detailed how to change front coil springs

[greg0380]

Hey all, I want to swap out my mushy front coil springs. Would someone be able to give me detailed instructions? Is this something that can be done with hand tools?

[Prerunner1982]

deleted for lack of info.....

[greg0380]

ok, that doesn't sound too bad. But how do you take off the ball joint? thanks.

[Izzy]

Here's a write up I did for taking them out of the 88-98's which is just about the same for 73-87's except for the shock location, hope this helps.

Tool/Parts List:
Needle nose pliers
Sledge hammer
Adjustable wrench
Flat head screwdriver
Open end wrenches
Socket wrench set
Vice grips
Allen wrench
Pickle fork(can be rented from Auto Zone/O’reilly with a refundable deposit)
Jack stands
Jack
Wheel bearing grease


Jack the truck up and put stands under each sway bar frame mount to support the truck.

Unbolt top shock nut using an open end wrench and a set of vice grips to hold the upper shock stud to keep it from spinning. The nut size is either 5/8” or 9/16”.

Unbolt the lower shock mount trunion bolts using a socket wrench. The bolt size is either 5/8” or 9/16”.

Pull the shock and set aside.

Unbolt caliper bolts using an allen wrench and hang the caliper with a length of wire so the flexible brake line will not be damaged.

Remove dust caps on the ends of the rotors with a thin end screwdriver working the edge to remove them.

Remove spindle cotter pic with needle nose pliers.

Remove spindle nut with an adjustable wrench.

Pull rotor and the inner/outter bearings should stay in the rotor.

Unbolt dust shield and move to the side being careful not to damage the attached abs sensor wire.

Pull UCA balljoint cotter pin with needle nose pliers.

Using the adjustable wrench thread the balljoint nut to the last few threads on the balljoint.

Place jack under control arm below the LCA balljoint and jack up a few inches to put tension on the coil.

Place pickle fork between the UCA balljoint and the spindle on the backside of the suspension.

Hammer the pickle fork until the balljoint unseats. This may take some time. If it is taking a while on the backside flip it around to the front side of the suspension.

Once the balljoint is broken loose pull the UCA balljoint nut off completely.

Carefully and slowly lower jack to release tension on spring.

The spring will most likely stay seated in the upper spring pocket and still be in the LCA pocket once you lower it all the way and pull the jack away.

If this happens feel the spring to see how tight it is in the pocket. If it seems fairly loose use a 2x4” or scrap piece of wood and hammer the spring to work it loose. If you still can’t get it loose push down on the LCA so the spring will be loose enough for you to pull by hand.

Be extremely careful with this process because the coil is under extreme tension and can definetely hurt you if you’re not careful.

[LONGHAIR]

There is a trick to removing ball joints and the tapered "fork" is NOT it, unless you are going to replace the joint. The fork will destroy the rubber seal at least and can distort the socket that the ball fits into.
The simplest and safest method is to support the truck by the frame and have a floor jack under the lower control arm. Put just enough pressure on the jack to come in contact with the arm near the ball joint. Remove the shock absorber. Remove the cotter pin from the nut on the lower balljoint.
Loosen (several turns) but do not remove the nut. With a large ball-pien hammer, strike the spindle right near where the ball joint comes through it. Strike it at a 90 degree angle to the stud itself. DO NOT try to hit the nut or the joint itself. The "Shock" from the hit(s) with cause the tapered stud to jump out. The nut and the jack underneath keep it from jumping apart. Now remove the nut and slowly lower the jack. Be CAREFUL the trapped energy is very intense. If you are replacing the coils with "new" and not lowered you may need a spring compressor to get them back in. These generally fit inside the coil "where is shock goes" and shorten it enough to get it back in place. Shortened coils are easier to install.
Basically the install is the reverse of this. Be sure to have the front end aligned, the toe could really be affected by this, especially if the ride height is altered.

[greg0380]

thanks for the help. The springs are next on the list...

[full foot notch]

yeah, i can second that ball pien hammer trick, use it on all the vehicles ive worked on, a few whacks and it drops down and out