C-30 Frt spring removal

Howdy men,
Finally getting to rebuilding the frt end of my 83 C-30, and am a little concerned about the power of these frt springs. I've done a few passenger cars with the typical "J" style spring compressor thru the shock hole in the lower A-frame, and the jack under it. But my worries are how much stronger are the 1 ton springs with my passenger car compressor? The manual shows a special tool that looks like nothing more than a cradle under the lower A-frame shaft, along with the floor jack. But no spring compressor.
Will it be safe enuff to put a chain thru the spring, and a floor jack under the lower A-frame, as I split the lower ball joint? Any advice is appreciated.

Maybe everyone's on vacation. I'm sure someone here has done this. Or is there a thread dedicated to this topic? If so, I'll try and find it.

I've done motorhome and 1 ton spring replacements, and I've always just used a floor jack under the lower A-arm, and then disconnected the ball joint. I've never used a spring compressor, and I've still got all my fingers! ;)

Casey

Thanx Casey, just curious if there's anything out of the ordinary that I should prep for. I was gunna use my OTC compressor thru the hole in the bottom of the A-frame, (If it'll fit), but maybe I'll just loop a chain around one coil of the spring to a suspension or frame member, and go for broke. hell, Columbus took a chance. Look what happened to him.:)

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Originally Posted by joeq

Thanx Casey, just curious if there's anything out of the ordinary that I should prep for. I was gunna use my OTC compressor thru the hole in the bottom of the A-frame, (If it'll fit), but maybe I'll just loop a chain around one coil of the spring to a suspension or frame member, and go for broke. hell, Columbus took a chance. Look what happened to him.:)

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As Casey said, they aren't complicated, and a floor jack should do it. However, I would chain it down, just in case.

Columbus is a bad example. He was a tyrant, who died a miserable death at a young age, never accomplishing the goal he set out to do, and the location of his remains are still unknown.

OK guys, today's the day. Even tho I've got a lift, I think this job would be better performed on the floor, due to the floor jack for the springs. I don't have an extended jack for under the lift. Maybe someday that'll be on my Christmas list. I'll be interested in seeing how the A-frame bushings for this style are designed. Never had one apart. It appears they are a bolt-on, and not pressed in, so we'll see how that goes. I'll snap a few pics if anyone is interested. I'm hoping not to exceed 10-15 hrs, but will be doing some sandblasting, cleaning, and painting, so maybe 20 hrs total. (I hope not).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joeq

OK guys, today's the day. Even tho I've got a lift, I think this job would be better performed on the floor, due to the floor jack for the springs. I don't have an extended jack for under the lift. Maybe someday that'll be on my Christmas list. I'll be interested in seeing how the A-frame bushings for this style are designed. Never had one apart. It appears they are a bolt-on, and not pressed in, so we'll see how that goes. I'll snap a few pics if anyone is interested. I'm hoping not to exceed 10-15 hrs, but will be doing some sandblasting, cleaning, and painting, so maybe 20 hrs total. (I hope not).

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You are correct, the bushings do thread in. However, they can still be a pain to replace. But I still think they're easier than pressed-in bushings that have been on for 275K miles or more..... (don't ask me how I know.)

Casey

So far, I've got 4 hrs invested, just getting the springs out. (Uneventfull fortunately). One freakin bracket for the RHS brake hose gave me fits, because the head is buried inside the A-frame with a bracket nub right up against it, so it wouldn't allow a wrench on the head. Invented some new 4 letter words for the brainless engineers. Gave up after almost a half hr, and put a cut-off wheel to it. We'll see what tomorrow brings, getting off the A-frames for overhaul.