Front coil spring install issue

[Dave K.]

I have a 67 BB no air car and I am trying to install the front coil springs that I purchased at Corvette Central. These springs are 12 coils and 17 inches high. I was told this is the correct standard spring for my car;however, I am unable to compress this spring far enough to get it between the a-arms. When the a-arms are held together by the steering spindle/knuckle without the spring in; there is ~ 11 inches for the spring to sit between the a-arms. So if I understand it correctly this spring needs to compress ~6 inches to get it in.... at this rate the coils will be fairly close together with little functionality??? What am I missing?

I have tried to install with a compression rod coming down from the top but unable to get the lower a-arm up to the bottom of the spring to even get it started because spring is too long. And I have also tried to compress the spring on my work bench with a compression tool from Napa but I can only compress it so far since I can't grab the spring from the very top and bottom to compress it???

[Richard M.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

Dave,

You need to release the A-arms from each other. ONE of the ball joints(i.e. just the tapered shaft), typically the lower, must be removed from the steering knuckle. This allows you to spread the upper and lower arms furthest apart to allow you to insert the "compressed" spring into the openings to reach the upper spring tower and laid down into the lower arm cup. Then reattach the lower ball joint to the knuckle. At that time you then release the tension on the spring compressor. If using the "all-thread" through the shock holes, after threading through the arms and spring, begin to tighten it up until the ball joint reaches the arm, then attach the big nut.

Note that if using a spring compressor, ensure you hook it far enough up the spring so it will compress it enough. If after the assembly is done, you can always "thread" the hooks of the compressor down and around the spring to remove it.

Please be careful, use safety glasses, and wear heavy thick leather gloves.

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Removal reference pictures. The installation is the basically opposite of this procedure. I don't have pictures of the installation available yet as I just took this apart a few weeks ago.

Pics show a Snap-On compressor tool hooked on the inside of the spring, and after tighten-up, ready to release the lower joint tapered shaft.

Remove the big nut and use a BJ removal tool to separate the joint's tapered shaft from the lower knuckle housing.

This suspension had "bolted", not riveted ball joints, but the principle is similar. I plan to use new ball joints attached with rivets, therefore I will have to use a slightly different method for attachment which I explain below.
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To install the spring, compress the spring to allow the knuckle housing to reach the bottom tip of the BJ shaft, then begin to release the tension of the spring so the knuckle reaches up and into the shaft. Attach the nut and snug it up tight. You can then torque to spec. Once torqued, you can then release the spring compression tool or all-thread.
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[Dave K.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

Richard....the ball joints are released from one another. The lower a-arm is completely free (still attached to the frame) and hanging down at a 90 degree angle to the floor. As I place the compressed spring up into the tower and bring the lower a-arm up to the bottom of the spring there is still no room to get it to sit in the bottom of the a-arm. I have the hooks of the compressing tool as far up on the spring as i can to compress; the hooks will not grab to one of the top 3 coils because these coils are much closer together then the others. Compressing from 17 inches down to ~11 is not feasible?? I think I need to order a spring that is ~12-13 inches tall; F41? but I don't want a stiffer spring.

[Alan S.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

Hi Dave,
I use a slightly different method.
I use a large threaded bolt and 1/2 of the spring compressor to pull the spring up into the spring tower in the frame. The bolt is inserted down through the hole in the frame for the top of the shock absorber.
This allows the spring to compress far enough into the tower so the lower a-arm can be raised.
You need to make sure the spring is properly 'clocked' relative to the observation holes in the frame and lower a-arm because you can't spin it once you begin to compress it.
I still use a piece of chain through the spring and frame to control it if something should go amiss.
Worth a try?
Regards,
Alan

This picture shows the set up just before compressing the spring. It took 2 tries to get the 1/2 of the compressor in just the right place on the coil so the spring would compress enough and be seated in the a-arm.
Once installed the coils are too close together to get the compressor out so I spin the bolt out of it and drop it down through the hole in the a-arm.

[Tracy C.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

Dave, Try loosely bolting up the ball joints to the spindle and removing the lower A-arm cross shaft from the frame. This will provide a larger span for the compressed spring to fit into.

Once the spring is installed and clocked, put a floor jack under the lower A-arm. (use an old piece of carpet between them to protect the A-arm finish) Then wrap a chain around the frame crossmember (more carpet to protect finish) and run the chain under the floor jack. When the chain is hooked up as close as you can get, begin jacking up the lower control A-arm. The looped chain will prevent the frame from rising up as the lower A-arm begins to close the gap. Remove the spring compressor as soon as it loosens up. When you start getting close with the A-arm to frame, use some long drift pins or 1/2" all thread to line up the bolt holes in the frame and cross shaft. Replace with the correct bolts when you are close enough.

tc

[Patrick B.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

I don't know how to link past threads but I started one on 2/9/13 that shows pictures of a method that I think is easy and safe for installing long front coil springs without the need for a spring compressor. The novel aspect of this method is to make some studs to lower the bottom a-arm shaft about 3-4 inches to allow the long spring to be put in place. As the spring is compressed by the threaded rod , the the studs are tighted incrementally until the steering knuckle can be secured to the ball joints and the a-arm shaft is tight against the frame. Then simply replace the studs one at a time with the a-arm shaft bolts.

[Duke W.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

These springs are 12 coils and 17 inches high. I was told this is the correct standard spring for my car

Basic spring data such as free length, wire diameter, and inside diameter are in the AMA specs. There are many reports that aftermarket or "reproduction" springs don't yield correct ride height, so before you proceeds I suggest you check these springs against the AMA spec data.

Duke

[Dave K.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

I agree! I'm afraid if I do get this spring in that the coils are going to be extremely close to one another and I don't see how a coil can function with very little separation between coils?? This whole thing still baffles me...to take a spring from 17 inches down to ~11 inches...I measured from the top of the tower to the bottom of the lower a-arm with the steering knuckle on and that distance is ~11 inches. When i had the spring compressed to ~12.5 inches the coils were almost touching one another???

[Jim S.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

I don't know how to link past threads but I started one on 2/9/13 that shows pictures of a method that I think is easy and safe for installing long front coil springs without the need for a spring compressor. The novel aspect of this method is to make some studs to lower the bottom a-arm shaft about 3-4 inches to allow the long spring to be put in place. As the spring is compressed by the threaded rod , the the studs are tighted incrementally until the steering knuckle can be secured to the ball joints and the a-arm shaft is tight against the frame. Then simply replace the studs one at a time with the a-arm shaft bolts.

Here is a link to your thread of 2/9/13
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...818#post649818

[Patrick B.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

I agree! I'm afraid if I do get this spring in that the coils are going to be extremely close to one another and I don't see how a coil can function with very little separation between coils?? This whole thing still baffles me...to take a spring from 17 inches down to ~11 inches...I measured from the top of the tower to the bottom of the lower a-arm with the steering knuckle on and that distance is ~11 inches. When i had the spring compressed to ~12.5 inches the coils were almost touching one another???

There is a picture of my original 67 BB no air coil spring in the thread that Jim has provided the link for. It is 17.3 inches tall will 12 coils of 0.60 dia wire.

[Richard M.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

Duke makes a valid point. How many times have we spent hours upon hours, using reproduction parts, getting the task completed, only to find we have to "Do It Again", because of some anomaly in it's design. I.E. It doesn't FIT!

Here is a original 3888250 spring, the stock BB supplied spring. When I get out to the shop I will get you accurate length, wire diameter, and overall diameter measurements if you think it will help. The only thing I can't do is accurately measure the spring rate as I don't have the measurement tools to do that.

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These springs resided in the '67 L71 I'm restoring. This car has F41, but at some time in it's past, the ball joints were changed, and I suspect that a prior owner decided to remove the F41 springs(EA code), and replace them with the stock 3888250 springs.

If your springs are found to be the same as the stock spring, then they should certainly fit. In fact, I did have difficulty to remove these from the a-arms. I had to really bear down on my puller tool to get them compressed enough for removal. It took several tries of tool hook placement.

I found I had to position the puller hooks up high enough to get the compression I needed. What I did to get the hooks higher, was to simply "screw" the tool up the inside the spring, way up into the tower. I had to use 2 pry bars, one to separate the 2 wire coils where the hook was, the other to push the hook itself around and up the wire. At one point I had to use a hammer and a drift on the hooks to screw them up further. Then the same procedure for the other tool hook. I kept "screwing" the tool hooks up and into the spring until I got enough length to compress the spring to a point where I could then thread the puller tool screw into the hook assembly to compress the spring to a extreme amount.

I'm certain that if I were to re-install these springs, I would have the same difficulty and would need the same procedure by placing the hooks up very high in the spring and thread them down after assembly of the arms to ball joints.

I will tell you I had safety glasses, thick leather gloves, a full face helmet with shield, body armor, steel toed shoes, and further protection for other important "body parts" (ie athletic supporter") on while doing this.

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[Patrick B.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

Richard--Take a look at the link Jim Sfetko supplied of my replacing the 3888250 original springs in my L-71 chassis because the aftermarket springs were so different. No safety glasses,no steel toed shoes, no sweat required. Dropping down the lower a-arm shaft on temporary studs makes a dreaded job trivial. The hardest thing was to find fine thread 7/16 rod for the studs, but I found it on Amazon.

[Duke W.]

Re: Front coil spring install issue

IIRC I could not install the front springs on my '63 with the type of compressor that is shown in the post #4 photo. The control arm moves in an arc, but that type of compressor compresses the spring linearly, and with full compression I could not seat the bottom of the spring in the control arm spring pocket.

I ended up using a compressor that I think was designed for McPherson struts. It consisted of three linear compressors that can be installed inside or outside the spring. I used just one, or maybe two closed spaced, so the spring was only compressed on one side. This caused the compressed spring to have an arc, which was sufficient to get the bottom of the spring seated properly in the lower control arm.

Then I was able to jack up the control arm and attach the lower ball joint to the knuckle.

Duke