|
|
|
The first 'bigger' job I tackled in 2009. I got lots of new toys: 4.5 mid-eye leaf springs with PU bushings, new shocks all around and 620 lb coil springs (1" shorter) for the front. Here is the car jacked up with the axle supported. The tail job seemed the easiest and it also gave me some time to scout my local junkyards for a Granada as my disc brake donor.
| |
|
Changing the leaf springs is generally not a tough job ... if it wasn't for the front bolts connecting the springs to the frame. If you are lucky, your leafsprings' mounting bolts will not be rusted to the (hardened) inner steel sleeve of the bushings. In this case they come out easily. With my Mustang, not so much. I tried pressing them out with the set-up shown in the picture, but they did not move.
| |
|
There are different schools of thought as to how to remove the leafsprings in those cases. Some people used a torch, some a sawzall, some even a hacksaw. I did not try any of these approaches, but opted for a cutting wheel instead - it worked great. Two things to remember: I tried first with a cordless angle grinder and this job is a bit too much for battery power. Secondly, you need a cutting wheel larger than 4" diameter in order to get into the mounting bracket and to reach the bolt completely. With a line power angle grinder and a 7" cutting wheel, the job took no more than 20 minutes per leaf.
|
|
|
Because I ordered seperate PU bushings, the rubber ones in the new springs had to come out. This was tough, but searching the Internet, I learned about the trick to wedge a screwdriver into the gap where the leafspring-eye wraps around. This made it a piece of cake to take the old bushings out and to insert the new ones.
| |
