rear leaf spring R&R

[bigdanmcintosh]

Fellas..
Thanks to this forum I was able to change out my front coils on my 93 4X4..

I am asking for your help now in removing the rear leaf springs..

Is there any tips you guys have for doing this the least painful way???

I've done 1 leaf spring in my life, and it took me about 6 hors to do, with the help of a cutting torch... I no longer have access to a torch (just propane), and dont want this to turn into a weeklong event!!

Thanks ahead of time for any help!!

 

[RVZFloydian]

Well, what did you do to take six hrs and need torches? I did both sides of my 93 and added a leaf to both in three. You don't have to remove the brakes or anything like that. I put my frame on jackstands just ahead of the rear springs, took off the wheels, loosened and removed the shocks, put a jack under the differential, took the springs off one side removed the centerbolt, put in a slightly modified main from a donor under my original main, put the center bolt back in and reassembled the thing, then moved to the other side and repeated the process. The only real trouble I had was getting the front shackle bolt out from between the gas tank and frame. You don't have to remove the whole rear axle or anything.

 

[bigdanmcintosh]

ya, it was on a buddy of mines 94 Ranger.. it was a real PITA..
couldnt break half of the bolts loose...
the ones we did get loose, couldnt pound the through bolts out of the leaf spring bushings...
If they would have come out easier, it would have been a simple job!!
I just have a feeling my bolts wont come out easily either.
How common is it to have that much trouble removing those bolts??
Other than that, it was fairly easy...

 

[Robb]

1st. Spray all the bolts with penetrating oil for a couple of days in advance. Then a couple of more times a few hours before you begin. For the bolts going through the leafs, they will sometimes rust to the bushing inside the leaf. Your best offense here is to try your best to get them to turn before trying to whack them out. Turn, lube, turn, lube.

2nd. I remove mine by lifting the frame to the point right before the tire (I do one side at a time) is about to come off the ground. This will be the point where the shackles have the least amount of pressure on them. At this point, remove the 4 bolts from the spring perch, them remove the bolt from the shackles going through the leaf, then remove the front leaf bolt.

If you use a good penetrating oil on the bolts for a good amount of time prior to actually doing the job, it shouldn't be a big deal and no need to break out a torch.

Good Luck!

 

[bigdanmcintosh]

I sprayed them yesterday...
Im going to do this next weekend, so I'll shoot them with some JB Blaster everyday until then...
Thanks for the info.. you guys are great!!