Front End Advice (Order of Disassembly?)

[Fathersalt]

Hey guys, this week I got my steering box removed by seperating the ball joint the pitman arm attaches to instead of removing it from the the steering box. I just had a gut feeling it will all go back together easier this way instead of removing the pitman arm from the steering box. I also seperated all the ball joints connecting the tie rods.
What would you recommend as an order of part removal to bring the rest of the chassis down to the frame? The coil springs are scary lookin I can see how those bad boys could come poppin out of there and take out a knee in a hurry. Im also interested in any pictures of homemade tools to mayb compress the coil springs. Anyhow, I just need some tips, order of operation/removal, tricks. Ahh, that reminds me, can coil springs be powder coated or will the paint crack off when they flex?

[fordman]

here is what i do when i strip a front end off. i try to keep it all together as much as possible. when i have done this there is no front clip or cab on the truck any more and the engine and transmission have been removed. the front end is so lite yo u think you could almost pick it up but you can't. so with the thought of becoming the hulk. i jack up the center engine cross member which stretches the coil springs downward with the i beam. i then do as yo u did and split the pitman arm from the steering linkage. i then move to the center of the steering linkage and split the two hals that hook to each spindle. then i remove the coil spring straps at the top of the coil towers. i remove the radius arm nuts and rear rubber and washers. then it is time to remove the i beam bolt and it all comes off as one chunk. i beam half the steering linkage and radius arm. if you keep the tire on the drum. you can then grab the i beam and radius arm pick them up and roll the whole deal out of the way for further disposition of the parts. i forgot to mention about when i disconnect the brake lines. i think i do that as one of the first few things before i drop the coils out of the buckets.

[Fathersalt]

Fordman, the coil spring straps consist of a bolt and small bracket that is basically a larger version of this correct? It located at the very top of the spring?
http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50a/IMG_9548x.JPG
BTW I think that is a great idea taking it out in one large so I can work on further disassembly with much easier access to everything. Thanks!!!!

[robroy]

Good day FatherSalt!

I think Fordman's advice is great and I know he has a lot of experience with pulling front end apart! There are a few things that Fordman said that I thought I'd confirm (just so that you have the assurance of multiple replies), and I'll add one or two things.

Hey guys, this week I got my steering box removed by seperating the ball joint the pitman arm attaches to instead of removing it from the the steering box. I just had a gut feeling it will all go back together easier this way instead of removing the pitman arm from the steering box.

That's the way I removed my steering box as well, although I wound up removing the pitman arm later when I decided to replace the box with a rebuilt unit from NAPA (which I'm very glad I did). Are you planning on rebuilding your steering box, replacing it with a rebuilt unit, adjusting it, or leaving it as-is?

When I did get around to pulling the pitman arm off of the box, I wound up using a puller tool similar to this one: Image of Puller Tool. It did not come off easily!

What would you recommend as an order of part removal to bring the rest of the chassis down to the frame?

I think Fordman's reply makes a lot of sense, especially if you'll be storing or transporting the front end assembly. Yet if you're going to rebuild or restore the front end completely, the order seems a lot less important to me, since you'll ultimately have everything apart.

It has been a while since I took #50's front end completely apart, but from what I remember, there weren't any special tricks regarding the order of things; I guessed my way through it and didn't regret that ad-hoc approach later. One exception could be the coil springs (more on that later in this post).

The coil springs are scary lookin I can see how those bad boys could come poppin out of there and take out a knee in a hurry. Im also interested in any pictures of homemade tools to mayb compress the coil springs.

Let me first say that the heavy GVW F250's have the same coil spring mounts as the F350's, and they're different from F100 and light GVW F250 mounts. So I'm not certain how much of this will apply to your truck, but here goes.

I had the same concern! I think we've all heard lots of scary stories of people getting in trouble while removing coil springs on other vehicles. This is probably due to many vehicles being set up so that their coils are always under compression while installed.

Bumpsides though, as far as I know, are all set up so that when their I-beams are hanging down loosely (with the frame elevated), the springs are under very little if any compression. In fact, I believe the springs are typically under expansion force--they're being pulled on by the weight of the I-beams and spindles!

When I removed #50's springs, they may have popped out with an unusual metal "twang" sound, but there was nothing violent about it. I'm not sure if they were even compressed at all when I removed them. The noise could have been caused by the top of the spring being pulled free from the top mount area.

Of course, on general principles you'll want to treat them with some care, wearing heavy leather gloves and keeping as much distance between the springs as your face as possible. I believe I popped my springs free using a long pry-bar, so I wasn't even nearby them when they came loose (if I remember correctly).

Ahh, that reminds me, can coil springs be powder coated or will the paint crack off when they flex?

That's a great question! I was curious about this same thing, and never really found an answer.

Are you planning on replacing your coil springs with new ones? If you're pulling the front end apart, I think it's a good idea to replace the springs. As you probably know, as coil springs age in the truck two things happen to them: they sag, and they become less stiff. Since this process happens very gradually, and was probably well underway decades before you began working on the truck, it's not necessarily something that you'd notice.

Your truck will probably handle better, and have a stance that's closer to the original Ford specification with new springs installed.

Many Bumpsides also have an issue where one of the front springs sags more severely than the other, which makes the front of tilt to one side slightly. #50 had this symptom in a big way!

Anyhow, all of the new springs that I'm aware of come painted (or coated with something). I'm not sure how well this paint holds up though. I know that automotive paint can have chemicals added to it that makes it able to flex more before cracking--these chemicals are added to the paint that's sprayed on bumpers and other areas subject to more flexing than steel body panels. But I've never heard of people using anything special on coil springs.

I hope your weekend's going well FatherSalt!!!
Robroy

[fordman]

the coil spring strap has two nuts tach welded to it and two botls got through it. it does have a curve in the middle where the coil sprign sits under it. i couldnt find my pictures of them.

[Fathersalt]

Thanks Robroy and Fordman...
I havent thought about replacing the steering box or the coil springs for a number of reasons. I dont know if the steering box needs being rebuilt or replaced. It seemed to function fine. I havent really decided on replacing the coil springs I suppose either. Ultimately I want to go in with DJM drop beams and a drop hanger/shackle set along with an ididit after market steering column. I ran across a post to replace the ragjoint with a u joint, seems like a brilliant idea to me, but all of these upgrades will have to happen down the road. Im trying to focus with laser precision on getting things restored (especially all the body work and paint) and do some of the other things mentioned at a later date. I figure if I can get the hard labor stuff out of the way like painting and restoring body/chassis and get engine and drivetrain rebuilt and working smoothly, it will be just a matter of money to get all the sweet parts and upgrades I want. And since I have all of the money I want that should be the easy part.
http://www.sportruck.com/events/ford-f1 ... /i114.html
The above link is what I am closely trying to duplicate except with a more stock interior and I dont want my stance quit that low. I got a beautiful set of trim off a truck in a salvage yard yesterday, not a single dent and shiny as hell for windshield, back window and the rain gutter.
Anyway Im rambling, thanks for the help yall.