Can anyone guide me along better than my Haynes manual for pulling the front coil springs out? I need to attach a heat shield, which means I need to stick my hand inside the frame tube from the opening where the coil spring is. I also need to swap the engine isolators which requires removing a nut that is only accessible through that hole.

Thanks a lot!

 

Bump!

Cause I want to know this for when I replace my shocks...

 

Rent a coilspring compressor to be safe, theres way of doing it without using one but have you ever heard of the damage the spring can do if it comes flying out..

And justin you dont need to take the coil out if you want to replace just the shocks?

 

Thats always teh best idea. but you can always lift the frame with jacks, then just push down on the lugs.

If your truck is at all similar to mine, youll have a pita mounting nut within the spring seat... but once you get that out its easy.

 

easy


slowly drop the lower arm untill the coil comes free (just dont go fast or it will fly out)


and in order to drop the arm, remove the tie rod end and upperballjoint from the spindle, and dont forget teh sway bar endlink on the arm

 

Thats what we did last year to put the lowering springs in DKM's truck and it worked out fine, no problems at all.

 

yeah, dont get me wrong, a coilspring compressor could be a lifesaver, but its called TAKE YOUR TIME and DONT BE A DUMBASS

 

So even with the front end suspended and no weight on the suspension, the springs are still under tension?

I removed the nut that clamps the spindle to the upper ball joint on the spindle. What now?

 

tie rods come off next...?

 

Yes there is still tension on the spring without it suspended. My father and I were just a little scared of the coil flying out so we used a spring compressor to take it out and put the coils back in. When we put the new arms on and started putting the coil back in we tryed not using the spring compressor to put them back it but we only got it in so high by jacking up the lower arm with the new spring in and the truck actually started to come off the jackstands so we just compressed the coil and then jacked up the lower arm and it went together fine. The spring compressor was kind of a ***** to use but we just wanted to do it safe esp my old man. Scotts method is fine just do it slowly or take a chain and put it through the coil and around the frame and then drop it and then you wouldnt have to worry about it flying out to.

Just make sure when you put them in you put the rubber things back in on top and that its seated correctly.

 

I always just compressed the coil springs by jacking up the wheel and putting the coil compressor on it and then let it down and pulled the spring out.

 

I guess I gotta rent me a Coil-spring compressor, huh? I was thinking I'd be able to compress it by just jacking it up from that lower arm, but without a motor in it, it simply lifts the whole truck.

 

lol

 

Well....I got the coil spring compressor today, but I can't get the top ball joint removed from the spindle. After removing the clamp bolt, how does the ball joint come out?

 

BFH

 

Crow bar under the arm and on top of the frame and pry upwards. there may be a little pop, when that happens...

 

BFH, hit the spindle near the balljoint til it pops out. might want to keep the nut on a couple thread if your dont have anything else holding onto the spindle.

 

Alright...I'll go make some noise before it gets any later, then take some pictures. Should be fun!

 

Nothing wrong with tearing your front suspension apart between 8-midnight, I've done it before and will probably do it again...

Now I just need to tear into my front brakes and see whats wrong with them, and that will probably happen tomorrow night, haha.

 

dont forget about taking the bolt out of the brake hose to frame brackets, on the drivers side i had to slightly bend one of my hardlines too but its ok. on my truck i had to take the take the bolt out to get enough play in my brake line

 

Why not just unbolt the caliper from the spindle, and set it on top of the upper control arm, like me? LOL. I gotta re-do those brakes before I ever drive the beast, anyway! Why not now, since I've torn into it?