Instlation of front springs on 72 Cutlass *DELETED*

[Tim72]

Post deleted by Tim72

[joe_padavano]

Are the lower control arm bolts loose? They need to be to allow the LCA to pivot out of the way. The spring does need to be compressed as much as possible, with the ends of the spring compressor as far apart as possible to capture as many coils as you can. Put the top end in first (it should be the end that has the flat coil) and be sure the spring fits over the locating cylinder that's inside the spring pocket in the frame. Now push the bottom of the spring into the lower control arm, beind sure to align the end of the last coil in the recess in the LCA. Use your floor jack under the ball joint to raise the LCA to the point that you can get the ball joint back in the spindle, torque the nut, and remove the spring compressor. Be sure the car is at ride height (or at least the weight of the car is on the springs) before torquing the two LCA-to-frame bolts.

To answer your other question, I've used 350 springs on A-body cars with 455s with no problem. The car sits slightly lower in the front - not a bad thing in my opinion anyway.