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79 midget 1500 front suspension

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Bah, the springs can be taken out in minutes with a jack stand under the car and a floor jack under the A frame. Put em back the same way. If you need details I can provide that as well.

Fast and easy job, not a problem at all.
 
Jack,

Wouldn't mind details on your quick 'n easy way to do the springs. I'm trying to do doing this, but seem to be missing what exactly needs to go on. Not wanting a large "BANG" and a missing finger when the spring goes... ;-)
 
Put front of car on jack stands, high.

Put floor jack under a frame out toward wheel which you have previously removed.

Jack up a bit, remove nut on top of swivel pin, the one with a big cotter key.

Remove shock arm from trunnion.

All removed on top.

lower a frame with jack down, down, down. When you can, remove jack.

Yank the spring out.

Assembley is the reverse, hehe.
 
yea, forgot, knock off the tie rod end as well.

Sorry, I was working from memory, no check list here as I have done this many times over the years.
 
Jacks approach will work just fine. only thing is the brake backing plate will bind a little when you try to pull the swivel off. i prefer to leave the suspension hooked together and use the jack under the spring pan, undo the bolts and then lower the pan and spring. some of you may cringe at this but i use the 3/4 drive 1 5/16 socket that i bought for the front crank nut, it fits the jack pad perfectly and slides inside the spring pan just right.



mark
 
Jack can change springs at the race track between the practice and the heats. lol
 
I just got done replacing my front springs on Frank.

The ones I got (supposed to be from a 67 Sprite) only lowered the car about 3/4 inch so I went ahead and got longer bolts & spacers. It went down from 26.5 inches at the top of the wheel well (just above the tire) down to 23 inches.

Now the back is too high, but that's for another day.
 
OK. Got the spring decompressed. Any advice on removing VERY stubborn lower/inner fulcrum pins? Nothing to twist on the inside (bolt) has me stumped. They are S-T-U-C-K!!

Thanks in advance.
 
Mine went like what Jack says except I didn't remove the shock lever. This is with 1500 springs, they are the longest so if they can be removed from mine they can be removed from yours.

Maybe I missed it - why are you removing the pins?
 
Trying to replace the bushings. I did the uppers and now doing the lowers. Just doing the uppers wacked out my camber. Trying to do the lowers (which on inspection really need it too) to hopefully bring it back in line. Tires are way too hard to find to be wearing them out with a bad camber situation! Everything was as has been described in this thread (upper pin looked JUST LIKE mine).


The upper was what I read as what Jack was referring to.
 
Ahhh - now I see! Sorry I can't help, haven't BTDT yet.
 
B_Hiles said:
OK. Got the spring decompressed. Any advice on removing VERY stubborn lower/inner fulcrum pins? Nothing to twist on the inside (bolt) has me stumped. They are S-T-U-C-K!!

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Inner fulcrum bolts, i assume you have new ones? have a washer style head with a tab bent over to key into a hole in the mount point. they are both inserted from the inside of the A-arm ie the front one has threads pointing forward and the rear has the threads pointing to the rear. they are most likely frozen to the sheet metal mount point (rusted) Plenty of PB Blaster is called for here and some gentle but firm work with a chisel may break them loose, there isn't much room to work in there and you have to be careful not to bend the mount point to severely. If it was me(and it has been)i would take an angle grinder and get set up comfortably and grind the heads off. The heat from this operation will also help get things loosened up. then of course there is always the Sawzall method....... you do have new bolts? Right?


mark
 
New bolts on on order!! (SPO cross threaded one of them and I figured what the hay.) I was thinking the grind method may have to come out and you've confirmed it. Oh well...
 
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