The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks Front Suspension

What is the best way to remove the front springs for a front end rebuild?
Do I go the floor jack and jack stand route or is it safer to use a spring compressor?
Thanks,
Mike

Is the truck still fully assembled? You'll need the weight of the engine and body panels to compress the spring enough to safely disassemble the A-arms. Put the front end on jack stands, under the frame, low as possible. Put the jack (a floor jack with good wheels) under the lower A-arm, as far out as possible, 90 degrees to the frame. Compress the spring but don't lift off of the jack stands. loosen one of the ball joint nuts but don't remove. Break loose the balljoint from the spindle. Now see if you can get clearance between the nut and spindle. If not, use a spring compressor to releive some of the tension. Remove nut and slowly lower the jack, allowing ot to roll with the A-arm until the spring is free.
Easy as that,
Scott

Yes it is still fully assembled. Have done the jack and stand way on cars before but not on a heavy truck like this. Just concerned about safety issues. Sounds OK to do on the truck. Thanks.
Mike

I've found that rear coil springs can generally be removed by lowering the axle after the fasteners/shocks are removed until the suspension is unloaded. I've done this many times with no problem.

On front suspensions there is generally much more spring tension due to the heavier load and many times longer travel. I always use both a spring compressor and a chain wrapped through the spring and lower control arm. The chain ends are held together with a bolt as insurance. I've seen tv shows pull front springs with only a safety chain, however if the jack slips without either a spring compressor or at minimum a safety chain, something is going to get hurt.

The spring compressor is also helpful when installing the new springs, as it allows the spring to more closely resemble ride height letting it seat in the control arm pockets.

A rear coil isn't near the kind of pressure a front coil is under... especially when you can unload the rear suspension and take all the pressure off the springs.

I NEVER trust the floor-jack method for front coils. At $35, a coil spring compressor is cheap compared to a trip to the ER.

Also, if the engine isn't in there, you'll just lift the truck. And sometimes, even with the engine in, you'll lift the truck.

KD Tools makes a great spring compressor--it uses real course Acme threads. I've got that one, and another with fine threads. I like the Acme threads better.

-Brad