Well, you don't really "remove" it, but a necessary result of the
operation will be to make it "removable." In other words, the operation
to remove the spring is pretty much the same operation you have to do to
remove the shock.
The lever shock forms the top part of the front suspension. When you
disconnnect it by removing the bolt that goes through the top swivel, the
tension on the spring will be released and the brake drum assembly with
the swivel arms attached will fall towards you. If you don't compress
the spring first, at best you will be asking Christoper Reeve for riding
lessons (wheelchair), and at worst they will be removing the spring from
your head at the autopsy.
Therefore, you have to compress the spring first through some safe
method. Spring compressors available commercially are typically too big
for this function. Others on the list can describe home made spring
compressors that they have used. Most people will use a floor jack under
the spring pan, although this can also be dangerous if the car shifts at
all. It is best to run a loop of chain attached to the jack at both ends
around the back of the shock (padded to avoid scratching anything) for
added safety. The latter method is a necessity when compressing a spring
on a bare chassis that doesn't have the benefit of the weight of the
engine and body on it.
Once you have removed the top swivel link bolt, you will find that the
spring pan will also fall down and the spring can then be removed or may
even just fall out on its own. The shock can then be removed by removing
the four bolts that secure it to the chassis. Under no circumstances
should you attempt to remove those four bolts until you have compressed
the spring, disconnected the top swivel link, and then slowly released
the tension on the spring.
Please be careful and read the manual closely before attempting this.
David Littlefield
Houston, TX
'62 MGA MkII
'51 MGTD
'88 Jaguar XJ-S
On Tue, 03 Feb 1998 11:59:06 -0500 Steven Tritle <stritle@epix.net>
writes:
>I have heard various answers to this question: When replacing the
>front
>damper (Armstrong) on a TD is it necessary to remove the suspension
>spring?
>
>Steve
>52 TD
>
>
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