ok here is the situation. i wanted to rebuild the front suspension with polygraphite bushings. while i was doing this i also decided to replace the worn ball joints and tie rod ends. well, when i was trying to put things back together i couldn't get the springs back in. i tried using a spring compressor but the one i was using wouldn't fit correctly. anyways i trimmed the springs shorter to get them to fit. when i finished, the front actually sit higher than it did before. please help!!! and what is this indexing stuff? thanks.

 

what did you use to cut your springs?

 

i used a cutting wheel.

 

so what is indexing?

 

In the a-arm, where the spring sits are 2 holes. The end of the spring must rest between these holes. The thing that a few of us have messed up has been that the top of the spring needs to be correctly positioned as well.
What I have done in the past is, I set the spring in the a-arm correctly indexed and grap a coil and NOT move my hand from that spot until the spring is secured. I then removed the spring from the a-arm and set it up into the tower, wiggling it until I know it is sitting correctly in the upper channel. Then all I have to do is tip the spring and lift the a-arm and slide a couple wood blocks under it until the spring is tight, and then I can use both hands and start jacking the a-arm into place.

If I had to guess, the top of your spring isn't in the channel, which is about 1" in depth. As a result the car is sitting higher.

 

thanks for the tip. i'll check into that and see what i come up with.

 

Look at my rebuild page for indexing pics and helpful hints of removal and installation:

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/taramille...tos.yahoo.com/

HTH....

Ed

 

beside the altered ride height is there any bad things that can happen by not indexing the springs?

 

Besides that, I don't think so. Just sitting like a 4x4 in the front.

Ed