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04-12-09 08:07 AM - Post#1674500     
    In response to mblicata 

Take the shocks loose and remove the wheels, then put a jack under one side and jack up the diff. The other side will drop and you can pull the spring out. I've done this on a '68 Caprice, a '67 Impala and about 20 Chevelles and never had to use a compressor on the rear. Some have even fallen out on their own this way.

I did know that...   but forgot....    sounds like a good thing to try.....   

I did the spring installation on my chassis a few weeks ago.   I followed the instructions in my service manual, which was to have the shocks and pan-hard bar removed.  Have the springs in place but the bolts that hold the bottom spring retainers to the lower control arms must be on like their last thread (barely holding on).  Then slowly jack the diff up a bit at a time, while tightening the spring retainer bolts.   Basically nothing touches the lower control arms, so no scratching.   You'll eventually get to a point where the springs are compressed enough to allow the shocks to be installed and the pan-hard bar installed. 

Thanks guys, for whatever reason, I couldn't get the spring over the little ring in the middle of the spring perch (afermarket).

So I had to drop the arm out of the axle mount. I made a little jig out of oak and, using a pin through the stabilizer bar mount hole, was able to drop it way down, fit the spring and work it back up into the axle. The reason I made the jig is the forward mount of the arm is full articulating, and the arm would likely tip sideways if I jacked it on the bottom. Worked like a charm.

The little ring on the perch is actually a bonus, once the arm comes up, the spring pigtail centers itself.

Cheers, Mark

A hours time spent building a jig, is far better than 2 hours of frustration Cliff!