Front drop 87 cabrio?

[stevetrocs]

I am looking to drop the front of my cabrio a little. I am getting 15's and want to lower it just a little. I don't have the money right now to do shocks and springs. Was reading about drop hats and camber plates. Would either of these work to drop the front a little?

Any other ideas would be helpful too.

I know that I should probably just wait until I can afford a complete shock and spring combo, but I just bought the car and it has fairly new stock suspension.

Thanks for your help.

[idanity]

congratulations on the e30 truly a great car.
and yes, drop hats work. highly recomended for a mild drop.


i am only answering b/c no one else is, or people are sometimes too "purist" to do this.
i come from the ghetto of N.Y.C. and always admired the low cars.
below is some ideas.

if you can remove the springs, you can cut them.
remove a set from a junk yard (do not remove them sprung, get them to a goodyear, they have compressed many struts for free after i brought them there.

use a 4" grinder and cut out 2 rings.
measure twice and maybe even weigh them afterwards.
cut springs are ok, and i used a pair for over a year w/no-one ever knowing they were "cut" but you gotta swap the shocks.
i do not heat springs,
btw, if/when you drop your car, you will need lower ride shocks, as the current ones will be too tall, and be worn out in a few months.

not recomending this, but i have cut many springs in the past, (all 3oo dollar cars btw with fugly wheel gap). and i have cut some of them on the car, the 1st cut will pop, and may break your grinder, or wheel, or both and send parts flying your way faster than sound. (be prepared and i have used leather welding gloves and sheilds for protection (and i had experience in doing it straight, but this particular time, i had no garage, )

others people have set bricks under their cars, and heated up the springs till they get soft, and lowered to the bricks. that method works, but kills the springs. you want the springs to stay cool as much as possible.



keep in mind "this is not recomended" but it is a very cheap alternative.
also
remember that your oil pan is going to drop too.so, this could be the end of your cars longevity.!


be very carefyl on dropping the a-arms and removing stuts. people have lost body parts doing that.
i have seen a persons foot severed by a rotor.!
maybe this leads me to be as careful as i can be, but also being poor, determination can get us to risk more than average people might

[pinoy325i]

or you can get some m3 springs. about a 1 inch drop. ive heard some people use em with stock struts. but i say just save up till you can get both.