Alright, I've been trying to install this disc brake conversion kit for my Camaro and can't remove the old spindle.
I removed the cotter pins & castle nuts and separated the ball joints (destroyed the upper one) but the spring never expanded. What am I missing?
CAUTION!!! If I am looking at your picture correctly, you are about to get yourself hurt!
The ball joints are a taper fit and have not broken free yet. when they do the spring is going to release with a tremendous amount of force. Ifyou do not have a spring compressor on the coil spring you need to have at least the weight of the car on a jack stand under the lower ball joint BEFORE you remove the nut.
Before you go any farther put the nuts back on and tighten them down until they are backed off just about 1/8 inch. Once the ball joint seperates you can carefully finish taking it apart.
If this is your first time for safety sake it would be best to be using a spring compressor to contain the power of that coil spring!
I understand you only want to replace the spindle but you really need to control the power of that spring when the ball joint turns loose.
Sometimes the ball joint will come loose by hitting the spindle with a hammer at the point where the stud goes through but I usually end up using a pickle fork.
John
To add to what John has already said...with the nuts back on loosely, you need to take a large hammer/small sledge(2-3 pound) and smack the side of the spindle boss that the tapered stud is fitted into. This will break the "lock" of the taper and allow the stud to come free of the tapered hole it is fitted to in the spindle. The taper on the stud is a "light-tight" fit into the spindle boss tapered hole when tightened up.
You may have to whack the side of each boss several times, on either side of the boss, for the spring to finally pop the tapered fit connection loose. If this method fails you will then need to source a "pickle fork" tapered forked pry bar to split the joint apart. Sledge method using the springs compressed force works 98% of the time.
Then you can proceed to lower the bottom A-arm to uncompress the spring.
around here most auto parts stores have rental tools at a low price and with my buying history on their computer it;s usually free. On some cars YOU WILL BEND THE SWAY BAR LINK BOLT. usually easy to remove the nut,
I have a couple ball joint pickle forks but use them as last resort. I hold one big hammer agains one side of the spindle and whack the other side with another big hammer, that usuall breakes the taper loose with two tries.
Those pictures are like looking at a dozing rattlesnake...creepy. Had a very close call once busting ball joints loose when me and a helper were kids and not paying much attention...the other guy wound up with a grease skid-mark on his forehead from flying iron that happened to just barely touch him instead of putting a hole in his skull, and I stopped the whole project there figuring to not come back until I and anybody else nearby knew what-the-H we were doing. I would go on to be a very safety-conscious person later...
My preferred approach is to have the nuts backed off 2-3 turns only, break the ball joints loose by whatever method ("crack!"), then confirm the spring compression is managed by either weight or a compressor (the load being off the nuts) so there's no further slamming or banging around, just controlled release.
The shock has to come out before the spring and popping the taper on the spindle may jam the spring against the shock, now you have double trouble. The shock will be difficult to remove safely.
Best bet is to remove the shock and use a spring compressor before breaking the spindle loose.
Where are you at with this ?? First, you will need to remove the flor jack and let the top control arm rest on the bumper. Then, I remove the shock and slide a 1/2" all thread rod down from the top. It needs to be at least 12-14" longer than where it comes out of the frame to release the spring tension later. I have a piece if 1/2" steel plate about the size of the spring pocket with a hole in the center for the all thread. I double nut the bottom. On top, I use a large, heavy washer and then a nut. Spin the nut down to within an inch of the frame. Then go ahead and smack the tapered studs loose like has been said with the maul. Once the studs are free, use the all thread nut to relieve any tension on the stud nuts by tightening it. You can then safely remove the stud nuts. If only changing the spindle, you can lift the top arm off first and then lift the spindle off the lower. Re-assemble in the reverse order.
If removing the spring, loosen the all thread nut on top until the spring has extended far enough to relieve pressure. I use Deep Creep on the all thread to prevent the nut from galling/binding.
put the nuts back on the upper and lower ball joints NOW.....If the upper & lower are actually sperated the shock is the only thing between you and a lot of pain.
Seriously? Even the factory service manual suggests this technique for replacing the spindle or ball joints. If you really lose sleep over this, use a floor jack under the LCA, as the photos in the OP's first post show.
a jack under the A arm is NOT enough to to keep the spring compressed even with the motor in the car. if you only want to change the spindles 1)put nuts back, one turn lose 2) remove shock and replace with 5/8 threaded rod and tighten up until the upper A arm just comes off its rubber stop 3)brake ball joints lose and remove spindle
those of us who have changed springs once or twice (or twenty) know this is the most dangerous task to do on a car. On this point we must all agree.It is the duty of us who have done this once or twice ( or twenty) to make shure, when asked for advice, that no one gets hurt. After twenty+ spring changes, with no one standing on the front F bumper I still got all me fingers. I hope the OP safely changed out his spindles gc
I've done more front and rear coils than I care to admit. I had once worked in a very busy front end shop and they ran coil specials now and then. Most we did on the floor with floor jacks and you quickly learned all the tricks since there was an incentive that went with it.
I'm still quick with it. I did the fronts on my Ford in about 25 minutes recently. Granted they were shorter springs than stock and everything else was new and painted.
Moog made a nice C clip that attached to the springs, this gave it a natural arc and the springs came out easier and safer. It was put on with the weight of the car on the springs.
We rarely used a compressor to take old ones out and almost always we used them with springs going back in. Sometimes the Moog clip alone worked for putting them back in.
I've seen minor cases of springs that got away and for all the hundreds I did and saw, I only saw someone hurt once. I worked in another shop doing alignments back in 1980. The shop owner and "best" mechanic were fighting to install front coils on a big GM car with no compressor. I offered to give them a hand, I was told to mind my own effing business. They were using truck tire irons... my compressor was in my box.
Two minutes later we were calling an ambulance for these guys. The best mechanic broke both bones in his forearm, the owner was knocked out with a bump the size of a golf ball on his forehead.
Once again, the OP wasn't asking about or planning to change the springs, only the spindles. Springs don't need to be removed for that.
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