So I just installed some Hotchkis springs...and what the @#*$

The driver's side was pretty easy. I probably didn't even need to compress the stock spring, but I did anyway. The passenger's side, though, that's where things got tricky. The way I installed the driver's side was I unbolted the lower ball joint, and just lowered that until I could get the springs in/out. For some reason, the passenger's side is tweaked or something. It was literally impossible to get the lower ball joint out of the spindle. I could get it maybe half an inch, but then the bottom of the control arm would hit a "ledge" on the back of the drum brake. I tried undoing the top ball joint to see if I'd be able to get it out with more leverage, but still couldn't do it. I somehow managed to compress the spring enough and pull down on the arm enough to get the old spring outt and the new one in, but I'm kind of worried now because first of all, that pulled on the brake line pretty good, so I'm kind of scared that they may either leak or just not work as well anymore. And second of all, how the hell am I supposed to get it off when I convert to discs? :mad:

Have any of you had this problem before? I don't have any pictures, but I can try to go out and snap a couple if it helps. I'm thinking that I may just have to cut off the old ball joint, but I mean, that thing's pretty thick, so that seems like it'd take a loooooong time or just be impossible. :(

What the *(@#????

Matt

did you try tapping on the control arms with a hammer to get the ball joints free of the spindle?

Yup. That's just it, though. You can only lift the spindle about a half inch before the bottom of the control arm hits some ledge on the back of the drum backing plate. If I remember correctly, I believe the top of the spindle mount got flush with the top of the spindle. That's about as high as it gets before it hits. :mad:

Matt

remove the drum and backing plate then

remove the drum and backing plate then... i don't know how the drum setups are supposed to be, so i couldn't say if something was wrong or not

remove the drum and backing plate then

Genius! :D

I guess I now have an even better reason to go to disc brakes. :D

Matt

I just did mine the other day on my '69. Just had to hit the bottom ball joint thru about 1/2" and gave me enough room to seperate the spindle from the arm, then hammer the joint the rest of the way out.

get a damn pickle fork and smash the hell out of it..the drivers side balljoint might have been replaced before..which might explain the ease of the removal

get a damn pickle fork and smash the hell out of it..the drivers side balljoint might have been replaced before..which might explain the ease of the removal

LOL!

Yeah, I just replaced the driver's side a week or two ago so I could get an alignmentt. :)

Matt

I just finished redoing the front end (new springs, shocks, poly bushings, ball joints, etc.) on my '74 with front drums, and I only got caught up on the "ledge" while trying to put everything back together. On the pass. side I ended up filing a little bit off of the ledge and off of the ball joint, which was what ended up getting in the way and it worked.
On the driver's side, I just knocked the upper ball joint off first, then knocked the bottom one out, then removed the entire brake assembly. I too tweaked the line on the pass. side and I saw a tiny amount of fluid on the line itself. I am waiting on a brake bleeding wrench to come in so I can bleed everything and set her back down.