Front end disassembly

[Gord67]

Just wondering the safest way to take the front end apart with no motor in it ? It is just bare frame.. I'm guessing there is a lot of tension in the springs....?

[68bowtie]

i did front coil spring install on a bare frame, but i won't tell you how i did it (not safe at all!). find a spring compressor, they make them just for that.

[FirstOwner69]

I disassembled the front suspension on my 69 3/4 ton bare frame, and it was a bear. I set the engine on the front to add weight and tried the conventional way. There simply was not enough weight to do the job. All I was able to do was lift the entire front of the frame with a floor jack. I could not find a spring compressor I felt would do the job. I won't say how I ended up doing it since it was too dangerous. Shortly after I did mine, I came across this thread (http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=263423). Most of the thread talks about doing the job with the weight of a complete truck present. However, post 10, with a follow-up link (http://www.v8brothers.de/c10diary_en5.htm) in post 26, is the way I would attempt the job in the future.

Again, I haven't used this method, but it seems logical.

Good luck and be careful! Assuming yours is a 1/2 ton, I'd think the job might be easier.

Jim

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Gord67

Just wondering the safest way to take the front end apart with no motor in it ? It is just bare frame.. I'm guessing there is a lot of tension in the springs....?

Get a pair of spring compressors. If you don't want to buy them your local Auto Zone has a loaner set. Slip them into the spring, one on each side and tighten just enough to take the pressure off the lower control arm. Then loosen the nut, smack the taper with a hammer to drop the control arm and the spring will drop out harmlessly. Be sure to drop the shock first.

[hubcapboy]

Use the internal spring compressor. This is the kind I could borrow from the shucks/oreilleys/checker

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znet...27035/image/3/

There's a hole in the lower a arm below the spring. I inserted the hooks between the coils and got them hooked in place, then set the cross bar below the a arm and cranked the spring down onto the lower a arm. As soon as it is loose in the upper pocket the rest of the suspension can be knocked apart, and when the spindle is out you can loosen the jack screw. This was much easier than any of the older side by side external compressors.

(This was all with a bare frame)

[GoaterAz]

All great tips, depending on how far you are tearing it down, I can share what I did.

With the wheels off and the frame on stands, I had a jack under the lower control arm (supporting it) and then I removed the U-bolts that hold on the the lower control arm to the engine crossmember. From there, I just lowered the jack slowly and the spring basically fell out. Since this was my first time doing this, I had no idea what to expect but I was surprised at how both springs kind of just fell out. Not sure if others use this method, but it worked for me. I'm a big weenie and nothing felt unsafe. Good luck!