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Removing leaf springs with basic hand tools

camarors8992

camarors8992

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Liverpool, New York
I stumbled across a set of rancho aftermarket leaf packs in a junkyard a few weeks ago. They want $30 per pack, but no torches or power tools. I was hoping you guys could make this easier on me, what tools do I need to get these off as in what size sockets and what not. I'm going to bring a BFH, large and medium sized rachets, and 2 buddies. Anything I should know about ?
 
Take a breaker bar and rachet with 9/16" 5/8" 11/16" 3/4" sockets and short extension. Jack stands, floor jack or good hydraulic jack.
A Chilton and/or Haynes manual. Hack saw (if you can't use a sawzall [just in case])

Beer

Patience and a sense of humor.

GOOD buddies.

Spray everything with PB Blaster, drink a beer, more spray etc. Start on the sway bar links first, spray, beer. Follow instructions in the manual.

Good Luck!!
:wow:
 
ParadiseXJ said:
Take a breaker bar and rachet with 9/16" 5/8" 11/16" 3/4" sockets and short extension. Jack stands, floor jack or good hydraulic jack.
A Chilton and/or Haynes manual. Hack saw (if you can't use a sawzall [just in case])

Beer

Patience and a sense of humor.

GOOD buddies.

Spray everything with PB Blaster, drink a beer, more spray etc. Start on the sway bar links first, spray, beer. Follow instructions in the manual.

Good Luck!!
:wow:
Click to expand...

Beer sounds like an AWSOME idea, only problem is i'm 17. LOL Thanks for the socket sizes, that will help lighten the load.
 
Take along a 21mm socket too. I can't remember if it is the same size as 3/4", but that's what I use in my shop along with a 3' breaker bar to remove and install leafs.
 
XJCreeper said:
Take along a 21mm socket too. I can't remember if it is the same size as 3/4", but that's what I use in my shop along with a 3' breaker bar to remove and install leafs.
Click to expand...

19mm is equal to 3/4"
 
One of the trouble spots is the front bolt. The bolt goes through a hole in mount, then through a metal sleeve inside of the rubber bushings and then through another hole into a bolt you can't really see. Sometimes the threads rust to the bolt.
problems start when the threads start backing out of the bolt and the metal sleeve rusted to the bolt, doesn't slide down the shaft and gets jammed against the inside of the outer hole in the mount. Does than make sence?
Hopefully, whoever put the new spring pack in, greased the bolt, where it goes through the sleeve.
Similar in the rear, the bolt sticks in the metal sleeve, but you can often beat it out.
You may get lucky, you may have to cut it out of there.
 
Watch out for the captive nut inside of the front spring mount... I've broke them off, making the spring impossible to remove without some serious cutting.
 
camarors8992 said:
Beer sounds like an AWSOME idea, only problem is i'm 17. LOL Thanks for the socket sizes, that will help lighten the load.
Click to expand...
add the prefix root in front of the beer and you should be good. lol
 
you also want to add a cordless sawzall and as many bateries as you can find. if that front bolt jams in the captive nut without a torch the sawzall is about it. Also to speed it up, just cut the ubolts off if you are not going to use them. IF you use a hack saw take along a spray bottle with water/dish deturgent mix to keep the blade clean and cool, it also lubes the blade so it cuts faster and lasts longer.
 
THIS ONLY APPLIES WHEN IT IS WARM OUT!!!

last summer when i went to a junkyard to get a hitch i used a cordless sawzall to cut the bolts out worked great.

any way before I could work on the removal of my hitch I had to go to the store and buy some wasp/bee spray because I almost bit by hundereds of bees the XJ I removed the hitch from had a huge bee nest in it.

Again good advice when it is warm out, when the bees are out.:gee:
 
You'll want a full socket set and open end wrench set as well to take the U bolts apart and remove the leafs from the axle. I don't remember what size they are, but they could be a number of sizes.

I got a set of skyjackers from the pick a part here for $18 each from an XJ that was in the yard. I ended up taking the rear axle off, throwing it out of the way then unbolt the clamps that hold the pack together and taking it apart down to the main leaf. That way there's nothing in your way and you can concentrate on just getting those stupid shackles off without anything in the way. Fast and easy if you have a helper.
 
very good advice on the bee spray, I've had the same thing happen many times. Even on my own truck that I don't drive every day. Stupid things built a nest in the sides of the tailgate, the next time I put it down BAM wasps everywhere.
 
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