Getting ready to tackle front coil spring replacement on my 66 Fleetside. Any words of advice or cautions?
I would restrain the old spring with some chain or strong rope to the frame/crossmember. The hardest part is breaking the spindle loose from the upper ball joint. With the truck set on jack stands under the frame, and a floor jack under the a-arm, loosen the castle nut on the lower ball joint to where the top of the nut is even with the top of the threads. Lower the floor jack to place the spring tension on the a-arm. Using a mini-sledge, wack the spindle a few times until the spindle pops free. Place the floor jack under the a-arm again and jack up to take the tension off the a-arm. Then, remove the castle nut from the ball joint. Last phase, VERY S L O W L Y lower the floor jack to free the spindle and shortly after that the spring. When installing the new spring, make sure the end of the spring is seated correctly in the upper a-arm. The end of the coil must rest in the pocket against a formed stop in the pocket itself. Failure to do that will result in an uneven ride height and a " Popping" sound during normal suspension travel. This is a good time to look at those ball joints too. If the upper ball joints are rivited in, replace them. They are 40 years old.. The lowers need to be pressed in so they are a bit more work. DV
I'd recommend buying or renting the proper coil spring compressor (cheap ones wont work at all, make sure it's the type that goes up through the center of the spring) and ball joint seperater. I've replaced the front springs on my truck using only jacks and pulled apart the suspension of an '86 C20 at a junkyard using a only an engine hoist and the weight of the truck to maintain some control over the spring.:+ Its not fun. Next time I plan on renting the proper spring compressor from Autozone.
I agree as well, i railed my knee when i did it the cheap way and the spring launched out when the upper ball joint came loose!!!! ouch unfortunately the only thing is that autozone charges the full spring tool replacement price, but you get the full amount back when you return it, so really its a free rental, it just ties up your cash for a couple of days(thats the autozone here in pennsylvania)
Glad it was only your knee. That is why I said to restrain the spring to the chassie with a chain or strong rope. I think you will find that most spring compressors found at the local rentals or loaners from parts houses don't work too well. Most carry the external type for struts, or the internal types that are meant to fit up the shock mount holes found on the a-arms of passenger cars. If you have a good floor jack and work carefully, the spring will come out, and go back in, without the need of a compressor. DV
>Getting ready to tackle front coil spring replacement on my >66 Fleetside. Any words of advice or cautions? I purchased springs locally for my spring upgrade. My truck was an original 6 cyl & is now V-8. I went from old tired six cylinder springs to new V-8 springs. The 1/2 ton V-8 (Heavy Duty) are the same as 3/4 ton (v-8 regular duty). As Spring companies make more v-8 springs than 6 banger springs, the V-8 springs are cheaper by $25.00 or so. I was still able to use my Chevy duty drop spindles with the spring upgrade with out any modifications at all, total drop in. Now my 17" tires don't scrape the inner fenders any more.
