Next Spring Question?
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Instructor
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 210
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From: Long Island N.Y.
Next Spring Question?
Has anyone ever changed a front spring? Can it be done without using a spring compressor? GM wants $500 for their spring compressor.Can it be accomplished using 2 floor jacks under the lower control arms and jack stands under the chassis? Thanks, John
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,606
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From: Las Cruces NM
Re: Next Spring Question? (Bob86ZZ4)
I just did mine, changing it to put the z51 stuff in. Here's the general way of doing it.
You have to get a bunch of stuff out of the way, like the spring protectors, lower control arms (not necessary, but its only two more bolts per side and makes life easier), sway bar disconnected and disconnect the bottom 2 shock bolts. There is no need to completely remove the shock. Disconnect the tie rods. Also, the bracket that the shock and swaybar mount to has to be removed.
Then remove the two brackets that hold the spring to the frame. The trick, because the tops of the rearward bolts are not accessible without removing quite a bit of stuff in the enging bay, is to loosen the front bolts first, then use the force of the spring to hold the bolt still while you loosen the nut.
Loosen them a little bit at a time.
The spring is very arched, so you will have to either jack the car up on one side about 2 1/2 feet. The best way to do this, I think, since I did it on both my parts car and mine, is to have 2 jacks, and lower one side down and then lift the other up. This will give you more leverage if you don't have a jack that will go up to 3 feet. Just slide it out, jacking up the car if needed.
Going on, it's a good idea to have a friend to hold the spring while you thread the nuts on. Do them by hand on one side, then, with the nuts on well enough that they won't come loose, put a jack under the end of the spring that you haven't bolted the bracket to yet. Jack it up and it will straighten out so you can get the other bracket on. Use the springs downward force to help hold the rear bolts in place. The fronts are easy to get to with a wrench.
Its a little frustrating if that rear bolt spins, but if you tighten them first, the spring should hold it in place.
Good luck.
Chris
You have to get a bunch of stuff out of the way, like the spring protectors, lower control arms (not necessary, but its only two more bolts per side and makes life easier), sway bar disconnected and disconnect the bottom 2 shock bolts. There is no need to completely remove the shock. Disconnect the tie rods. Also, the bracket that the shock and swaybar mount to has to be removed.
Then remove the two brackets that hold the spring to the frame. The trick, because the tops of the rearward bolts are not accessible without removing quite a bit of stuff in the enging bay, is to loosen the front bolts first, then use the force of the spring to hold the bolt still while you loosen the nut.
Loosen them a little bit at a time.
The spring is very arched, so you will have to either jack the car up on one side about 2 1/2 feet. The best way to do this, I think, since I did it on both my parts car and mine, is to have 2 jacks, and lower one side down and then lift the other up. This will give you more leverage if you don't have a jack that will go up to 3 feet. Just slide it out, jacking up the car if needed.
Going on, it's a good idea to have a friend to hold the spring while you thread the nuts on. Do them by hand on one side, then, with the nuts on well enough that they won't come loose, put a jack under the end of the spring that you haven't bolted the bracket to yet. Jack it up and it will straighten out so you can get the other bracket on. Use the springs downward force to help hold the rear bolts in place. The fronts are easy to get to with a wrench.
Its a little frustrating if that rear bolt spins, but if you tighten them first, the spring should hold it in place.
Good luck.
Chris
