Coil Spring Height

[RICH MUISE]

Jim...I bet you're just tickled to death we're not all saying we liked it the other way better.   Looks natural now.  Rich

[JimNolan]

Rich,
    That did cross my mind. I still like a car up in the air. I just didn't account for a geometry problem. Now I'm so exhausted, I am just tickled to death to get it to drive right.
    I got to watch both alignments made to the car. This time the guy was able to obtain just exactly what the specs called for. I think he was more tickled than I was. Plus, he has enough shims left over to align three more cars. And, this time he set it with the engine running, he said that made a difference.
    If I had done more research and talked to more people I wouldn't have found myself in that predicament in the first place.
Thanks guys for all your help and moral support. Jim

[shopratwoody]

So much better

[JPotter57]

It looks great as usual Jim.  I hadnt seen it since you were here in MS a couple years ago.

[RICH MUISE]

Jim...this is probably a good spot to remind guys that are doing a front spring removal that the method you are using only works on a complete assembled car. You need the weight of the sheetmetal nose and the engine to keep the car from raising when you break loose the ball joints. On a car that's been stripped down to the frame and suspension only, forward of the firewall, you need to have a mechanical means of slowly letting the control arms seperate and containing the spring. If you don't, when you break the ball joint loose, the car can suddenly raise itself from the force of the spring, posibly dislodge the jack under the control arm, and do some serious damage. I used a 5/8 allthread rod down thru the center and thru a steel bar below the lower control arm to give me a method of slowly releasing the spring. and containing it should something unexpected happen.   Rich

[JimNolan]

Rich,
   You're absolutely right. Those springs pack a punch when released suddenly. Even with the weight of engine, radiator, bumper and front sheetmetal, my car raised a little off the jackstands when first released. Without a good roll-around floor jack I wouldn't have attemped it. The swing of the lower control arm makes it impossible for a small hyrdraulic jack to be used. It's pobably best to use some form of spring compression for disassembly as well as assembly. That way it wouldn't matter what kind of jack you use.
   Something else I found helpful when PLAYING with different springs when you're not for sure what the final outcome will be is to coat the ball joint stud with a release agent. When you take them apart the next time all you have to do is back the nut off and use a punch to whack the top of the bolt and break it loose from the spindle. That keeps you from tearing up the rubber umbrellas on the ball joint with a pickle fork.
   Another helpful hint is to measure the distance in the lower control arm from the end of where the spring will set to the lip that holds the spring in position during assembly. That'll be about 10 1/8". Then transfer that measurement to the spring and use a little spray paint to mark the spot. That way during assembly you just put that mark on the lip of the control arm and the spring is in the right location for assembly. Saves time. Jim PS. Again, thanks guys.