How hard to install JUST a drop spring?

[TIMSPEED]

I don't wanna do anything else, but install a shorter spring (1" lower). I was considering whacking off a ¼ of a coil. I just want the front end a TAD lower (cuz the wheel gap is more than in the back.) I KNOW everyone's against cutting the coils, but I mean...if it's just 1", won't I be ok? If not, where can I get a 1" drop spring? Also, would I have to get different shocks? (I got the DT 5206 I believe; the guy said they're the stock length...) How would I go about pulling out the spring? Could I get a Coil Spring Remover and then jack my truck up (to compress the spring) then bolt on the remover, and then slide out my spring and install the new one vice versa? Thanks guys.

[BaggedC10]

You don't need a coil spring compressor or "remover" for any FSC. I would not cut the springs---Purchase a pair of Eibach springs. Plus, why not replace those old ones anyhow?

[78SilveradoSWB]

Belltech makes a 1" drop spring, which I bought from Summit. I plan to use mine with my 3" DJM drop spindle to get a 4" drop up front. I paid something like $84 plus $7.50 shipping.

[bill_ont_canada]

I would say... for safety's sake Do NOT do anything until you talk to Swervin Ervin
the job can be Dangerous.
He has a complete "how to" somewhere on his site.
just my .02 cents worth.

[78SilveradoSWB]

Too bad he didn't think about this while the shop had his front end all apart.

[Alexis]

IMO it easyer then changing oil......

[TIMSPEED]

Originally posted by Alexis
IMO it easyer then changing oil......

Does that mean I don't have to take anything off to do it? (ie: balljoints, control arms)
But actually, I don't even want a full INCH of drop...but maybe an INCH drop spring will do what I want it to..man, I'll have to have it realigned too huh? Hopefully they won't charge, since I'm taking it RIGHT back.

[Alexis]

to change out a spring all you got to do is knock off the top balljoint from the spindle. make sure not to mess up the thread on it. Pull out the old spring slap the new one in and BAM. If the shock is inside the spring just losen the bottom of it. make sure to have some clearance from the bottom A-arm and ground. So get those jack stands high

[1FaastC10]

Originally posted by bill_ont_canada
I would say... for safety's sake Do NOT do anything until you talk to Swervin Ervin
the job can be Dangerous.
He has a complete "how to" somewhere on his site.
just my .02 cents worth.

since the truck has a motor, and a full body, this shouldnt be a problem at all. jack it up and set it on stands. remove the shock. now take your floorjack, and jack up the control arm, to reliveve some of the pressure off of the lower ball joint. remove the lower nut, and then lower the jack. this should let your spring drop out, although it may require a bit of prying and/or repositioning the spring to get it out. then just slide your new spring in, and jack the LCA back up, install the ball joint nut. now lower the truck back down, and snug up the lower ball joint nut after its got weight on it. put your wheel back on, and you're done. i see no safety issues here, and no, it WILL NOT take your head off.

[bigd65]

to get them out all you have to do is put the truck on jack stands on the frame. then put the jack under the lower control arm. then when you get the uper control arm loose at the ball joint, remove the spindle from the lower control arm. then let the jack down "SLOWLY" untill the lower control arm is all the way down and the spring is fully extended. then just remove the spring, easy as #e!!

[Slonaker]

I just did this twice last weekend. The Moog springs I got had one bad one that did not fit right, so I had to do it twice. It is not difficult, but be careful of the spring. It is in there under a lot of tension. When you lower the control arm, do it from the front of the truck in case the spring flies out the side.

To clarify what the others said, the easiest way to remove the springs is to pop the lower control arm loose from the spindle at the lower ball joint. To do this, put the truck on jackstands like everyone said. Take both wheels off. Remove the cotter key from both lower ball joints.

If you start with the passenger side, turn the steering wheel all the way to the right. When you do the driver's side, turn the wheel all the way to the left.

Loosen the nut on the lower ball joint just enough to leave a small gap between it and the spindle. Make sure you leave it on the ball joint enough so that all the threads in the nut are on the threaded part of the ball joint. The lower ball joint is sort of pressed into the bottom of the spindle, and will probably stay in the spindle. If it starts dropping out of the spindle, stop removing the nut!

You don't want the lower control arm to drop suddenly and allow the spring to pop out and hit you. If the ball joint is sliding out of the spindle as you remove the nut, you can skip over the parts below until you get to the part involving jacking up the control arm.

The reason you leave the nut on the ball joint is that you are going to break the ball joint loose from the spindle. You want the spring to be helping you push everything apart, but you leave the nut there to keep everything from flying apart when the spindle and the ball joint suddenly do separate.

You have the wheel turned all the way to the right because you are going to hit the spindle with a hammer. This will allow you to separate the spindle from the lower control arm without damaging the rubber boot on the ball joint like you would do if you used a "pickle fork" tool to separate them.

With the wheel turned to the side, it makes room for you to swing the hammer. I use a 4 pound sledgehammer. Hit the side of the spindle (the side that faces the front of the truck) where the ball joint goes through it. Hit it HARD!

If you are lucky, the ball joint will pull out after a few swings. It will pull out until the nut hits the spindle, and it will stop there. If you are like me, you will swing the hammer for about 20 minutes until your neighbor come out to see what all the noise is. The two of you spend another 15 minutes taking turns whacking at it until it finally pops loose! Since all your parts are new, they should come loose with just a few taps, though...

Once you break the ball joint loose, put your floor jack under the lower control arm with the handle facing the front of the truck. Jack up the lower control arm, compressing the spring, just until the tension is off the nut. Unscrew the nut from the ball joint. Get in FRONT of the truck, and VERY slowly let the jack down. If you want to be very careful, chain the spring to the suspension so that it can't possibly fly out.

Once the jack is down, visually confirm that the lower ball joint is completely separated from the spindle. The top of the ball joint should be several inches below the bottom of the spindle. By then, all the tension should be off the spring.

What I do now is to sit on the ground beside the truck. I put both feet on the lower control arm, and push it down until I can pull the spring out.

Once you have the spring out, look at how it is shaped on the top and bottom, and how the pockets it fits into are shaped on the crossmember and lower control arm. There is a small depression at the back of the pocket the spring fits in on the lower control arm. On mine, there is a little drain hole there because it is the lowest part of the pocket. The tip of the spring fits in that low spot. At the top, the spring has a sort of "D" shape that has to line up with a similarly shaped dimple on the crossmember.

When you put the new one in, push the lower control arm down with your feet until there is enough room to get the spring in. Make sure the small "D" shaped end is on the top. With a shorter spring, it should be relatively easy.

Spin the spring clockwise (when looking at it from the top) until the tip of the bottom of the spring stops at the edge of the little low spot that is in the lower control arm. Make sure that the top of the spring is centered on the dimple in the crossmember.

Now it is time to raise the lower control arm back up. You will need to do this with the floor jack. Again, do this from the front of the truck in case the spring flies out under tension. Make sure that the threaded part of the lower ball joint is pointing up toward the bottom of the spindle so that you can poke it into the spindle as the lower control arm comes up.

When you get the lower control arm up high enough that the threaded part of the ball joint pokes through, thread the nut on. Tighten the nut, and put a cotter pin back in it so that it can't back off. Make sure the spring is in the proper location in the lower control arm and centered on the dimple at the top.

Now you can remove the jack, turn the steering wheel all the way to the other side, and do the other side.

I don't know if it will need to be realigned at this point. If it does, though, the shop will probably charge you for it. They are providing you with a service, and using their time and equipment. That is how they make money and stay in business.

Slonaker