front coil spring install makes me want to cry

[1991vert]

so i printed out some "directions" on how to change the front springs. their way is to lower the rear ofthe A-arm. by the time i was 1/2 way through it i wanted to kill myself or call up a shop and ask them if they made house calls. i got one bolt out by hammering it out with a screw driver, but then the screw driver got stuck in it's place. i played with it for a while with 2 jacks and finally got the screw driver to flop around freely in the hole,but it was now wedged up in the a-arm because it was too long. after a while of sawing through the handle of the screw driver i finally got it out. i was sick of it at this point and i need the car for next friday without a doubt so i went to put the bolt back in, but the car had different plans. the holes didnt want to line up at all. i then took my handly dandy "shortened" screw driver and pryed the other end of the hole until the opposite end kind of lined up. next came the mallot. at last i got everything bolted back up.

now, my question is would buying a spring compressor and doing it the "Haynes shop manual" way be easier/safer? also another problem i ran into is that i cant get the strut off the car. it just keeps spinning on me. should i save myself the aggrivation and just have a shop do it?

thanks

 

[drgn5.0]

probably sounds like more than you can tackle right now, whether it be time or lack of tools. i'd take it somewhere and just watch them do it, air tools would help big time getting the strut off btw.

 

[90mustangGT]

There is only one way to do things right, and that is to do them the right way. Some of these "shade tree mechanical" ideas scares the hell out of me. Do you relize how dangerous the spring is? Great way to get decapitated. I work in a shop, and we don't take springs lightly. There is a specail tool made to compress the type of springs our car's use. The front suspension is called "modified strut" and is only used on two cars, the Mustang and Camaro. Not the best setup out there, I would just go with coil overs.

Unbolt the strut from the three mount bolts and then the two that secure to the spindle then the brake line clip and then you should be out. The way to get the strut nut off is to either put a pair of vice grips very tightly on the strut rod and turn from the top, impact gun recomended. You can also use two wrenches, one on the nut and one on the top of the strut rod. Yes, they tend to be difficult after over a decade on there.

Using the right tools will make the job so much easier and faster. These shortcuts defeat the purpose. You can rent many of these tools at parts stores.

Good luck.

 

[RydeOn]

Lower the rear of the A arm??
With the front of the car on stands, put a jack under A arm. I undid the two bolts that hold the strut onto the spindle. REmove the tierod, anti swaybar, caliper. Tie up the caliper so its not dangling. Lower jack so the a arm swings down. Then (at your own risk) get a bat or some long device and knock the spring out from the other side, so it wants to go away from you, not towards. Putting in the lowered spring is cake since its shorter. But I used an Eibach Sportline which are 2" drop springs. You may need a compressor, but I did not. I used simple hand tools in my own garage by myself, and I am far from buff. If you want a compressor go to Harbor Freight, they are about 15 bux. Sawzall about 4" (I think) off the end and walla, you have your own Mustang spring compressor.

EDIT- I have a pic that shows what I did. Its too big to post up here but I can email it if you want.

 

[RydeOn]

Nevermind, take a look here..

Spring is ready to slide in/come out.

 

[90mustangGT]

...Then (at your own risk) get a bat or some long device and knock the spring out from the other side, so it wants to go away from you, not towards...

That's the kind of thing that scares me, I wouldn't recomend it, but if it worked then

 

[RydeOn]

Well as a safe alternative I reccomended the coil spring compressor at Harbor Freight. Its only $15 and comes in handy down the road.

 

[blkstangman88]

ya id say the right tools make the job way easier. i lower my car 2'', and with out my new air compressor or air tools it would havnt never have gotten done by me.

 

[HISSIN50]

90GT, im with you. the stangs dont seem too bad, but when i pulled springs on other cars, they had some serious potential energy waiting to break my arm.

the internal spring compressors you get at the parts store can work, if you cant get or make the clam type that is the proper way to do it (as in Haynes).

you will have to use a shim on the internal compressor. otherwise, the center stud hits the frame above the perch before you compress the spring enough

you have to be real careful about positioning the "butterflies" (the hooks on the compressor). make sure your compressor has bolts holding the hooks on, as you will likely have to unbolt them to get them where you want them. (the springs are too narrow to fit or slide the hook assemblies up where you will need them).

it is tedious, but works. good luck to ya.

 

[MahFiVeOh]

Some good info here, i'm installing a set of springs real soon myself....hope all goes well.
I've heard of people using a chain or rope to tie down spring so it doesnt go airborn on ya.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Nevermind, take a look here..

Spring is ready to slide in/come out.

Usually when you get the spring to this point, there is very little energy stored in it left. It's pretty much just wedged in there. I just pry em out and they never pop or go anywhere.


For the rear springs, don't touch the rear control arms. Just undo the quad shocks and main shocks and lower one side of the rear end at a time and you can take the spring out by hand

 

[1991vert]

i have an air compressor and a bunch of air tools, but i'd still have to do caster/camber plates and i need the car for next friday (g/f's prom). i'd like to be seen in this to prom

than a limo like everything else if i can get just the fronts and c/c plates installed for around $100-150 then i'll bring it somewhere. otherwise im shackeling the spring to the frame and it's coming out.

thanks for that pic, looks alot easier than the "method" i was doing. i thought of doing it your way but the spring looked like it would shoot right out at me as soon as i lowered the a-arm. i let one side down of the rear of the a-arm a little and it looked like it was decompressing straight down. thanks again!

 

[RydeOn]

Usually when you get the spring to this point, there is very little energy stored in it left. It's pretty much just wedged in there. I just pry em out and they never pop or go anywhere.

Exactly.

1991vert, wait till after prom until you go messing with it then. Damn, you are so lucky to be bringing a chick in a car like that. You are definetly gonna be getting some having a pimp ride like that!!

 

[Schlodes]

Whatever you do be exteremely careful doing col springs... Back when I had my T Type, I ordered MOroso Trick spings for the front, and I installed them the first time with a buddy. The Haynes manual said to use the method you described which was to support the underside of the control arm [under the coil area on underside of the arm] with a floor jack, remove the 2 innner control arm bolts, and them very very slowly lower the jack down. We used a chain and ran it through the coil and around the control arm, then bolt the ends together, so if it did decide to let go.. there would be something for the coil spring to laugh at on the way to taking my head off. It did work, but it was extremely unnerving. Anyway got the Moroso Springs all put in, lowered the car down and it rode on the rubber stops I was disgusted, and ended up, by myself, getting mad the next night and installing the stock coils back in the same way. I remember when I was doing the passenger side one, I had the stock coil set in place, started jacking up the control arm, spring starts compressing, and suddenly it made a weird groaning sound and the front end lifted up and it started to push the jack out towards me. I ended up getting it, but wont ever mess with springs again after that whole ordeal. Be careful if you attemt it again.