Tips to spring install

deadlast

New Member

Mar 30, 2005

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Belmont, MA

Mar 23, 2006

#1

• Mar 23, 2006

• #1

i just read through my chiltons manual, and they made it seem alot harder than i thought it would be. Can't i simply jack the car up so the springs have no load on them, then decompress them w/ a spring decompressor to get them out? i would like any other tips please.

 

91LX_5L

Founding Member

May 13, 2002

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36

British Columbia

Mar 23, 2006

#2

• Mar 23, 2006

• #2

yes thats pretty much it, might have to drop the A-arm on the fronts.

 

deadlast

New Member

Mar 30, 2005

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Belmont, MA

Mar 24, 2006

#3

• Mar 24, 2006

• #3

ok well iv been trying all afternoon and im stumped. there simply isnt enough room to have 2 compressors on the spring at once, so i tried to drop the a arm and let the spring fall out. well i have to remove the brake first which is where i got stuck. we tried using a normal ratchet but broke 2 15mm sprockets. so we went out and bought an impact gun to try and get the ****ers off. Nothing! i would love any other tips please.

 

deadlast

New Member

Mar 30, 2005

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Belmont, MA

Mar 24, 2006

#4

• Mar 24, 2006

• #4

hey is it possible to disconnect the strut at the bottom, and just push the a arm as far as it will go down, then just pop the spring out?

 

donjohn

New Member

Feb 7, 2004

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Irvine - Southern California

Mar 24, 2006

#5

• Mar 24, 2006

• #5

why do you have to remove the brake? can't you just remove the caliper.

I had my struts off and I think i just dropped (literally the first time) the a arm and the spring still didn't pop out. I had to use a screwdriver or crowbar or something

edit: and i posted while you did.

I believe that's possible.

 

stprorolla49

Active Member

Oct 9, 2004

1,455

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39

Fairfield, CT/North Jersey

Mar 24, 2006

#6

• Mar 24, 2006

• #6

heres how i did it, and it worked well.....

loosen the 3 bolts that hold the top of the strut (under the hood)...then take out the cotter pin in the big nut on the upper a-arm....take the nut off....take off the nuts on the sway bar and rod ends too....then put a floor jack under the lower a-arm, and lower it down as far as you can go which should take most or all of the load off of the spring in the perch....then try to pry the spring out...if you cant, get some compressors on there, and just compress them a bit, and they should come out pretty easy....then do the same for putting them back in....i didnt have to compress the springs going in because they were about 2" shorter than the stockers, so they went right in....then use the floorjack under the lower a-arm to compress the spring in between the 2 a-arms, and MAKE SURE YOU AIM THE TOP OF THE STRUT BACK INTO THE BOLT HOLES ABOVE! also make sure the spring is sitting in the perches the same way the stockers came out....then tighten tie rod ends, sway bar, and spindle bolts....then tighten the 3 bolts under the hood that hold the top of the strut to the strut tower....hope this helped!

EDIT: one last thing i forgot....get the car maybe 1.5 feet in the air....it will give you the most travel of the lower a-arm and hopefully the spring will pop out easier....and also VERY IMPORTANT, be careful of your front brake lines because you dont wanna tear one..

 

chaos254

Founding Member

Jul 27, 2002

467

3

29

NJ

Mar 24, 2006

#7

• Mar 24, 2006

• #7

deadlast said:

hey is it possible to disconnect the strut at the bottom, and just push the a arm as far as it will go down, then just pop the spring out?

Click to expand...

yeh thats how I did mine... just make sure you put a jack underneath the control arm when your taking the bottom 2 strut bolts off.

Even with the control arm all the way down your going to have to use a pry bar to get it out.

 

BlackVert

15 Year Member

Oct 3, 2003

5,589

9

98

Bethesda, MD

Mar 24, 2006

#8

• Mar 24, 2006

• #8

just be careful though because the springs are under alot of pressure and you don't want one popping out on you and right into your face. that woud ruin your day for sure. people often thread a cable through the middle to keep it from going too far it it pops out.

btw, i hope you are happy with the springs, i'm glad they are going to good use.

- chris

 

S

spock2001us

Member

Aug 23, 2005

143

0

16

Mar 25, 2006

#9

• Mar 25, 2006

• #9

deadlast said:

ok well iv been trying all afternoon and im stumped. there simply isnt enough room to have 2 compressors on the spring at once, so i tried to drop the a arm and let the spring fall out. well i have to remove the brake first which is where i got stuck. we tried using a normal ratchet but broke 2 15mm sprockets. so we went out and bought an impact gun to try and get the ****ers off. Nothing! i would love any other tips please.

Click to expand...

I took everything off the LCA except the balljoint,and yes, you have to remove the brake caliper which should be simple. You can then push down on the arm and use a crow bar to pull the old spring out. When putting the new one's in, I had to use a spring compressor. If you have the one that uses two pieces that go on the outside of the spring, then you have the wrong one. You need the one that goes inside of the spring, then you have to really play with it to get it to fit right and work.....and I had to use a shim (a short piece of pipe) or else the bolt in the compressor will go beyond the end of the spring....the shim gives you some more room.

 

deadlast

New Member

Mar 30, 2005

495

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0

Belmont, MA

Mar 25, 2006

#10

• Mar 25, 2006

• #10

we gave up... we couldnt get the damn caliper off. after we broke 2 15mm sockets trying to get the brake off, we bought an impact gun. unfortunatly the compressor tank was too small and couldnt hold a steady psi, so no luck there. im going to give the bolts a nice spray everyday with wd-40 to try and free the bolts up.

 

Methodical

15 Year Member

Dec 1, 2003

1,192

11

59

Clinton, MD

Mar 26, 2006

#11

• Mar 26, 2006

• #11

deadlast said:

we gave up... we couldnt get the damn caliper off. after we broke 2 15mm sockets trying to get the brake off, we bought an impact gun. unfortunatly the compressor tank was too small and couldnt hold a steady psi, so no luck there. im going to give the bolts a nice spray everyday with wd-40 to try and free the bolts up.

Click to expand...

Try usnig a Breaker Bar - if not already using one. Get at least a 15" bar and use the impact wrench socket.

 

JJ95GTID

Active Member

Sep 22, 2003

1,141

4

49

Phoenix, AZ

Mar 26, 2006

#12

• Mar 26, 2006

• #12

The two 15mm bolts hold the bracket that holds the caliper to the spindle. You could just remove the caliper like you do to replace the brake pads. One bolt on the caliper is a torq bit and the other is an inverted torq bit. they should come off a lot easier than the two 15mm bolts you are trying to remove.
Also, in addition to unbolting the tie rod end, anti sway bar, and struts I also LOOSENED the A-arm bolts. This lets the A-arms drop to the floor. My passanger side stock spring just fell out when I lowered the jack supporting the A-arm after doing this. Just be sure not to retorque the A-arm bolts until you have the full weight of the vehicle support by the A-arm with a jack.

 

deadlast

New Member

Mar 30, 2005

495

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Belmont, MA

Mar 26, 2006

#13

• Mar 26, 2006

• #13

i broke a 2' breaker bar with the impact sockets...

ill try the above method of removing the brake.

 

Guero

Active Member

Oct 11, 2005

2,148

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47

Mar 26, 2006

#14

• Mar 26, 2006

• #14

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

when i did my o1 mustang i looked tru this as i was doing the install