[NovaNate]

I'm about to tackle a rear axle/leaf spring swap from a 73 to a 71. This will take the 71 from a 8.2 10-bolt single leaf rear to an 8.5 10-bolt multi leaf.

The 71 suspension is pretty well corroded to the car so I want to get any tips before I start. I'm hoping to just undo/cut off the rear shocks, undo the spring-eye bolts and drop it off the car.

The 73 rear suspension was recently rebuilt, so hopefully it will come out easier.

Are there any tricks as far as how things need to come apart?

 

[DriveWFO]

Get ready to swear at the front leaf spring perches. You will more than likely snap off each of the three clip nuts on the perch trying to remove the bolts. I ended up grinding the bolt heads off on all six bolts to remove mine



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[69NovaSS]

a good hack saw or recpircating saw...You could try soaking down all the fasteners with wd40 or something like that a day or two before...but the front spring bolts are likely rusted to the eye of the spring bushing and will need to be cut to get the springs out...

 

[NovaNate]

6 bolts? Clip nuts? Sounds like there is a little more involved than I thought! I just pictured 4 big bolts, one at each end of each spring?

Thanks goodness I took my small savings to the last Harbor Freight sale and bought both a sawsall AND an angle grinder!

Do I not want to break the clip nuts on the front perches? What are the clip nuts holding fastening?

 

[NovaNate]

Hi Nate-
If you look at the photo below, you can see the FRONT BRACKET that the FRONT of the leaf spring bolts to. It has three bolts/clips in it, bolted to the car. When you try to remove those three bolts, the clip will spin, and there is no way of holding it because you can't get to it. You can't just remove the bolt that goes thru the spring eye because it will hit the car. I think the part that it hits is called a pinch weld. You could probably bend the pinch weld and remove the bolt, but I would not want to do it that way.

I really hope that wasn't confusing.

Got it! I didn't realize I had to take the front perch off the body of the car! now I know what you mean by clip nut, the little nut up inside the car body was originally cliped to something to hold it still while the bolts were tightened down, but those little clip parts are prone to rust and often break during loosening, then the nut inside just spins. Understood. Thanks!!

So what do you do if the clip nuts break? I'm assuming if you can't get in there with a wrench to hold the clip nut, you probably can get in there to put a new nut on either?

 

[NovaNate]

Get ready to swear at the front leaf spring perches. You will more than likely snap off each of the three clip nuts on the perch trying to remove the bolts. I ended up grinding the bolt heads off on all six bolts to remove mine

Hey DriveWFO How did you re-install the perches if you cannot reach up inside to those clip nuts to put new nuts in place as KtownKid says?

 

[DriveWFO]

Hey DriveWFO How did you re-install the perches if you cannot reach up inside to those clip nuts to put new nuts in place as KtownKid says?

You can install new clip nuts once you grind off the bolt heads and remove the perches.



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[nickcornilsen]

once the perch is gone, it is easy to remove the old slip and put a new one in.


i just tortched the bolts off and put new clips in.

 

[NovaNate]

I get it! once the perches are off it exposes the opening to the inside of the body where the clip nuts were clipped! Ah ha!

Thanks! I'm feeling ready to do this now!

It is so much easier to go about a project if you are confident about it, you guys have me feeling pretty good about the front perches now...

How about the rear shackles? Any tricks getting them off? How about the bushings in the frame side of the schackle?

 

[DriveWFO]

once the perch is gone, it is easy to remove the old slip and put a new one in.


i just tortched the bolts off and put new clips in.

If you torch them off, be careful of the nearby fuel lines.



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[DANNO]

On the other hand, maybe you will luck out and they will all come out easily. Well, at least without breaking. Mine did. (I did presoak with WD40). Here's pics of my mono to multi:
http://community.webshots.com/album/96564258mnglpj


Dan (hope it helps)