Want to take apart a subframe that has all new suspension without damaging the balljoints and bushings. Any advice would help! Thanks in advance.
Also, what is the difference between a 67 and 68 or 69 subframe?

I made a couple mistakes after fighting all day to put my new bushings in, and then had to take some back out. I took them out the same way I put them in, a socket around the hole to support it, a peice of metal stock in the void of the control arm the bushing goes in, and pounding with a hammer. They came out fine, but I'm not sure I would recommend pounding suspension parts with a hammer. I put a few of them in with a hydraulic press when it became available. They were poly bushings, the rubber bushings I took out ripped and shredded. I also decided to change my rear leaf spring bushings from the solid aluminum peices installed, to some poly units. Those came out fine with the same method (bfh).

To avoid damaging the ball joints and tie rod ends, don't use any pickle forks.

Pop the balljoints by loosening not removing the nuts, and rapping on the side of the spindle with a hammer. The spring pressure and vibration will pop them. For the tie rod ends, get a separator, the kind with a u'shaped hook and a bolt thru the middle, it won't hurt the joint or the rubber boot.

http://www.pozziracing.com/Media/bjspreader.jpg

Great picture. Worth a thousand words. Any neat tricks for getting the spring out without harming myself. I had to torch the last time but I knew they were old. This subframe is all new components. I tried a spring compressor but I had alot of trouble with that.

The way Ive done it, put car on jack stands, place roll jack under lower control arm. Lift enough to compress spring, take lower ball joint nut off and VERY slowly lower jack, to release the spring.


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I have done it the way Soman described to. It works.
You need the entire wieght of the car to get away with it.
Be very careful. Some run a safty chain or length of all thread thru the spring to contain it if something should slip. Just make sure your body is out of the line of fire should that spring slip out before it's fully released.

I like David's separator a lot, but note in the pic the upper ball joint nut is completely off. Make sure it's only loose when you pop the joints, if it's off that spring is gonna hurt someone bad!!!

Here's a good thread about spring removal.

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=68987

And here's a good post I did on my experience :)
Well I decided to upload the pics I took for others to view as future reference. I had pulled the subframe out into my back yard so I could work on it in the sun where it was warmer :)

Here's the MacPhersen spring compressor I bought originally, it was impossible to use it on the outside of the coil springs, and the end wouldn't fit up inside the hole for the shock to use inside the spring:

http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/macpherson.jpg

Here's the single action I rented from Autozone. The deposit was $50:

http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/singleaction.jpg

And here is the spring compressor in action:

Driver's Side:

http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/leftspring1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/leftspring2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/leftchain.jpg

The Driver's side tried to come flying out when I released the compressor, and I released it slowly too. USE A CHAIN!!

http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/leftspring3.jpg

Passenger's Side:

http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/rightspring1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~clwilcox33/coils/rightspring2.jpg

By the way, in order to get the end of the single action spring compressor up inside the shock hole and turned right, I had to insert it one hooked end at a time then turn it around while inside the spring, which there was very little room to do so. I used a pry bar between coils to pry room between two coils for the hooked end to engage and get it turned up right and hooked onto the coil.

Hope these help someone in the future.