Does anyone know of a good procedure to replace the front and rear springs without having them fly off the car? Can I do it in my driveway with 2 floor jacks and 4 jackstands, or do I need a lift? Also, are the PST springs better than a new set of stock-style springs?
Thanks
Ron

1971 Malibu

Rear: Jack up the car, and support the FRAME with stands. unbolt the shocks, and lower the rear end as low as you can get it. Wiggle then old springs out, and the new springs in, jack the rear end back up, and bolt the shocks back on. Shouldn't take any longer than an hour unless you spend a lot of time looking for your tools smile.gif

Front: Jack the car up, and support the frame with stands. Remove the shocks (take them all the way out) Unhook sway-bar end links. Put the jack under the control-arm and knock out the lower ball-joint. un-bolt the lower bushings and slowly lower the jack until the spring is fully extended. pull the spring out and put the other one back in. bolt everything back up in reverse order of how you took it apart. This would take me a whole day, but I work pretty slow.

For my own safety, I cut the old front springs with a torch, but it's not necessary if you're very careful. It helps to have a buddy hold things from flying apart... you don't want the control-arm to slip off the jack, so an extra set of hands is nice.

Thanks Derek. I have a few follow-on questions for the t front. When you unbolted the lower bushings, will the lower arm fall out with the spring? Also, did you cut the springs while the car was still on the ground with nothing done, or did you cut them with it on the jackstands with everything disconnected, ie sway bar lower bushings?
Thanks again

You can get the front springs out but they won't go back in without being compressed. These guys sold me this one for under $42.00 'cause my last cheapo one got screwed up.
Don't take the lower arm bushing bolts out with the spring still installed.
http://dmstools.com/master/ta62200.htm

I cut the old springs with it up on stands before I unhooked anything.

As John mentioned, its easier with a spring-compressor, but I didn't have one, so I unbolted the arms. It was a pain, but it worked for me... would have been worth the money to buy the compressor though, and a lot safer too.

Just my .02, I've been a front-end/brake tech for 15 years. I used a compressor once to do some old 66 Mustang (they are a PITA) and I use a stand up to do struts. Having changed/removed over a thousand conventional coil springs without using a compressor I can tell you for sure that it can be done safely. Work slow and think about what are doing, chain the spring to the LCA and do not unbolt both the pivot end and the ball joint (OMG, how lucky derek was that it went together without him losing his head...literally). Just pop the lower BJ and lower the jack slowly, then pry the spring out of the lower seat. Going back together you will need to use a pry par to get the spring back into the lower seat (make sure it is chained in place first, do as I say not as I do), then raise the jack and reconnect the lower BJ.

for back ones, do one side at a time with both shocks disconnected at the bottom. For the front, break the upper ball joint loose at the spindle. If joint is bad replace. If you do the bottom and it is bad, much harder to replace. usually the top ones need to be replaced.

When you drop out the rear shocks, and lower the axle to remove the springs...better make sure you don't stress the rubber brake hose!

IF the front springs are original and have "softened" then the removal is pretty straight forward as mentioned above. I haven't removed any bushing bolts as I have not needed to do so since the lower control arm allows enough room/travel to remove the original spring.

Reinstalling a new one will depend on whether you're replacing the old ones with stock height or dropped springs.

The dropped one can easily be installed by hand and usually actually require somebody else holding them in place.

Stock ones can be difficult to install without a spring compressor in some cars - but not always true!

Either way, DO chain the spring to an a-arm or the chassis during removal AND installation.

Good luck!

Ricardo