I recently completed a frame off '67 restoration, during which I used a spring compressor to install the front springs on the bare chassis. I am getting ready to remove and replace the front springs on a '66 which is completely assembled. Should I still use a compressor or can I use the weight of the car against a hydraulic jack?
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Re: '66 BB FRT COIL SPRING REMOVAL & INSTALL
Use a spring compressor to keep the spring short. You cant get the spring out if the weight of the car is on the spring. The weignt of the car is on a jack stand, not the spring. -
That's the way I do it.
I use a short chain to hold the spring until all the tension is off and the spring is ready to fall out.Comment
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Re: '66 BB FRT COIL SPRING REMOVAL & INSTALL
I hope this helps. I use a 5/8" threaded rod (18"long)double nutted at one end with the threads peened over, a 3/8" thick plate or washer large enough to cover the bottom hole in the lower A arm, a couple of large washers and one nut for the threaded rod.
Jack the car up using a good floor jack by placing the jack under the A-Arm where it attaches to the front cross member. Add a jack stand or other under the car frame to prevent it from dropping too far if the jack were to collapse. Remove wheel and the shock. Put plate on the rod and pass it up the shock tower until it sticks out the top. Add acouple of washers and the nut. Tighten to compress spring and A-Arm. After compressed remove the two small and one large bolts holding the A-arm to the frame. You can now slowly loosen the bolt and lower jack. Remove bolt. This will allow you to remove spring without removing ball joints.
To assemble reverse proceedure and use long bolts or rod in the frame anchor holes to help guide into position.
I've done this on 3 cars.Comment
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Re: '66 BB FRT COIL SPRING REMOVAL & INSTALL
Thanks...Comment
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Re: 5/8" rod did the trick
Putting the front coils back into my 68 scared the bejesus out me because of all that pent up latent energy when they were compressed. Sooooooo I went out and purchased a Harbor Freight internal spring compressor thinking I had it made....WRONG!
As both hook assemblies were aluminum, the thread stock began almost immediately to chew up the threads in the lower hook assembly making it almost impossible to turn.
With that said, I purchased the 5/8" thread stock, and with the use of the non-threaded upper hook assembly from the H.F. inverted, was able to very easily (and safely) pull the coils right up.
The only issue I had, was that the pull was so straight, that I also had to us a ratchet strap to force the coils to arch a little to mate up with the lower control arm pocket.
This also served as the safety strap just in case it got away from me.
I had both coils in and all components tightened up in less than an hour.
You still have to give these coils a lot of respect when doing this as they can bust free faster than a preying mantis can strike if given the opportunity.
Two penny's worth,
ChuckComment
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Re: 5/8" rod did the trick
i launched a bb front coil when re-installing in early 80's.Hole still in drywall of ceiling to remind me of the pent-up forces. mikeComment
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Re: '66 BB FRT COIL SPRING REMOVAL & INSTALL
Lou:
I am now in the process of re-installing the front springs in my '69. I would like to use your method but I am a little confused. When you say " put plate on rod and pass it up the shock tower until it sticks out the top. Add a couple of washers and the nut." Do you mean attach those at the top of the rod above the hole in the shock tower? This attaches the spring to the shock tower and to the a-frame? By tightening the bolt (from the top or bottom?) you would compress the spring. After the bolts on the crossmember are removed you would then slowly loosen the nuts on the threaded rod to decompress the spring in a controled fashion. You then remove the spring at its full unsprung dimension. Do I have this correct? I used a spring compressor to remove the spring but this was very difficult to set up and re-installing it with that tool looks to be next to impossible since the arms, when attached at the highest and lowest point available without interfering with the a-arm and shock tower doesn't leave enough to tighten up properly. Actually when I was removing the spring from the a-frame after lowering it from the frame the tool sprung apart and the spring unloaded. Thankfully there was no damage to me or the car.Thanks for your help.
Jeff Salz #13182Comment
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Re: That's what I ran into JeffL
Yep, plate on the bottom and run the 5/8" thread stock up through the shock tower.
Then place the flat washers from the top over the thread stock and then the nuts. This way your cranking the nuts down against the top of the tower thus pulling up on the plate at the bottom.
Then it's a matter of winding the thread stock up through the tower hole.
I doubled up the nuts, matched the threads so they would be sychronized with each other and spin easily on the stock and then tacked them together with the mig to give me more thread pulling strength. Did the same for the bottom as well. Might have been over kill but it made me feel more confident against stripped threads.
One thing to beware of is the uneven bite that the plate will have against the coil and it's natural spiral.
If I was to pursue creating a lower plate, I would have stitched a couple of small pieces of bar stock to the plate so that the stock was just up against the inner coils to prevent the potential of slipping out.
Like I said, I was fortunate enough to be able to recycle the Harbor freight tool so that it at least paid for it'self.
ChuckComment
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Re: That's what I ran into JeffL
Chuck,
When you installed the 5/8" rod through the top of the shock tower how did you reinforce the cup that holds the rubber shock bushing and not damage it? I used a internal spring compressor when replacing my 63 springs and the tool kept slipping, I think I try another method next time.Comment
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Re: '66 BB FRT COIL SPRING REMOVAL & INSTALL
Jeff,
Sorry for the confusion. Yes pass the Rod thru the plate so that the plate is outside the lower A-arm then after the rod is thru the top wher the shock would attach add a couple of washers then the bolt. As you tighten it will compress the spring.
I also tried the regular spring compressor there isn't much room and it is hard to get it high enough. The method I used also aligns the spring in both the upper and lower A-arms when re assembling.
Hope this helpsComment
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Re: That's what I ran into JeffL
Tim,
Remove the shock bushings before you start the removal.
As mike said be careful the compressed spring stores a lot of energy, that is why I double nutted the bottom AND peened over the shaft to prevent it from unscrewing from the lower bolts.Comment
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Re: That's what I ran into JeffL
There is a nice article on front springs in the book "Corvette 427" by Don Sherman. On page 116, there is a photo of how he made up a tool for replacing the springs.Comment
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Re: 5/8" rod did the trick
I would never trust anything from Harbor Freight if it could hurt me or damage anything. Maybe it's just me.Comment
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Re: 5/8" rod did the trick
Lou and all:
Thanks very much for the help with this installation. I think I will try a combination of the spring removal tool and the 5/8"rod tool. I will use the threaded portion of the removal tool and the threaded rod that comes with it and "attach" the spring to the a-arm and squeese it down before I raise the assembly up with a jack. This will firmly secure the spring and compress it at the same time. I'll let yuou all know how it works.
JeffComment
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