Ever replace leaf springs ?

[472viper]

I'm on craigslist the other night and a guy is selling a pair of CJPony leaf springs, '65 mustang. List price $218, I get em for $100. I'm thinking of have a shop swap them out. I'm 66 years old and my ability to crawl around on the garage floor is limited. I've been soaking the bolts in kroil knowing they are badly rusted. But those forward bolts are not going to budge. I'm sure they will have to be cut out of there. How big a job is that ? I don't want to open a can of worm I don't need to. I do have new u-bolts

 

[7991LXnSHO]

So let’s say they are beyond regular hand tools.
If an impact wrench will not break them loose with your pre-soak, the nuts could be split, the bolt cut off with a reciprocating saw or when there is room, cut off with a torch.

Do you have enough jack stands for both the car and axle? What about an impact wrench or a couple of breaker bars with extensions?

 

[wicked93gs]

The front bolts on mine had corroded and bonded to the bushings themselves somehow. The nuts came off easily enough after 50+ years, but since the bolts had bonded with the bushing/sleeve on one side, I actually ended cutting the old leaf first with an angle grinder and dropping the rear end out, then going back and cutting the eye apart piece by piece...then the bushing itself, and finally the inner sleeve...all it all, it was about 2 hours work...that is the worst case scenario though....yours might well come out with little real effort. I will warn you though...the CJ pony springs probably wont last more than 5 years(from when they are first installed) before they start to sag...they are not great quality....most people recommend Eaton springs

 

[MustangIIMatt]

A cutoff wheel in a grinder makes short work of even the rustiest of u-bolts. Then it's just a matter of changing one spring at a time while the car is supported on a lift or jack stands and the axle is supported on a jack (floor jack when doing it on stands, pole jack or transmission jack when doing it on a lift). Get new u-bolts for the install regardless of whether the old ones come off easily or not.

If safely doing it yourself on the garage floor with a jack and stands is a concern, this shouldn't be super expensive to have a competent shop do. It should be all of 2-4 hours labor at most.

 

[472viper]

Thanks guys. I've been in contact with shop that says they have experience with the sawzall method. Not too bad a job if you have the right equipment.