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The ride is more than comfortable, there's an element of security to it. My car is a mostly stock driver, so this suspension is as close to factory as can be rebuilt. And, comparing this to the full front suspension replacement that I did first, this was a walk in the park. You wouldn't think these springs will make that much difference in your ride, but you'd be wrong. The second one took me about 3 hours total. The first spring took me a couple of days, not counting time for powder coating. I was coached to "just go slow", and in doing so I declare the job is neither difficult nor hazardous. I used an open-end wrench and cranked on it until both forearms felt like 50-70 lbs. I found that out just in the nick of time! However, for my novice effort and not owning fancy enough tools (my torque wrench has no chance of fitting in here), I have no assurance that my bolt is tightened perfectly to spec. As the nut tightens it draws the stud toward the frame, you won't be able to get the wrench off, and because it ratchets, you can't go back. TIP: Don't do the following: It's tempting to put a ratcheting box wrench on it, but you'll be sorry. (Sharp eyes will notice my shackle bolts are backwards in the second photo-learn from my goof! I corrected that mistake and installed the shackle bar nuts finger-tight.)įinally, tighten the rear shackle nuts to 16-22 lbs., the center tie bolt to 5-15 lbs., and the front hanger stud washer and nut to 50-70 lbs. Afterward, push the spring by hand up into position. TIP: To make room for a torque wrench, the spring can hang down off the rear hanger at this time. Going to the rear now, mount the hanger to the underbody side rail using the three bolts torqued to 60 lbs. After installing the front hanger, I easily torqued the bolts to 50 lbs. Later, I preferred going with the front hanger first by a long shot because those four bolts are so very hard to negotiate blind, and cross-threading one would be disastrous. TIP: The manual says to install the rear hanger first.I did that on the first spring. Phew! Install new bushings and a new center stud into your new spring, put the hanger onto the spring eye, and turn the new nut on finger-tight for now. TIP: The big round flat opposite end has nothing whatsoever to grab so I worked on separating it a bit and jamming an awl inside a bit.the awl held, and the nut turned off. A 4圆 block (& shims) supports the spring while taking the nuts off then you can raise the spring a bit more using your jack, remove the block, and lower the spring releasing all tension. Surprisingly, they moved ok but with some effort. For the first spring I hit all the hardware with "penetrating" oil (Kroil) and let them sit for 2 days. I like to think he would approve of me doing this job.ĥ0 years' inertia means the U-bolt nuts will fight you. Overkill, I know, but they were my dad's. In addition to four jackstands, I support the middle of the car with two 25-ton housejacks rear of the rockers just forward of the rear wheels. Always use jackstands and support the full car evenly with all wheels off the ground. The order of steps is really important but some will notice that I prefer to use an order that is different from the manual-you might too. This is written assuming no lift is available. I would not call this a difficult job at all in fact, if I had a lift I would call this fun. This is intended to provide extra information left out of the manual for those wondering about their leaf springs.
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