Sportline springs came in the mail today... Any install how-to's or tips??

[95CobraMike]

just looking for a how to for DIY spring install....
or if any of you have done them yourself do you have any tips that will make the install go faster or smoother?
thank you

 

[rudeone707]

http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/fcar/steedaspring1.htm

its not to hard.

 

[1slow95]

The rear springs are cake! Jack up both sides of the rear and put jackstands under the car. Remove the sway bar(2 bolts on each side). Place the jack under the end of the lower control arm where it attatches to the rearend, unbolt the control arm and lower the jack. Install the new spring and bolt the control arm back on. Repeat for the other side.

The front is a little tricky. You can do it several ways. First, you will need to remove the brake caliper and rotor. Edit: Forgot about the front sway bar, that needs unbolted too. Then unbolt the strut from the spindle. If you are replacing the ball joints, use a ball joint separator(looks like a fork) to separate the spindle from the control arm. Make sure you have a jack under the control arm before doing this, then lower the jack after the spindle is separated. Remove spring, change ball joints, reinstall.

If you don't want to replace your ball joints, you can remove the two bolts holding the contol arm to the k-member. That way is kind of a pain to get lined back up when reinstalling the springs, but it will save your ball joints.

Pick up a Haynes/Chiltons manual if you dont have one. I used that as a guide when changing my springs.

 

[Rootus]

Chain the springs, especially the fronts, for the removal process.

 

[1slow95]

Chain the springs, especially the fronts, for the removal process.

You can do that if you want to feel safe, but it's not required. By the time I got my springs to where they actually come out, there wasn't much pressure on them at all.

 

[rudeone707]

You can do that if you want to feel safe, but it's not required. By the time I got my springs to where they actually come out, there wasn't much pressure on them at all.

i second that. mine were pretty loose too.

 

[94-302-vert]

I vote to jsut use a long crowbar for leverage, do eaht it takes to lower the suspension asl low as possible (unbolt the top of the strut or shock) and then crowbar it out.

Chris

 

[Rootus]

You can do that if you want to feel safe, but it's not required.

That is one of the most absurd comments I have ever heard in this forum, and I have seen some real doozies. Perhaps "you can wear a seatbelt if you want to feel safe, but it's not required" would be another nugget of sage advice?

Last year I had the opportunity to read the obituary of an 18 year old kid who was killed while changing the springs on his Mustang. One of the front ones, in fact. And yes, it was a SN95 Mustang much like ours.

Perhaps he looked online for advice on changing his springs, and all he got was "it's easy, no problem, just pop them right out." Somebody forgot to mention that every once in a great while, a spring will come flying out. And that one rare occurence cost the kid his life.

So how about we try to give GOOD advice here, okay?

Dave

 

[1slow95]

Sorry, I hadn't heard any stories about the springs popping out on our cars. Mine had almost no pressure on them after I lowered the control arm. I too asked for tips on here before I changed my springs, and I had one person tell me to chain the springs and about 5 others that said it wasn't necessary. After changing my springs, IMO chaining the springs is not necessary if you remove them correctly. If you're using 94-302-vert's crowbar method, definitely chain the springs.

And I never said changing the front springs was easy. It took me about 3-4 hours start to finish on the front springs. The rear one's I can change in about 30-45 minutes.

 

[95CobraMike]

yehhawww tomorrow is the day im going to undertake this project...so about 4 hours or so?

 

[Rootus]

Sorry, I hadn't heard any stories about the springs popping out on our cars. Mine had almost no pressure on them after I lowered the control arm.

The key phrase is "after I lowered the control arm". Of course at that point you're safe. But from the moment you start lowering the control arm, until the point when all tension has been removed from the spring, you are at risk. Something breaks as the load shifts, or whatever, and now the shit has hit the fan. The kid who died was probably in front of the wheel hub lowering the jack to release the tension on the control arm. I remember that his death was caused by trauma resulting from being hit in the chest by the spring.

Maybe I'm just getting too old . I no longer have faith in my own immortality. I see $2 and 2 minutes of time, and the decision is a no-brainer.

Dave

 

[kendoo130]

Here's some advice for you-go pay somebody that knows what they're doing to install them for you. It can be a pain in the butt if you're not sure what you're doing-and like stated before you can hurt yourself.

 

[1hot5.0]

Here's some advice for you-go pay somebody that knows what they're doing to install them for you. It can be a pain in the butt if you're not sure what you're doing-and like stated before you can hurt yourself.

IMO a waste of money. Springs are very easy to install.

Any tips/advice have already been given here. You will really like the sportline springs though. BE sure to post pics when your done.

 

[95CobraMike]

IMO a waste of money. Springs are very easy to install.

Any tips/advice have already been given here. You will really like the sportline springs though. BE sure to post pics when your done.

OH i will.....

im not worried about it too much, i did lowing springs on my ford probe 2 times before.....without spring compressors!! What a pain that was.. but i am pretty confiedent

 

[LoudToy958]

All the info above is good. The chain thing is up to you. I didn't do it, never have, but if you don't, make sure you are in front of the car, and nothing is in the way if the spring does decide to take flight.

Anyhow, I didn't see anything above about spring placement. The pigtails on the bottom of the springs actually have to be in the right spot. On th front a-arms you will see the indentation for the spring.

Best thing to do is just look how they are mounted, and mimic that. Don't be fooled, the install is pretty easy. It just takes a lot out of you. Adjust this, adjust that, bolts don't line up easy. Just be patient. It is good to have a helper. Good luck, lets see some before and after pics if you have a chance.

 

[1slow95]

The spring placement is also mentioned in the instructions that come with the sportlines.

 

[davins130]

i just took 1 front spring out last night, and that bitch popped out and threw a cloud of rust in my face and when i do the next side im going to use spring clamps i think cause that scared the **** out of me. I cant get the new eibach springs in, im going to need compressor clamps to get that spring shorter to fit back in. Will it hurt my ball joints leaving the a arm hanging down??

 

[davins130]

also, i couldnt get those rubber insolator things off my old springs, so i bought the blue bbk ones and they came with a rubber cup for the top too...They arent slotted like the stock ones, just blue tubes? are those any good because they dont seem to want to sit right in there, plus there are indentations for the slots in the stock ones? should i just get the stock ones and return those?

 

[94GT40]

The rear springs are cake! Jack up both sides of the rear and put jackstands under the car. Remove the sway bar(2 bolts on each side). Place the jack under the end of the lower control arm where it attatches to the rearend, unbolt the control arm and lower the jack. Install the new spring and bolt the control arm back on. Repeat for the other side.

The front is a little tricky. You can do it several ways. First, you will need to remove the brake caliper and rotor. Edit: Forgot about the front sway bar, that needs unbolted too. Then unbolt the strut from the spindle. If you are replacing the ball joints, use a ball joint separator(looks like a fork) to separate the spindle from the control arm. Make sure you have a jack under the control arm before doing this, then lower the jack after the spindle is separated. Remove spring, change ball joints, reinstall.

If you don't want to replace your ball joints, you can remove the two bolts holding the contol arm to the k-member. That way is kind of a pain to get lined back up when reinstalling the springs, but it will save your ball joints.

Pick up a Haynes/Chiltons manual if you dont have one. I used that as a guide when changing my springs.

Good advice... But I would like to add a couple of things.

1. You only need to un-bolt the rear lower control arm where it attaches to the axel housing. You probably already knew that, but just makin sure.

2. Regarding the fronts...

a. Support the front frame rails with jack stands and jack up the front "A" arm to relieve the pressure.
b. All I did was to remove the front caliper. [It's 2 bolts on the inside.]
c. Make a little hanger out of coat hanger wire and hang it from the bolts inside the fender well. [When your in there you'll know the ones I'm talking about.]
d. The rotor will just come right off then.
e. Next unbolt the front sway bar connection where it attaches to the lower control arm ["A" arm].
f. Then unbolt the two bolts that hold the shock on to the front spindle assembly. Make sure you have the spring chained to some framing. [I didn't and was lucky.]
g. Slowly lower the jack and let the pressure off the front "A" arm and it will lower as far as it will go.
h. Either step on it yourself or have your helper pushdown as far as you can on the "A" arm.
k. Then take a crow bar, stick it in between the lower spring cup and the spring and pop it out. [If you don't have the spring chained, here is where it may come flying out and hurt you.]
l. If you were installing stock springs you couldn't get them back in right now; however, the new springs are shorter so they will go back in top first and then pry them in with the crow bar. It will take some effort, but I found this to be easier than other methods. Make sure you clean out the cup, it may have rocks and dirt and krud in it. It also helps to lubricate the cup and the lower bushing when using this method.

I did it this way and it didn't even effect my allignment. My camber is negative, but it tracked straight as an arrow afterwards. Not to say that everyone shouldn't have theirs checked.

 

[davins130]

never mind i got them pry'd in with a crowbar with some serious force. Off to side 2