons already. Zero problems with driveways, speed bumps, etc. Granted things are pretty flat here in FL but there are some steep places around here that are no problem at all.

I have 18x8 rims with Camaro tires to keep the speedo correct. The tires need to be a little smaller. I grew tired of them pretty quickly and really want to go back to 15s.

I have also heard that the springs from a Crown Vic will lower the rear, but have not tried them.

Not spring related but my 2cents on tires/wheels I've driven wagons with 15, 17, 18 and 20 inch rims. I like the 17s the best, enough sidewall to give a softer ride (not like a shopping cart), and low enough to handle slamming it through corners.

I ran the SS 17s on a number of wagons, but this story really showed me the difference. I had an OCC for a few years and put like 50K on it. I drove it ALOT and was used to how fast I could take certain cloverleaf exits. About a week or two before I sold it, I swapped stock OCC rims with 225s back onto the car. Loaded it with camping gear and went sailing around an exit I knew really well.

I was amazed and how much tire deflection I could feel vs. the 17s and it really plowed through the corner to the point where I had to shave about 10 mph off the corner vs what I usually did on that one.

But if you like a cushy ride, the 15s are the best. My Current set up is SS rims with the stock ss 255s. but I'll be switching to 17s with 235/55/17s real soon (different rim, slightly narrower)

My occ has 20s on it. They were on it when I bought it. I'll be going with the Moog g-body springs. What's a good shock to go with them. Going to get rid of the rear air levelling system

This is the most asked about topic on forums and facebook pages. Just 3 threads below this one is this one that has all the spring, shocks talk.

https://gmlongroof.4umer.com/t14659-occ-lowering-springs

Sprocket wrote:

Not spring related but my 2cents on tires/wheels   I've driven wagons with 15, 17, 18 and 20 inch rims.  I like the 17s the best, enough sidewall to give a softer ride (not like a shopping cart), and low enough to handle slamming it through corners.  

I ran the SS 17s on a number of wagons, but this story really showed me the difference.   I had an OCC for a few years and put like 50K on it.  I drove it ALOT and was used to how fast I could take certain cloverleaf exits.   About a week or two before I sold it, I swapped stock OCC rims with 225s back onto the car.  Loaded it with camping gear and went sailing around an exit I knew really well.  

I was amazed and how much tire deflection I could feel vs. the 17s and it really plowed through the corner to the point where I had to shave about 10 mph off the corner vs what I usually did on that one.  

But if you like a cushy ride, the 15s are the best.     My Current set up is SS rims with the stock ss 255s.  but I'll be switching to 17s with 235/55/17s real soon (different rim, slightly narrower)

The width of the rim makes a difference as well as the sidewall height. A wider rim with the same tire will tend to have less rollover. The more vertical sidewall is stiffer than an angled sidewall. If the rim is wider than the tire, and the sidewalls slant inward toward the tread, it will have almost no rollover.

Looking to lower my 94 with 20s does any have any pictures on 20s running these springs? Or better yet an 18/20 combo as I think I'm going to swap out my fronts for 18s.

Here for a revival, just installed the moog spring in the front. Going to do the rears next weekend. My front shocks were shot. I replaced them with the springs but I would like to know on average how many shims to take out, and where are they located???

Also my RMW has aftermarket rear shocks installed, a have a nos pair. Do I really need them? Could I replace the rear shocks with something that would work with the new springs?

On that note, I got cheapo front shocks but I’m guessing they are a bit too;tall for the moogs. Anyone used shorter ones instead of factory replacement?

Measure before and after to get the correct amount of drop. The shim removal is 0.030 per 1/2 inch of drop measured at the bottom of the wheel opening to the top of the rim. When you remove the stack, measure it, and write the thickness down. You can mix and match to get the correct thickness. The shims are located between the mount and control arm on the studs for the upper control arms.

Be careful that you do not mix up the shim stacks, or your alignment will be way out of whack. Do not drop the shims, they will be almost impossible to find, as they tend to fall into unreachable spots. Use a magnet to remove them after loosening the nuts. Do one set at a time. When replacing the shim stack, hold them with a magnet, or tape them together. They are open on one side. A close approximation is the amount advertised by the spring manufacturer. 2 inches of drop equals .120 inches (about 1/8 inch) of shims. The amount of shims will vary directly with the actual drop.

If you get the size of the shocks for an Impala, they will work. I have Bilsteins on my car and am happy. I would also suggest either getting the soft bump stops, or cutting the tapered part of the OEM bump stops off to get a bit more suspension travel. Toe should not change, but check it anyway, just to be sure it is not off.

Didn't measure beforehand....

You can assume 2 inches, and have it checked later.

Just found a set of 2in dropped spindles on Craigslist. says they are for 92-96. Why would they not fit a 91?

Belltech2105 spindles never mounted for $300 cdn.

They will fit, but the penalty is that they move the front wheels out 1/2 inch on each side. It may limit the size of the front tire you can use. I recently bought a set of 17X8.5 rims with a +18 offset to correct for the push out of the spindles. The only concern is that the rim runs really close to the tierod end (1/32 of an inch clearance). If you used 17X8 inch rims, you would have a little more clearance. With 18 inch rims it would give you plenty of clearance. The +18 offset puts the tire/rim back in correct alignment with the ball joints, and steering linkage.

I’ll be running the cop rims, I like the simple look of them with spider caps.
If installed with the moog springs I just put in it won’t be too much? Or cause clearance issues???

You will be fine with the Moog springs. It will not cause any issues, as long as you have the camber settings corrected, and check your toe.

Measured the front today, 15 3/4 in on one side and 15in on the other. Not sure if I got the first spring right into the slot on the upper pocket. I'm thinking the difference might be caused by the sway bar links. Anyway I ordered a new set today. Will be getting the 2in drop spindles.
When it comes to the rear I found out from the previous owner that the compressor works. He disconnected it because of a slow leak in the shock kept it going often. Anyone ever attempted to connect a remote switch to the compressor so it could be turned on when needing a bit more height?

Did you measure from the top of the wheel opening to the top of the rim? The reason for that measurement is to negate any discrepancy from an under inflated or mismatched tire. Since you put the springs in the car, it should be "lowered" If you are putting drop spindles in it, and you do not replace the drop springs, you will hit almost any obstruction on the road, especially speed bumps. When you install the drop spindles, you MUST use at least 17 inch rims, or should you have a flat, you will land on the end of the shock, instead of the rim, and tear the lower suspension arm off, as well as ruin the shock.

You would have disable the sensor circuit, attached to the upper control arm, to make the auto level system manual.

Measured from the center of the hub. I'll measure from the rim tomorrow. I don't really want to change rims though. Might have to rethink this situation.

What if I cut a coil or two off the OG springs?

A dodge magnum has the same bolt pattern rims, I wonder I they would work.

You can use the opening to center of the hub, just do not measure it to the ground. Get someone to measure their stock height car to compare with yours.

I am not sure how much to cut off of the springs for what amount of drop.

If you have 2 inch drop springs, it should be about 2 inches. If you want more drop, you must be careful. I have 2 inch drop spindles, 2 inch drop springs,  a 1/4 inch "spacer" under my springs, and a 1 coil rubber insert between two of the coils, ending up with about a 3 1/4 inch drop. That is as far as you can go without the frame bottoming out on large speed bumps. I am running Impala rims 17 X 8 1/2 inch, and can only put 215-60-17 (27 inch diameter) tires on the front, but they still touch the wheelhouses in hard turns when going over a transition in the roadway. The center line of the tire is 1/2 inch outboard of the original relationship to the center line of the balljoints. This also puts extra strain on the steering linkage. I have recently purchased wheels with a +18 offset to compensate for the 1/2 inch push out of the drop spindles. I am putting 235-55-17 tires on the 17 X 8 1/2 inch rims. Tierod ends are really close but do not hit. If you use a more narrow rim, the sidewalls may not protrude as much, and you may have more clearance, but you still need 17 inch wheels, or "run flat" tires to use the drop spindles. IF you do not heed these parameters, you may be in for a nasty surprise.

Yes I know all about suspension parts hanging below the bottom of the rim. I measured from the center to the top edge. Going to buy the spindles and install them just to see how it sits. If it’s too low I’ll cut a coil of the stock springs and experiment. The moog and stock spring have about 3in of difference in height. Magnum wheels it turns out are a different bolt pattern.
Trying to keep the budget down to minimum so I’ll be scouring Craigslist for rims.
Fred you don’t by any chance have pics of your front end with and without rims???

I am not sure what pics you want. I do not have any pics without rims. I assume a side shot would be the pic with rims.

Yeah, that works as well. Those fronts are way tucked in there.

On my other wagon I ran a set of Hotchkis drop springs for an Impala SS lowered the wagon 1 1/2" all the way around with no ride issues .I also ran 60 series BFG TA radials on 15 x 8" Vette rallys which lowered it another 1/2 " again with no issues so a 2" drop with this combo .

Wojtek wrote:

On my other wagon I ran a set of Hotchkis drop springs for an Impala SS lowered the wagon 1 1/2" all the way around with no ride issues .I also ran 60 series BFG TA radials on 15 x 8" Vette rallys which lowered it another 1/2 " again with no issues so a 2" drop with this combo .

The tire size lowering does not count in the camber settings. Since the tire size is the same diameter as the Impala, they will fit, with no issues. Changing tire size will change the speedometer. A 1 inch smaller tire will increase the speedometer reading by about 3 MPH.

RoadKutter wrote:

Yeah, that works as well. Those fronts are way tucked in there.  

They are not tucked in. They are close to the wheelhouse, and they are only 215-60-17s. I am about to install new wheels with an +18 offset, and they will be in the same place as the original tires. The +18 is a half inch closer to the suspension parts, than the stock wheels. That compensates for the push out of the drop spindles. You may not be able to do that with 15 inch rims, because of the proximity of the steering linkage. Do not for one minute think this is just a bolt-up. It may take some trial and error learning. You can take my measurements, and use them for a guestimate for compatibility of parts, but until you actually assemble the parts you will not know if there are areas of interferencen. Be prepared to buy additional parts if it does not fit correctly. At best do not assume anything will work, because unless you get lucky, and that seldom happens, have a good thick wallet. The drop spindles are going to complicate everything. I have them on mine, and I have expressed the issues you will encounter.

Will replacing my rear springs with the ones that 94 Woody suggested Moog CC501 have any issues with my car which has the G67 option air shocks . I'm thinking about replacing them when I do the springs and because I'm not going to do a lot of hauling and no towing I was think about eliminating them and go to a standard shock .

If the auto level system is working, the lowering springs will cause it to activate continually until it is back to its original ride height. You must disable the auto level system. If you hook it back up, it will raise the rear to the OEM height. The sensor above the suspension arm must be recalibrated to the desired height.

So which way I'd the top of the new spring, or does it matter?

There is usually no UP to the rear springs, but if there is, put the shorter coils up. With the short coils up, you have less unsprung weight, making the ride better by a percentage point or two. Put them on the same on both sides. Use the isolators.

Only had the one insulator on top. By shorter coils so you mean the tighter wound ones? I put those up, will do the other side tomorrow. Wasted a lot of time fighting with seized lower shock bolt.

I use "Freeze off" to get tough bolts off.

Now I wonder if I should bother with the spindles? They are a good deal at $300 for the pair. It I’m not sure if I want to go through all the other necessities just to make them work. Hmmm
I could just cut a bit off the top of the moog springs.

Cutting a quarter turn off of the Moog springs would be a good start. If need be, cut 1/2 of a turn. You must cut the tapered part of the bump stop off, or you will only have about an inch of suspension travel.

Rear springs installed. The passenger side air shock is shot, will have to replace it.