Suspension Suspension problem--lowering springs gone wrong

I wouldn't think the springs themselves would settle much(never experienced it myself) but they do settle into the rubber/poly isolators dropping the ride height 1/4" or so.
The quality of the spring or spring material may play a role in the whole settling thing,but being as inexpensive as springs are,purchasing something other than Afco,Eibach,Hypercoil,or a Ford product most likely isn't happening anyway.
 
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OK...so I went to do the struts and adjust the control arm today and first off I am not sure if they even removed the strut when doing the springs, the bolts looked untouched and rusty and it took 3 dousing of wd-40 and 30 minutes of wrenching to break them loose.

Finally got them loose and looked at the spring and sure enough it was NOT in the perch...the pigtail was about 1.5" past the perch slot.I tried to pry it backwards but had no luck and ended popping the spring out....and now I have not yet been able to pry it back in place so guessing I might need to get a spring compressor from auto parts store?

below are the pics...first 2 are pics of the spring in the car and the gap below it is where the perch is if what i am pointing to in pic 3 is the perch. lol
 

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Is it my eyes playing a trick on me here or does it look like there is a broken coil off the old spring rusted into that control arm??
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- It just has the dust + dust pattern. (I hope!)
- The strut bolts should be on with red lock tite, at least if they are factory installed. Without heat, they should have been a bear to take apart if the shop did not mess with them.
- With the arm lowered and supported on a jack, I have been able to pop them in the bottom pocket with a pry bar. If that’s not proper technique, I did not know at the time. I did keep my head back while doing this work.
 
- It just has the dust + dust pattern. (I hope!)
- The strut bolts should be on with red lock tite, at least if they are factory installed. Without heat, they should have been a bear to take apart if the shop did not mess with them.
- With the arm lowered and supported on a jack, I have been able to pop them in the bottom pocket with a pry bar. If that’s not proper technique, I did not know at the time. I did keep my head back while doing this work.
I tried it with the arm all the way extended down and nothing under it...is that not correct? I did not think you would set the spring in with the arm not all the way down...if I am wrong please let me know...the mechanic himself said it was a nightmare to get them in, but of course he also didn't put the driver side in the perch so who knows.

The bolt had blue lok tite on them so maybe that is why it was so hard, but it felt like it had never been messed with type of tight. LOL
 
I tried it with the arm all the way extended down and nothing under it...is that not correct? I did not think you would set the spring in with the arm not all the way down...if I am wrong please let me know...the mechanic himself said it was a nightmare to get them in, but of course he also didn't put the driver side in the perch so who knows.

The bolt had blue lok tite on them so maybe that is why it was so hard, but it felt like it had never been messed with type of tight. LOL
I had the cars on jack stands, then used the floor jack to support and slowly let down the arm to change the spring and strut. Then I reversed the procedure after I figured out the loctite. The arm had to go up somehow. A compressor or lowering springs make it easier.
 
The perch where the spring rests on the bottom should be clean and have nothing in it. Yours looks like there is at a minimum a lot of rust and if not just crusty stuff it might be a broken piece of the old spring. Take a screw driver and a hammer and clean that perch area out if you can.
 
I had the cars on jack stands, then used the floor jack to support and slowly let down the arm to change the spring and strut. Then I reversed the procedure after I figured out the loctite. The arm had to go up somehow. A compressor or lowering springs make it easier.
These are lowering springs I am using....at least they are supposed to be, but they should be easier to go in than the stock one right? These things are long and a bitch
 
The perch where the spring rests on the bottom should be clean and have nothing in it. Yours looks like there is at a minimum a lot of rust and if not just crusty stuff it might be a broken piece of the old spring. Take a screw driver and a hammer and clean that perch area out if you can.
Yeah I will do that...I was exhausted when i took those pictures...Im gonna get a start in the morning and see what happens
 
Do you have one of the springs that came out of the front? If so, please show us a pic of it sitting right beside the new lowering spring showing the height difference. A pic from the side.
 
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So, I’m gonna probably get some pushback on this but here’s a general thing that I do when lowering ANY car. First, yeah some Fox bodies sit nose high stock. Mine did and we bought it with 35k on the odometer so I know it was like that new. Next, when your springs arrive, measure the overall height, spring material diameter and number of coils. Note all this for comparison to the ones in the car for later. Next, even if I shop is doing the work, measure the ride height before you drop it on all four corners. Measure vertically through the center of the wheel on level ground. Note all this. So now on to some stuff I’m reading here I disagree with. Just my experience and opinions, hope it doesn’t start an argument.
Springs do not settle in my experience. Not even a little. If you put them in the car correctly, what you see is what you’ll get unless the springs sag. My ‘88 had 197k on it when it was sold and had no sagging so probably just an old wives tale. Unless someone measures it before and after and writes it down, doubtful they really know.
Having dropped a couple Mustangs, I can tell you it’s not at all a tough job in a garage with a floor jack, impact and some hand tools. Any professional mechanic will tell you the same if they are any good. If the new springs are longer than the old springs, they should have called you and told you. Dropped springs are typically short enough to slide right in with zero need for a spring compressor.
A-arm bolts can’t hold the front of the car up by themselves. I know this is got a lot of people running to reply I’m an idiot and that their friends brothers uncles neighbors cousin had the A arm bolts so tight it raised the car 2” but it doesn’t work that way. Your bushings have a steel sleeve in them to prevent this. That sleeve prevents an over tightened bolt from crushing the tabs and squeezing the rubber, which would restrict movement but not stop it all together. And if that were possible, physics would dictate that the A arm would be restricted from returning to the “at rest” height, not the unloaded height. For those that think I’m wrong, remove your springs and tighten that bolt for all you can and see if it stays up once you put the cars weight on it. It’s not at all uncommon for lowering springs to not give you what’s advertised. My 1.5” dropped springs actually dropped the car 2-1/8”. Assuming they are correctly clocked, you have two choices, buy another set or trim a half a coil off and see if you like that. Now the “you can’t cut coils! You’ll die!! “ crowd is running to reply. Ask them how any spring on the planet got manufactured to the length it is now…
 
Correct,the bushings do have a steel sleeve,BUT the face of the factory bushing's steel sleeve is serrated.These serrated ends bite into the sides of the mounts and relies on the rubber bushing deforming/twisting on the outer shell which it's adhered to.
Will these style bushings keep the car from settling correctly if torqued other than at/close to ride height,absolutely.
Idiot? I don't know you well enough to make that claim,dead wrong on this subject,yes.
 
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That's exactly what I'm saying.
It's just one of many Ford engineered aspects that made these cars ride like absolute dogsh*t in stock form and why switching to polyurethane bushes in this case actually improves the ride quality by helping to decrease the wheel rate.