Zhe Leaf spring suspension

[breaknstuf4fun]

ok unfortunantely this isn't an exact question but though it does ahve to do with the nature of leaf springs...sort of

I have a 1972 cougar that i'm rebuilding and i want to remove the suspension and everythign else so i may send the frame and body off to get dipped.

i go down and look at the leaf springs and have this image pop in my head of me losening bolts and suddenly i get a face full of leaf and wake up the next day missing a few teeth.

so to acutally ask the question. if attempt to remove my leaf springs while allowing the axel to hang freely on them when the vehicle is raised on jacks, could that put enough tension on them to make the pop back, downward, or wherever while i'm emoveing them?

[MagicRat]

As you say, removing springs is dangerous. Do not let the axle hang freely.

Remove the shocks and lower the axle as far as it will go. Then lift it a bit so the springs are still fully relaxed but the axle weight is off the leaves. Support the axle with jack stands and remove the rear spring bolts first. Be very careful because the leaf may shift a bit then the bolt is removed.

It is easier, though, to unbolt the axle from the leaves before removing the leaves themselves.

[curtis73]

The springs are under stress when the car is on the ground. When the car is lifted by the frame, the shocks often hold the springs from completely relaxing. So, in this order:

Lift the car by the rear axle
Put jack stands under the frame
Remove the shocks
Let the jack down so that the axle is hanging under its own weight
Put the jack back up just touching so the axle doesn't fall
Take the bolts out of the springs and remove the whole leaf/axle assembly.

Somewhere in there of course you need to disconnect the brake lines, driveshaft, parking brake cables, etc.

This should all be last, though. Keep it rolling until the last minute.

Just curious... are you sure you want to dip this car? Its a ton of work and a lot of cost. The car has be be steel only; no latches, rubber, glass, plastic, anything. It has to literally be a shell only.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by curtis73

Just curious... are you sure you want to dip this car? Its a ton of work and a lot of cost. The car has be be steel only; no latches, rubber, glass, plastic, anything. It has to literally be a shell only.

I thought the same thing, too. There are thousands of fully disassembled car projects out there where someone has disassembled the car and forgotten or lost interest in how the car goes back together. Such projects are almost impossible to sell or fix and reassemble, because the work required to do so exceeds their value and/or the skill and determination of the owner.

Cars are easy to disassemble, but often are a nightmare to put back together and should never be disassembled unless absolutely necessary.

[breaknstuf4fun]

well i look at it like this...
the car was under 8 ft. of water and was still under water for three weeks due to our dear friend katrina. so i don't konw where there maybe rust or not.
and though it may be a hell of a job to do totally disassembled, once i get to the tedious work i'e got a note pad, pen, and whateer else i need to get this right. i want a quality product when i'm done with this one.

though it is quite possible i'm in over my head this being my first project and all ^.^

[TheSilentChamber]

If you dont know how to take the rear springs off, I'm definatly going to say your in over your head. Probably by about eight feet.

[curtis73]

Yep. Don't worry about rust. We Pennsylvania folks have holes the size of Christmas Turkeys in our fenders from 20 years of salty roads, so 3 weeks of water is nothing... seriously. Even if it did rust, it didn't rust through anything, so the worst that will happen is you got a little rust inside the rocker panels and it will mostly quit once you dry it out.

Disassemble what you must, but things like glass, rubber, and body panels won't really do any good off the car. You might get down under the rocker panels and drill a couple holes in them to drain them, but they are probably already dry. You'll have to redo the interior, so pull seats, carpet, and dashboard and replace.

Even Canadian cars often don't benefit from dipping. Often times its much easier to just replace the body panels and remove rust from behind hard to reach areas. Dipping is invasive and expensive. Ask me how I know. It took me nearly a year to prep my 66 Bonneville for dipping, (just the body, not the frame) it will cost me nearly $1200 to dip it, and then I anticipate at least two more years of evenings and weekends to do the body work and put it back together. Not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars in parts that have to be purchased to reassemble; bondo, sandpaper, primer, paint, rubber, hardware, soundproofing, etc. Its kind of a last resort. The only reason I'm dipping mine is because its a family heirloom, it should be worth about $30,000 when its done, and it had a very rusty upbringing in PA and Ontario. But as far as just doing it as preventative from rusting, not very cost effective. Wait until it rusts through, then replace that panel.

Just my 2 cents.

[breaknstuf4fun]

haha alright thanks for the advice guys... and um the little downsizeing on the optimizim to bring me back to earth.

But i don't think i'm going to find any more water anywhere thankg god had enough of that in the crank case, that and mud. deh whata down here didn't bring pretty things, under the hood looked like a dried up bed of mud.

anyway thanks again.

[dave92cherokee]

Another thing you need to think about is this. Even if you do totally disassemble the car and completely rebuild it from the ground up and get it all back together you will have to have the title adjusted to note the fact that it was flooded and salvaged which would dramatically cut down on any asking price in the future whether it's in perfect condition or not.