Wanted Help Leaf Springs Are Past It!

[almaman]

Hi, anyone help with the difficulty level of installing front leaf springs on a MK3 single cab pickup? I have the workshop manual, however the instructions are confusing, as it refers to jacking up the rear when removing the front leaf springs? I think the manual was written by someone who pasted the paragraph from the rear spring removal / installation into the front spring removal / installation section! Does any have experience of replacing front leaf springs? Any help would be good.

[Monster-Mat]

ive just replaced my 2 front springs, it was fairly simple, i just did it all in a logical manner.....

first i jacked the truck up, placed axle stands under the chassis behind the crossmember that supports the gearbox

then lowered the jack

next i put the axle back under some support and removed the axle clamps

lowered the axle

removed the springs....big hammer and lots of wd40

when i replaced everything i put in new shackles, pins clamps and dampers

[almaman]

ive just replaced my 2 front springs, it was fairly simple, i just did it all in a logical manner.....

first i jacked the truck up, placed axle stands under the chassis behind the crossmember that supports the gearbox

then lowered the jack

next i put the axle back under some support and removed the axle clamps

lowered the axle

removed the springs....big hammer and lots of wd40

when i replaced everything i put in new shackles, pins clamps and dampers

[almaman]

Hi, thanks for the support! You say that

1 support chassis behind the crossmember

2 then jack up the axle and remove clamps, are these the ubolts that hold the spring s to the axle?

Do I need to remove the brake hoses, shock absorbers or any other stuff to do the replacement of the springs?

I looked at the milner 4X4 site and it shows a number of poly bushes...where do these fit, as there seem to be lots of them? TIA

[Monster-Mat]

i got all my bits from Roughtrax.....

i have always delt with roughtrax and not got a bad word to say about them, but ive heard a few storys about Milners stuff

yes the shocks will need removing aswell, and the clamps are the ones that clamp the axle to the spring, i didnt remove the brake hoses as there was just enough of them to not be pulled when the axle was clear of the springs

the new springs i got from Roughtrax came with new bushes already fitted, if you want some for the rest of the chassis where the shackles go through i have them, i never used the ones i bought

[almaman]

i got all my bits from Roughtrax.....

i have always delt with roughtrax and not got a bad word to say about them, but ive heard a few storys about Milners stuff

yes the shocks will need removing aswell, and the clamps are the ones that clamp the axle to the spring, i didnt remove the brake hoses as there was just enough of them to not be pulled when the axle was clear of the springs

the new springs i got from Roughtrax came with new bushes already fitted, if you want some for the rest of the chassis where the shackles go through i have them, i never used the ones i bought

[almaman]

I have a one new spring I got from eBay which came with two U bolts complete with washers/nuts, a new rear shackle and new pin. The spring has rubber inserts in each end (which is where I think the poly bushes can be used to replece the rubber ones). I do not have any other bushes with this spring and am not sure where they would go, are they used in the rear shackle fixing and the front pin? I need to find another front leaf spring and fitting kit, I have looked at Roughtrax and the milner site and may consider paying the full price just to get the job finished. I would rather find one from a cheaper source but time isn't on my side so I may have to pay!!! If the bushes you have will help me out with the front spring replacement then yes perhaps we can sort something out? regards

[Monster-Mat]

personally i would sell the spring you have, in reality you should fit identical springs...as you may not find another from the same manufacturer

the bush set i have replaces all the bushes in the springs, and the ones that are in the chassis rail where the shackles go through it

[almaman]

Hi, the spring label says its a left side spring, I can order a match (right side spring) from roughtrax and the fitting kit (shackle etc. Do you want to get rid of the bushes, if so what do you want for them? regards Nigel

[Monster-Mat]

£10 plus the postage, drop me a pm with your address, and ill get them in the post

[almaman]

£10 plus the postage, drop me a pm with your address, and ill get them in the post

Hi thanks for the offer, however, I got all the stuff from Milners to replace the springs (much better value than roughtrax) and I found that your advice was spot on. The only hassle was trying to remove the front spring pin which was obstructed by the tow hook bracket. I wasn't able to undo the nuts on the tow hook so struggled for ages to get out the pin. The difficult side took me 4 hours to replace and the other was done in under 2 hours including two tea breaks.The ride on the front now is much better and have more clearance between the chassis and springs and feel that I accomplished a job worth doing with a little help from my mate Dave and you of course. regards.