Someone asked about a write up on this in the forums and I'm in the process of doing this so I'm posting progress and step by step (what i did) tips are appreciated after this come a new 7/8 sway bar and control arm bushings Step 1 choose your parts i went with the KYB Gas-a-just shocks(KG4517) and Moog Chassis Parts (AMG8306) Step 2: remove shocks remove the top 2 bolts on the shock then unbolt the other brackets (not sure what they're called) Step 3 remove the 2 lower shock bolts Step 4 remove the shock Step 5 put the bushings on the shock and install if you are just replacing the shock do the reverse of this with you're new shock and your done im continuing for the spring replacement Front Coil Spring Replacement Step 1 unbolt the charcoal can (if applicable) it makes step 2 possible Step 2 remove the outer spring cover (that's what i'm calling it) and that's where I ran out of time today
i did not install the new shock i just dropped it in the for illustration purposes.. also my new one is about an inch shorter than the one it had on it any suggestions?
First suggestion, use a COIL spring compressor unless you have room to get 2 of those STRUT spring compressors on the spring 180 degrees apart. using one strut compressor can be dangerous as it will bend the spring and pop out of the compressor. Probably a good thing you ran out of time. A SPRING compressor will go down inside the spring like the shock does. It has 2 hooks on each the top and bottom brackets with the screw in the center to compress the spring evenly.
thanks Ryan i wasn't sure why i had 2 as i had never used them before hopefully i will have these out and the new ones in soon enough, that is after i find a bushing for the top the old rubber one was more than likely the stock one.
I wouldn't trust a strut spring compressor. The hooks dont fit a coil spring good enough...use the correct tool. You can brower a coil spring compressor from Advance or Auto Zone for free.
I built my own coil spring tool, I tried both of the part store tools and dang near killed myself.... I built one that mounts where the shock mounts and works great... Takes a few minutes to set up but its safe and easy to use....Here's a link to what I built. http://home.bresnan.net/~dazed/spring
Was this done on a junk yard car? Just looking at all the leaves, cobwebs, etc in the engine compartment.
unfortunately no the hood was taken off my car and it sat under a nice big eucalyptus tree. i also forgot to put the fender removal. i already had the fender off mine so ill take pics when putting it back on
thursday im getting back out to my car at noon and working on it till its dark. i also have to replace the control arm bushings not sure what i need to do there. this is my first time doing suspension or pretty much any mechanical work. i can change your oil in about 8 minutes though Former jiffy lube tech
removed the spring today used a torch (don't use a torch if you want to reuse the spring) compressed the coil slightly with a jack started heating with a torch let down the jack and hit it with a hammer fell right out coil removal complete Upper control arm removal unbolt these 3 bolts once they are removed you can lift up the control arm to reveal this these bolts go through the fender into the engine compartment. to make this easier you can remove the spark plug wire that get in the way. if you plan on putting in headers now is a great time to get shorter bolts. now that you've removed the control arm you can replace the bushings (i didn't order the upper bushings but they're on my next order) to replace the bushings you need to remove the end caps from the rod (they come off pretty easily i used an 1 1/4 wrench) lower control arm (i tied up the brakes to keep them from pulling on the line) remove your sway bar bolt then remove this bar (it goes to the front of the car) first you have to remove the 2 cotter pins and loosen the nuts. this is hard to separate from the LCA(lower control arm) due to the fact that these bolts have teeth that grab the metal i managed to free by holding the bar and smacking the LCA with a hammer, rubber mallet recommended or any lighter means then remove the ball joint remove the cotter puns then remove the castle nut i threaded the castle nut back on and hammered on it till the ball joint came free. removed the nut and removed it the rest of the way. next you can remove the brake from the LCA i was unable to and was also unable to free the brake lines from the fittings (i cut the line) NOT recommended I'm replacing the front drums with disk brakes off a 69 Thunderbird so i dint mind i was planing on replacing the lines anyway remove this bolt this is where i ended today as i was tired of getting bit by ants, and just flat out tired
Any plans on continuing this write up? I find this very interesting and seeing how you have done it at home it has given me some motivation to give it a try myself, however I would very much like to see the whole story before I go out and buy the parts and get started.
unfortunately i ran out of cash on this project for now. i have to also figure out how to fix my control arm bolts backing plate (the ridge that the ecentric sits against). but since you asked i will start bolting on what i have for now. this is a good point to look into a disk brake conversion at the same time.
I am not sure where you used the torch, but those springs are done for. . One thing to do is find a repair manual somewhere. If your parts store doesn't have one, try the local library and take photocopies. It will make the job alot easier and safer. Remember, safety first!
