Free F150 Suspension! But wait..

[Ranger Kip]

... I dont know how to remove the spring coils.

Is there anything I should know before I remove them so the truck does fall on top of me? This includes the shocks, but if its like the rear end at all, they do nothing, but I think the weight of a v8 does something.

I think I just neede the coils and shocks.

 

[Snoranger]

... I dont know how to remove the spring coils.

Is there anything I should know before I remove them so the truck does fall on top of me?

Put jack stands under the frame and let the suspension hang. Then the truck cant fall on you.

As far as the shocks. You can unbolt them with the suspension compressed or relaxed, it doesnt really matter.

 

[Ranger Kip]

well, its in a field, so I will just get some old wood pieces and blocks and just prop it up on some jacks.

when I let the suspension hang, the coils should just come out?

How high does the truck have to be off the ground?

 

[RangerSVT]

The coil springs have a J hook bolted to the top of the coil bucket retaining the coil spring, there is usually one or two bolts (depending on the type) holding each J clip on, then the usual nut holding the lower coil spring to the beam...Jack the truck high enough to remove the wheel and when you lower the jack (with the truck on the jack stand, wood blocks, etc) as long as the spindle/rotor doesn't touch the ground, it's high enough to get the spring out...
SVT

 

[Ranger Kip]

okay, i wasn't thinking about removing the wheel. I am going to hit myself next time I forget about that

 

[shane96ranger]

Maybe I'm just overly cautious, but I would get a spring compressor to use. You can probably rent one at Autozone. One of those springs could really hurt you if given the right circumstances.

 

[koda6966]

If ranger kip stops posting I'm putting $50 down that the wood blocks broke and the truck fell on him!

Get some real jackstands man.. you'll be thankful in the end. A member on here had is face crushed by a truck that fell on him. Several others have lost body parts in the accidents.

IIRC BlackBII lost a finger from a vehicle falling on him. I may be wrong though.

 

[kissofdeathracing]

I personally use jack stands and put the wheel under the rotor as an extra percaution i almost lost my gentleman bits when my friends lifted k5 fell off a jackstand cuz he put it on sand

 

[Ranger Kip]

ouch, and yeah, I am going to use jack stands, I always do, using wood is dangerous, I was going to use the wood under the jacks though, do keep them from sinking into the dirt and mud

 

[adsm08]

Throw down a sheet or two of plywood or heavy gauge particle board. That should keep the stands from sinking, not break, and be pretty safe.

 

[--weezl--]

2x6 or larger, minimum!



i had my hand crushed between the frame of my friend's sport trac, and the body, when we did his body lift... luckly i had a piece of 2x4 between the body and frame farther towards the front, so it was about 1/2 the weight it could have been, and about 1/4 of the weight of the whole cab (other side was up on the lift blocks already... all because the jack slipped out... didn't do any serious injury, but it did take all the skin off my hand


we had the jacks on wood, ontop of a gravel pad, they still slipped

 

[Ranger Kip]

I have some narrow Jacks, so Im kinda iffy, but I tell myself that if it can sit there on its own for hours without falling, its safe enough for me to work beside the truck

 

[--weezl--]

not true, i've left vehicles teetering on things for hours... but with a quick push, it's gone.... you fighting to get parts and bolts free, it better be solid...

if you have any thought of "well, it MIGHT fall" it's not secure enough!!!!

 

[4.0B2]

you can't really be TO safe... if you like your body parts and life..

 

[--weezl--]

and who ever it was that said they put the tire under the truck, just incase, this doesn't reduce the chance of you getting hurt, or pinned under a truck, it only reduces the chance of you dying from being squished...