http://vimeo.com/26450692

nothing speaks like a video, so I made one of my problem.

I installed on one side, my new factory 99 tall coil springs onto my 97.

I got everything bolted back together except for the lower control arm thing. the hole no longer lines up...it is too short.

I cant see how the axle could have moved rearward?

I tried raising and lowering the axle and no matter if under compression or lifted up and hanging, it doesnt reach anymore?

 

That's your lower control arm. I've never seen anyone take that off to put in springs before. I don't think that's ever needed. Usually you just take the shocks off or disconnect the bottom shock mount and maybe the sway bar and you should be able to get the springs in.

I can't tell from your vid but I hope you have jack stands supporting the truck and the whole thing isn't hovering over you supported by that jack on the diff!

Try taking the bottom shock bolt out and see if you can line it up then. Stick a pry bar (pointed style) in the hole and pry it over.

 

Happens all the time when I had a TJ Jeep.....loosen up the upper comtrol arm bolt and the trackbar/panhard bolt( the bolts on the axle housing end) and it will fall into place.


edit--- oh ya.....if you jack it up by the rear bumper and not under the pumpkin then it may also fall into place.

 

thx, yes there is a jackstand along with an industrial sized hydraulic jack on the right side frame rails (doing the right side of the truck first)

I honestly did a crap load of searching on here but couldnt find a tutorial on replacing the rear springs. I tried several variations of wording it on the search engine to no avail...then I went back 17 pages on this forum and checked every thread that spoke about the rear coils.

So, just from looking at it, it seemed like the lower control bar/arm would restrict me from getting the diff low enough to get the darn spring on.
I honestly didnt think it a big deal, cause I never foresaw it not lining up afterwards.

I will try taking off the shock lower bolt again, and then do the ole punch in the hole and pry technique tomorrow and see what happens.

thx

 

hey, yes, I have the frame supported and was raising and lowering the diff to different positions to see if it made anything better, but it didnt seem to.

If my post above doesnt work, then I will loosen up the upper control arm bolts and see what that does for me.

thx