tackling suspension (1 Viewer)

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Feb 6, 2009
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Long Island, NY
i ordered the OME light load complet kit (shackles,bushings,steering stablizer etc.) renting impact gun and have PB'ed everything. i'm new to wrenching and could use any tips and help as i'm going to start taking it apart tonight.

thanks in advance :)
 
Get some help,use good stands,dont get in a hurry,have a mapp torch available and a long pry bar. Mike
 
My jackstands are short, but I wanted to use what I had and not have to buy the tall ones. The pads pictured here worked for me. I made them by stacking up squares of OSB and nailing them together. Remember; any time you have a truck propped up in the air, there is potential for disaster, so please be safe.
JackPads.jpg
 
Personally I like doing one side at a time. Lots less chance of it turning really bad if something happens.
 
The biggest problem I had with mine was getting the spring pins and rear shackles out, they were stuck into the stock rubber bushings. I ended up buying new ones and using a cut off wheel to get the old ones off.
 
The biggest problem I had with mine was getting the spring pins and rear shackles out, they were stuck into the stock rubber bushings. I ended up buying new ones and using a cut off wheel to get the old ones off.

That's wha the torch is for. Oxy/acetylene is best, Mapp gas works well and propane is okay but takes a while.

Heat up the pins till the smoke starts and then knock them out.

Mucho easy..
 
AHHH Yes our best tool a Hot wrench
 
propane is what I had/have would have got something hotter but wife was with me and she say price tag and I saw btu's and lost. Heat and beat will take on a new meaning. Just remember that the more you beat on the cruiser the more careful you need to be for movement. Just make sure you are on the jack stands good. PB some more. I did mine once a week for 3 weeks and then once a day for the few days before (overkill I know) but it helped. Don't forget shock bolts. Good luck.

Pat
 
Personally I like doing one side at a time. Lots less chance of it turning really bad if something happens.

X3. (The pic is of my '40 when I was swapping the front axle out.) When I put OME suspension in my '62, I did it one corner at a time. The pic was intended to show how my jackstand pads.
 
got it up on stands. got a few bolts off, but i spent more of my night trying to get off the rear shackle from the the front/right spring. it still won't come off. then i had similar problems with the bottom bolt(the one that holds front sway bar) at the same side. typical? i'm sure. but got extremely frustrated. any tips?

thanks again.
 
exactly what i did, torch, hit and cut :). now, doing one side at a time....how do i tell which spring is for what location with OME? i honestly would've loved some directions with these things

<====newbie mechanic :crybaby:
 
fronts are the same rears are different. Search some and post up what specificly what you have should be an a and b spring. But the + and - make a difference.
 
If gas or a torch is not available....try a pickle fork and slowly shim it out with a open end wrench, a big open end wrench like a 1 incher works well as a good shim for the pickle fork. Keep stacking open end wrenchs in the 1 inch size till you have two or even three stacked as shims to work the pickle fork in deeper behind the pins.
A good 3lb mini sledge will get this done for you and you dont have to breathe that nasty smoke created by burning it all out. It may take a bit longer than burning all that crap out.....but it will work!!!
 
Can't say I agree with the one side at a time especially the part where the original spring is on the one side while you stuff a new spring with more arc to it on the high side. Sometimes the springs dont line up perfectly with the spring pads and having only one side disconnected doesn't make it easy to pull things together to get the center pins on the springs into the pad.

I have had both my wagons stripped to the frame and the only time things weren't safe was while pulling one side at a tiime.

Just do what is comfortable for you.

About tall jack stands, buy them they are only about 60 bucks and you will use them again. And I have found that borrowing a second jack makes things go much easier. It worked great when I swapped my axles between rigs. I swapped front and rear from rig to rig in one day without help. Thats whats happening in the pics.

Best of luck

Tony
axle swap 1.jpg
axle swap 2.jpg
 
front is complete!
well i kind of took a little of everybodys advice. i did do one side at a time...sort of. had an issue with the front passenger shackle. the threads were stripped on the bracket plate. so i couldn't use it. didn't know it until i had everything ready to go. and the rear pin on the front drivers side had to be cut/banged/heated/saws-alled and finally grinded and finagled out of the hole. PITA!!!!! i had a buddy give me an extra set of hands. as i was taking out the steering stabilizer my neighbor came through with a pickle fork. too bad he didn't think of it sooner i wouldn't have little burn marks on my head from the hot metal shavings..lol. the back springs look the same also no marking to make em different.
 
Kynot62, those are some great pics!

Raider, you got it on the run now! Keep wrenching!
 
so i've run into a new issue. everything is off of the back. however, the bolt that holds the rr shock onto the spring plate broke off in the protuding "nipple". and, the bracket that holds the rr sway bar and is welded to the fram bent toward the outside of the truck. any suggestions on to how to fix?

thanks
 

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