A-arm removal tech help needed.

I have a dangerous job to do; to take the A-arms off of a crossmember that is not attached to a frame. It came out of a ’79 Chevy C10 pickup.

I do not want to cut the springs because I want to reuse them. So the conundrum is how do I get the A-arms off without having my teeth knocked out. I have tried to get my spring compressing tools to work but they will not fit well enough to get inside or outside the springs. I may have to chop the bolt down as an option.

Has anyone else come up with a way to do it?

 

the junkyard safety technique was to run a big chain thru the spring and A arm, bolt the chain together, then knock it apart at the upper ball joint while standing as far away from it as possible.

You might want to see if you can find a more suitable spring compresser instead.

 

Have you tried to 'assemble' the compressor inside the spring? In other words take the shock out, unthread the rod out of the compressor, put the top hook in, then thread the rod intro that, then the bottom??

I had to do a vehicle like that once, I can't remember what it was but I don't think ot was a C series truck.

Good luck with it.

 

First, split the balljoints (any way, but ideally with the GM Kent-Moore rig that just quietly pops them without violence) with the nuts still on but loose as a safety stop. I assume the shock is the sort in the middle of the coil, so remove it and if your compressor can't be assembled into there, run a long piece of all-thread in place of the shock; then you can slowly unscrew the nuts on the all-thread to release the tension on the spring once thge nuts have been removed from balljoints. And haveng a chain for safety is a must.

 

dont take it off of the ball joint side, put a jack under the arm and loosen the retainers that hold it to the cross member and the weight of the entire suspention should keep it from lauching off of your jack and keep your teeth where they belong!! I've done it this way a couple of times...

Mike

 

I've done it with a pair of chains bolted to the compressed spring. Not the safest method...but it works. Careful though, the chains sometimes both slip to one side of the spring and it will still jump out when the pressure comes off it.

 

The shocks on the C10 are outside the spring. I wish that they were inside, then I would probably have the space to do what I need to.

 

That will get a guy killed if you read the original post about the front end not being in the car!

I had to do it the way Gator said, assemble the compressor inside the spring.

I've also done exactlty what Bruce described but you are definitely at a disadvantage with the shock mount situation you've got.

Are you trying to use an internal or external spring compressor?

 

"Are you trying to use an internal or external spring compressor?"

Good thought--maybe the kind for struts could be used for this.

 

If the front end is a "rigid" upper spring mount theres no way to put the compressor thru the top, or in the spring, your stuck doing it the way I have done it...I have several of these trucks but a little earlier (like 15 years) and I still have all of my fingers to type with!!! So unless they changed the design of the spring perch and incorporated it into the upper arm then he's screwed

Mike

 

I would set the end you are working on up on a jack. Pump it up soit is about halfway up with the lower arm sitting on the jack.... Throw a chain arround the bottom of the jack, around the top of the upper spring perch, possibly winding it through to keep it from slipping. Then, if you pump up the jack some more, the chain should hold the crossmember while the spring gets compressed. Then pop the upper or lower BJ.... Now, since you started with the jack half way up, you will have extra down travel to allow the spring to expand. by the time the jack bottoms out, the spring should be loose.... Another way is to take a lont 4x4 Or I beam just longer than the crossmember and arms....... set the jack on it the long way. Then set the front end on it the long way. Chain the front crossmember to the 4x4, and slip the jack under one end of the suspension... Try to start with your jack half way up as before... Now, your suspension won't go anywhere.....