Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models > Processes, Products & Techniques
My method for leaf spring removal.
ppc66:
Prerequisites, disclaimers, assumptions:
* You assume all responsibility for your safety. Crawling around under cars requires you to be aware of your surroundings.
* I am assuming that your car is already well supported and secured and the rear end is removed.
* This is what worked for me. Your mileage may vary.
Know your patient...
Ahh yes, the 'turducken' of mechanical assemblies. It's a bolt-in-a-sleeve-in-a-rubber-bushing-in-another-sleeve-in-a-spring-eye attaching the front of the rear leaf spring to a 65 Mustang. After 50 years of rust and salt and corrosion the through-bolt does not merely slide right out effortlessly. Removal done wrong can result in many many long hours of fighting, cutting, cussing and overall looking like you don't know what you're doing if you're being watched.
Do not expect easy removal of this original part. The Sawzall and the spray lube are your two best friends... and in the right hands a surgical instrument providing and the remedy for any and all manner of ailment and conflict resolution. There's no need for torches, die-grinders, abrasive wheels, angle grinders etc. Just a Sawzall and some basic hand tools.
Prepare for surgery...
About 10 days prior to the operation clean the visible threads with a wire brush and apply spray lube. Do this a couple times up until the day of the operation. Also, clean up and spray down the rear shackle nuts. If you're lucky you can remove the shackles in the normal way and lower the rear of the leaf spring to the floor. The other way is to cut the shackles in the middle. It's a tight fit near the top, so best to use a wrench.
On the day of the procedure assemble your 3/4" sockets, breaker bar, a BFP (big friggin' pipe), charge up your air compressor, an impact gun, worklight, the sawzall and at least 4 sawzall blades (24TPI and 5-6” long... not the short ones or the really long ones.). Get quality USA made blades. Century and Lenox brands are good. Don your safety goggles and get in position.
Get in position...
The proper position is critical - Sit in the wheel well, facing your well-lit work with your feet forward in front of you. You might be able to lay on your side or kneel, but sitting gives you the proper leverage and view of the patient. You want to be sawing from the top down.
Get on with the operation...
Now, grab your 3/4" socket and breaker bar and loosen the nut. Use the BFP over the handle of the breaker bar to provide more leverage. Be mindful of shifting the car off of the jack-stands! It could happen.
Once you've loosened the nut, try to remove it the whole way. If not – that's ok – see if you can back it off about a 1/2 inch or so. If you do get the nut off, see how it does not slide out easily – it's likely bound tight and not ever coming out. Give up on the notion of reusing the hardware. Now, you can pry the outboard side of the mount/bracket away from the spring eye, revealing a gap between the bushing and bracket. You should now be able to grab your saw and slice through the bolt, spraying it with lube a couple of times during the cutting process. Try to avoid the the sleeve because I believe it is hardened steel and will wear your blade out quickly. Be careful to not cut into the frame or bracket because you'll hate yourself later. To avoid cutting the frame/bracket stay square to your work. Rotate/cock the saw slightly to keep the pressure on the teeth toward the bushing and away from the frame. Expect some smoke from the rubber. Once the leaf spring has dropped free use the impact wrench to give the bolt a quick spin and it should free up and should be able to pull right out of the frame hole.
Once you cut one side, move to the other - prying as necessary to expose the bolt. You may not be able to expose the bolt on the inboard sides because that side will not move due to everything being seized together and you'll have to cut into the hardened sleeve a smidgen.
Conclusion...
Now that everything is out of your way, you can clean up and further your restoration!
Removal should take around 10 minutes at the most per side - not 4 days like some youtube dude using torches, die grinders, hammers, chisels, helpers, etc - it was fun to watch though. More fun than spending a Saturday watching people at the boat-ramp! :D
Hope this helps someone!
Best regards,
Perry
67gtasanjose:
Gotta <3 LOVE <3 Desert area California cars...mine just slipped apart earlier this summer with no fight at all. All bolts, front, rear, U-bolts...EVERYTHING! No sweat, didn't even need the PB Blaster!
I DO live in Ohio and am a professional mechanic...I have MANY methods for replacement of rusted out Ford truck shackles...rusted out Ranger frame sections as well as Ranger frame mount shackles...Almost always requires torches, respirator masks, broken knuckles and much cursing...I try to not make a habbit out of trying to save the customer money on these jobs. Two words: THEY SUCK!!!!
AND!!! To top off how horrible those are to do, often these junkers come in with leaky gas tanks >:( :-\ ???
krelboyne:
Depends upon where your car spent it's life.
Desert area SoCal car here. ;D I removed the 8 inch leafs and rear end from my GT/CS in about 20 minutes. The original front leaf spring eye bolts and nuts, and U-bolts, are all fine to reuse.
My car was originally sold at Mel Burns Ford in Long Beach, I think that it spend a lot of it's life in the Riverside / San Bernardino area of SoCal.
J_Speegle:
--- Quote from: krelboyne on December 11, 2014, 04:54:00 PM ---Depends upon where your car spent it's life.
--- End quote ---
+1 some of us are spoiled :)
sgl66:
--- Quote from: krelboyne on December 11, 2014, 04:54:00 PM ---Depends upon where your car spent it's life.
--- End quote ---
+ 1/2
Northeast car forever, garaged/weekend car since '84. Drivers side eye bolt must be west coast, popped right off. Passenger side not.
Used 5" Dewalt cutoff wheel on grinder. Do the outboard side first. 2 1/2" radius was not enough to cut through the entire bolt (with my grinder) so having the head on the inboard side to wrench around 90 degrees will get you through with a wheel. Agree Lenox blades are the way to go for sawzall if you can keep from slamming the end and bending them. You can use a utility knife or small hand saw to cut exposed rubber first from eyebolt bushing to minimize smoke from wheel or sawzall.
Shackles lived the charmed west coast life and came right off
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