Heating springs to lower car?

[rlavende]

My '68 Malibu sits about 2" higher than factory original and I want to lower it. When I was a kid, coil sprung cars could be lowered by torching the springs to get the collapse desired, and allowed to sit overnight to anneal without becoming brittle.
Is this an acceptable practice, or has it been shown to be dangerous or unsuccessful in the long run? I know that new springs aren't that expensive, but I'm thinking of labor involved. Am I just getting lazy in my waning years?
Thanks for your advice,
Rich