Buick LeSabre 1965 Service Manual page 451

7 - 2 4 SERVICE PROCEDURES
CHASSIS SUSPENSION
NOTE: When checking NEW car
add 3/8".
If rear spring trim dimension is
less than specified or additional
height is required to prevent ex-
cessive "bottoming" in excep-
tional cases, install additional
spring insulators (Group 7.545),
divided between upper and lower
ends of spring. If more than three
additional insulators are required,
replace the spring. Installation of
new springs should not increase
trim dimension "A" more than
1" over specified maximum limit.
b. Front Coil Spring Removal
and Installation
Removal
1. Raise front of car and support
solidly with a car stand under the
frame side rail on the side where
the spring removal is fo be per-
formed. Car must be high enough
to allow the lower control arm to
be positioned nearly straight down
with a jack placed beneath the
ball stud end.
2. Remove wheel, brake drum and
bearings. Take p r e c a u t i o n s
against bearing damage from
dirt, etc.
3. Remove the two bolts and nuts,
and the anchor bolt holding the
brake backing plate to the knuckle.
Remove the backing plate but do
not disconnect the brake hose.
Support the backing plate in such
a manner that the hose will not be
damaged. Backing plate may be
wired out of the way. See Fig-
ure 7-23.
4. Remove the shock absorber.
See paragraph 7-17.
5. Remove the front stabilizer
rod link from the lower control
arm. Place parts aside in their
relative assembled position since
the upper grommets are rubber
while the lower ones are neo-
prene. They should be reassem-
bled in this manner.
6. Disconnect the brake reaction
rod and adjacent control arm
Figure 7-23—Wiring Brake Backing
Plate out of Way
bumper from the lower control
arm but leave attached to the
front frame cross member.
7. As a safety precaution place
a floor jack under the lower con-
trol arm as far outboard on the
arm as possible to gain maxi-
mum leverage advantage. It would
be advantageous to remove the
lube fitting at the lower ball joint
so that it will not be damaged
by the jack.
Do not place the jack against the
arm, but about 1/2 inch below.
Now remove the cotter pin and
LOOSEN, DO NOT REMOVE the
nut on the lower ball joint ta-
pered stud. The nut should be
loosened not more than 1/8".
JACK V
2
" BELOW
CONTROL ARM
Figure 7-24—Separating Ball Stud from
Steering Knuckle
Figure 7-25—Prying Spring off its Seat
8. Rap the steering knuckle in
the area of the stud to separate
the stud from the knuckle> See
Figure 7-24. Raise the jack
against the control arm to relieve
pressure on the nut, remove the
nut and separate the steering
knuckle from the tapered stud.
9. Carefully lower the jack sup-
porting the lower control arm to
release the spring. With the jack
all the way down to the floor it
still may be necessary to pry the
spring off its seat on the lower
control arm with a long pry bar.
See Figure 7-25. Caution should
be exercised in handling this
loaded spring while still attached.
Installation
1. Position spring in frame upper
spring seat. Align the lower end
of the coil with the small hole in
the lower control arm. When as-
sembled, the end of the lower coil
must be within 1/4" of this hole.
2. Place Plate J-7592-7 of spring
installing Tool J-9552 between the
4th and 5th coil of the spring
from the bottom. Step in plate
will fit contour of the coil. Install
bolt to plate and place threaded
end of the bolt through the shock
absorber hole in the frame spring
seat.