My rear leaf springs are shot on my 66'. I want to buy a new pair and would like to know how easy and what I have to do to change them??? thanks guys
Matt
Matt
How do I change Leaf Springs?
- Thread starter MustangMatt1966
- Start date
As far as difficult it's a 1 or a 2, but on the PITA scale it can be up there.
You need a Jack, 4 jack stands, set of wrenches and socket set, a BFH and a 4 inch angle grinder. Fire extinguisher and wheel chocks and safety glasses.
1 loosen lug nuts, place chocks for front wheels forwards and backwards.
2 Jack rear end up and remove tires and place 2 jackstands under rear frame rails and 2 under the alxe tubes.
3 remove u bolts holding rear end to springs and remove shock nuts from plate. (now is the time to change shocks too only 2 more nuts to loosen)
4 raise axle housing more to get out of way.
5 remove rear bolt/nut from shackles, let spring drop. If you're luck you can just unbolt the front eye bolt. (you're not going to be lucky unless the car has spent it's life in a desert)
6 take angle grinder and plenty of wheels and cut the spring as close to the eye as possible. then cut through the spring eye on each side. burning rubber bushings will make a mess and smell and maybe burn. Keep extinguisher close.
Should take a little over an hour on each side. Some people have used die grinders and sawzall's. Each will work it's just what you have. Use quality blades and work safely not quickly.
You need a Jack, 4 jack stands, set of wrenches and socket set, a BFH and a 4 inch angle grinder. Fire extinguisher and wheel chocks and safety glasses.
1 loosen lug nuts, place chocks for front wheels forwards and backwards.
2 Jack rear end up and remove tires and place 2 jackstands under rear frame rails and 2 under the alxe tubes.
3 remove u bolts holding rear end to springs and remove shock nuts from plate. (now is the time to change shocks too only 2 more nuts to loosen)
4 raise axle housing more to get out of way.
5 remove rear bolt/nut from shackles, let spring drop. If you're luck you can just unbolt the front eye bolt. (you're not going to be lucky unless the car has spent it's life in a desert)
6 take angle grinder and plenty of wheels and cut the spring as close to the eye as possible. then cut through the spring eye on each side. burning rubber bushings will make a mess and smell and maybe burn. Keep extinguisher close.
Should take a little over an hour on each side. Some people have used die grinders and sawzall's. Each will work it's just what you have. Use quality blades and work safely not quickly.
what a PITA. The eye bolt nut came off easy in the falcon. I just had a closed end on the bolt side where it would hit the floorpans and took a 1/2 socket to the nut side with breaker bar about a foot and a half long. I replaced mine twice in the past year. Of course now I have an impact . . .
1966conv thanks for the in-depth response, i dont have an angle grinder at my house...so i might be up a creek without a paddle
68 Coop
New Member
Try them first, one of mine came out so easy I thought it was going to be a breeze. Boy was I wrong. Sawzall did the other, but not without a 6 hour fight. Luck
You can buy your basic inexpensive sawzall or angle grinder for less than $30 at most Ace/Lowes/Home Depot/Menards type stores.
If you throw it away when you're done, it's still less than paying someone to do it.
Like I said it's not complicated at all, it's just kind of a PITA. And once you do it once, you can charge all your mustang friends to do it for them. :>)
If you throw it away when you're done, it's still less than paying someone to do it.
Like I said it's not complicated at all, it's just kind of a PITA. And once you do it once, you can charge all your mustang friends to do it for them. :>)
1966conv said:
haha good thinking...i mean, i guess i have to learn some time to do the work....it will definately be intersting in the garage with limited tools haha
wish me luck! :Word:
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