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By Rono - 12 Years Ago
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Okay, this is a long story that I'll try to condense. My 56 Customline has 2&1/2" dropped Granada spindles, so while I was putting in all new parts, I decided to put in new, aftermarket front coil springs. I had help with this at a friends shop. Once we got the new springs in, the suspension was so stiff (we weren't sure why) that it was decided to cut down those springs by about 2" (2 coils). That lowered the car even more, but the suspension softened up to a reasonable ride. That was about 5 years ago and now that I moved to another state with rougher roads I bought a used set of original front coil springs and found that the aftermarket springs had thicker coils (about 0.035"). They were the correct height, but apparently not correct for my car. So now I've got the car jacked-up pretty high and have those aftermarket springs out. I bought a set of inexpensive external coil spring compressors and had to do alot of die grinding on the forged fingers to get the contour right to fit the springs and cut down the turn screw about 1&1/4". I don't believe I weakened anything, there was plenty of metal to spare. I guess my plan was to compress the springs enough to get them up into the pockets in the frame and then jack the A arm into place. Wasn't exactly sure which way to orient the head of the turn screw on the spring compressor (up or down) but I'm thinking down would be easier. So, am I on the right track here or is there an easier (safer) way to get this done? Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if I can use a threaded rod from the underside of the A arm up through the shock tower (once the spring is in place) and just compress it into place Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Rono
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By charliemccraney - 12 Years Ago
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That's weird. I thought cutting coils increases the spring rate.
There are internal spring compressors that work as you have described in the last paragraph.
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By Rono - 12 Years Ago
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I'm not sure the typical internal coil spring compressor would work because I can't see how you would get the arms out once the spring is set between the frame and lower control arm. Rono
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By oldcarmark - 12 Years Ago
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I installed mine using just a floor jack.I am pretty sure thats the way the shop manual also shows them being installed.My springs were stock height.Shorter should be easier to install.
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By Rono - 12 Years Ago
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The ones I'm trying to install are the stock height (15&1/4" I think). I guess I can try it with just a floor jack with the top of the spring in the frame pocket, but it looked like the spring would slip off the control arm when you first start jacking it up because the control arm is dropped so far down only 1 side of the spring is in the seat. Rono
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By MoonShadow - 12 Years Ago
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The spring can come out and with a lot of force. You can secure the inside of the bottom coil with a chain or cable just to be safe. Once the spring sets squarely it goes right in. I would advise not doing this job alone just to be cautious. I've done this quite a few times with luck. I can remember watching the spring bounce at least once though! Chuck
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By charliemccraney - 12 Years Ago
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oldcarmark (1/9/2013)
I installed mine using just a floor jack.I am pretty sure thats the way the shop manual also shows them being installed.My springs were stock height.Shorter should be easier to install.
I need to go through the suspension on my Firebird and the method called for in the Helm manual is an attachment for a floor jack, no compressor is mentioned. A compressor sounds much safer, though. Maybe that attachment is designed in such away that it won't just let go - I'm sure I'd never find one to know just how it works.
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By rick55 - 12 Years Ago
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If the car is complete with panels bumper and engine a floor jack works fine for putting the springs in. You just have to rest the spring on the edge of the raised section of the A arm and then jack away. When I was rebuilding the suspension on my 55 it was a bare body on the frame and was not heavy enough to compress the springs while using a jack. I had to use a threaded rod through the spring tower with a plate through the spring near its base where I could slide the plate through and then slip the rod through the plate and start tightening nuts. A long slow process but probably safer than the jack method.
Spring compressors won't work because the spring tower is too small.
Regards
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By Rono - 12 Years Ago
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Thanks everybody for your comments. I feel more comfortable about taking this on now. I'm going to scrap the coil spring compressor idea and go with a combination of using the floor jack (car is all complete and heavy) and a rod through the shock tower as a safety in case the spring slips off when I first start jacking. Regards, Rono
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By MarkMontereyBay - 12 Years Ago
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Ron, I am not sure about the difference from Tbirds to your car but this is how I get the springs out and in, did this on several Fords including my 65 Galaxie. Jack the car up and set it on jack stands under the frame. Remove the wheel. Remove the sway vertical sway bar link. Remove the shock absorber. Remove the cotter pin from the castle nut on the lower ball joint stud. Loosen the castle nut and thread it up so it is flush with the top of the stud. Don't take it off. Place the floor jack under the A-arm. With a big hammer strike the cast iron spindle at the lower ball joint. Don't hit the castle nut or the dust boot. Hit it hard. If it won't come loose, heat the cast iron on the spindle the ball joint goes through carefully with a propane torch without burning the boot. Whack it again until the stud pops loose but still held in place by the castle nut. Raise the floor jack under the A-arm and remove the castle nut. Lower then remove the jack. You can push the A-arm down to help remove the spring. No need for a compressor. To install the spring, put it in with the insulator and make sure the spring is indexed in the A-arm pocket. Jack up the A-arm guiding the ball joint stud into the spindle, install the castle nut and cotter pin. Install the shock absorber, sway bar link. If I missed anything someone will probably chime in. Hope that helps.
Somehow my thick fingers deleted the step about loosening the castle nut. Fixed it.
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By aussiebill - 12 Years Ago
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Rono (1/9/2013)
Thanks everybody for your comments. I feel more comfortable about taking this on now. I'm going to scrap the coil spring compressor idea and go with a combination of using the floor jack (car is all complete and heavy) and a rod through the shock tower as a safety in case the spring slips off when I first start jacking. Regards, Rono Rono, appreciate your concerns etc but all you need to do is safely jackup and support car, remove shock, crack lower balljoint, remove swaybar end links, loosen control arm pivot bolts so arm will not be tight and swing down easily, lower jack slowly and pop spring out , theres not much if any tension at that point, when refitting spring align end of coil with indent in lower arm plate, may need to ease in with screwdriver and jack up slowly and let jack follow arm travel. Soon as ball joint is through stub, fit nut on to ensure safety. Theres just not that much in it.  I couldnt count how many i,ve done this way.
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By oldcarmark - 12 Years Ago
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Here is a pic of a tool I made to separate the ball joints from the control arms.Back off the nut about 3-4 turns so that it will still not come out of the control arm when it pops loose.Turn the top(or bottom) bolt while holding the body nut with a wrench to create tension on the BJ stud.It may pop out as a result of tension only.You may have to strike the spindle to get it to pop.I just left one of mine under tension overnite and the next morning it had popped on its own.This tool is similar to one that Ford supplied when these cars were new.When one stud is out back off the nut on the other one and tighten the tool to create tension against it.
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By oldcarmark - 12 Years Ago
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THis "tool" fits in between the upper and lower balljoints inside the spindle.I had to grind a liitle bit of the long nut to get it to fit inside the spindle.I also drilled a dish on the head of each bolt at the top and bottom so it wouldn't "walk" on the balljoint stud.
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By Rono - 12 Years Ago
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Thanks Rick for the advice. The old springs came out easy because they were 2" shorter than the ones I'm putting in. I'll need to jack up the car a little higher and I'll be good to go. Rono
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By oldcarmark - 12 Years Ago
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If you loosen the lower control arm bolts as suggested they should be retorqued with the weight of the car on them.NOT with the arms hanging down in the air.This is from the Ford Shop Manual.
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