Wisconsin 5.0

After moving all the snow we got dumped on this weekend, I thought it would be a good day to put on my new springs, shocks, and struts. The rears went on with out any problems but man, those fronts are a b***h. The spring compressor that I got from advance was a POS but I modified it to finally work. Luckly all my fingers are still attached and there are now open wounds. But spending all day on the garage floor this time of year is not that much of a treat. My friend called that has a shop to see how it went...he told me that the fronts should have only been a 45 minute job per side at the max....but then he has a hoist and all the right tools.

Liquid_02

The fronts are a B**** took me probably a half hour a side when I finally got a tool that worked... even though it was the wrong tool for the job. That tiny hole in the bottom of the control arm was my problem, took me 20 minutes a side to get the spring compressor ends out of that hole[:@]

Rear was dead easy, few bolts, lower the rear end, pull em out, put em in, jack it back up.

BlackBetty93GT

hmm thats not good to hear, i was gonna do my fronts next weekend...i ran out of time this weekend

so what all do you have to do, and why is it such a bitch

Liquid_02

It's just the control arms Ford put on the car. You can't use an external spring compressor on them, so you need an internal one, then there's a tiny maybe 2" hole one the bottom of the control arm that you have to pull the compressor out through once you get them in. And the springs are about an inch too long to be able to just jam a jack on the control arm and do it without a compressor... I think... don't remember, I think I did end up getting a jack on it and everything, but I had no engine or trans or interior... or anything I guess for that matter on the car so it was just jacking up the car so I had to compress them.

Wisconsin 5.0

Yup...I had to take apart the compressor after I had the spring installed just to get it out of the spring itself!...Good thing I had the big hammer out today.

Besides the compressor you will need (what I needed) a big heavy hammer, A good long pry-bar, A good floor jack. A six pack. Some extra time. Some help.

I also did my struts too...It helped to have them out of the way to get at the spring.

BlackBetty93GT

oh, so all the trouble is with the spirngs not the struts?

or do you have to take the springs off to get to th struts to change them..

and what kind of compressor do i need?

Wisconsin 5.0

Struts are a piece of cake...I did have to hack saw the nut off the top tho....no biggy. Just sawed from the top to the bottom a couple of times then knocked it off with a hammer. Or get a good nut splitter...I can giveyou the phone number of my ex-wife if you need a good nut splitter!!! Ha You do not need to take the springs off to replace the strut.

Spring are a b**** Go to AutoZone or Advance and get a INTERNAL SPRING COMPRESSOR..they rent them for free. Just need a deposit.

Here is what an internal compressor looks like.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/INTER...QQcmdZViewItem

BlackBetty93GT

oh alright, thanks

you know how the like eibach kits have 4 springs in them....do the rears even have springs?

AdderMk2

Hey guys, News-flash!!!

you dont need a spring compressor to do front springs... try disconnecting your swaybar endlinks before you lower the control arm, you can pop the old springs out and pop the new ones in with a short pry-bar.

r1pilot

I just changed mine out as well. Did not use a spring compressor and it was a piece of cake. Removed sway bar end links and disconnected tie rod ends and they just fell out.