Are stock front springs worth saving?

[chevy_mike]

Hi guys,

Finally getting around to doing the front suspension. I have a bare frame (no cab, engine, tranny, etc.) so there is no weight on the front. I have all the steering parts off and got the ball joints popped loose but still held on with the nuts. Since I typically have done these swaps with the engine still in, I can't jack up the lower arm to take the spring tension off the nuts. The whole frame lifts up.

I can heat the coils and let them compress to take the tension out of them but are they worth saving for any reason? If they are not, I'll heat them, if they are, I'll come up with a way to compress them.

Thanks!

[AlienYouth]

spring compressor?.... just a thought

[BATurbo]

Do you know if the springs are the originals? If they are, then it probably couldn't hurt. I am running the springs that were in the truck when I bought it back in 1990. I'm guessing they may be the originals, but I don't know. I have talked with a local spring company rep and he of course said they should be replaced. I haven't heard of many coil spring failures, not to say it can't or hasn't happened, but if the ride height is correct and the springs aren't rusted, cracked, or sagging, then I doubt you'd have much trouble. I am a fan of "if it's already torn apart, you may as well change them out", but in the current economic times, you could probably get away with running them.

[chevy_mike]

Springs are original and from what I could tell, not sagged based on ride height. I have the ECE front springs, spindle, disc, etc. for the front end so I have no interest in keeping these springs.

I could use a spring compressor but I only have an external version. I could go a loaner but I have the torch at home so I wouldn't have to mess with picking up and returning the compressor.

I just don't know if there is any value in the original stock springs, front and rear (rears are already out).

[Longhorn Man]

Just put a few hundred pounds on the frame up front. a couple average sized guys will do the trick.
Or, chain up the coil, and let it fly. It ain't goin far chainged up.
These aren't like gas charged McPherson struts.

[my67chevytruck]

I went through the exact same scenario a few months back, and even with a couple hundred lbs (son and nephew) sitting on the fram still wouldnt compress enough. I put the fram on jack stands, chained the coil to the frame and went from there

[LOW DOUGH]

you should keep them... you never know. Just my $.02

[nsuengineer06]

I may just be crazy or something, but when I took my front coils out, I had the entire cross-member out of the frame sitting on the floor and I just knocked the ball joints loose.. It makes a little racket and jumps pretty good but never had a problem doing it that way.. lol

[Neal Molder]

I also ran into this problem a few months ago. I used large welding screw clamps i had kicking around. Springs compressed no problem!

[chevy_mike]

Well, I borrowed a compressor from a friend so tomorrow I will do it the right way. Thanks for the opinions.