Dissassembling a front Beam...

[tx_1987_gta]

Ok Oh Buggy Guru's....

I have purchased a front beam with the adjusters already welded in... Now I need to Dissassemble my existing beam and transfer all the goodies into the new beam. Any suggestions on the proper way to do this as I have never taken one apart yet... What parts do you reccomend replacing when I do this? Is there any issues I should try and avoid?

[KIM-P]

Remove the tierod retaining pins and loosen nuts about 1/4 inch and get hammer and strike the spindle where the tierod attaches a couple of good licks until the tierod comes loose or get a pickle fork after them if you dont plan on reusing them. Same goes for the ball joints.
Once those are removed I like to remove the jam nuts and set screews from the trailing arms because they are counter sunk into the springs. Some times you have to use force to get arms off. I prefere using a dead blow hammer for this but any hammer will work in a pinch. ( A hammer is a very handy tool when used right and a very distructive one when used without caution.)
After the arms are off use a small hose clamp to bind one side of the springs together and remove the set screw from the center of the beam and slide the springs out. Clean the parts and inspect for any damage.
To reinstall the springs some people wrap masking tape around the ends lightly and push them as a unit , or you can put them in a piece at atime just remember what order they were in and line up the divit with the set screws. Dont to forget to lightly grease them before assembly. I hope this helps.

[tx_1987_gta]

That sounds simple enough...

[Jack Duncan]

Sounds simple enough, but it took me four attempts to get it right. The main thing to remember is to get each spring in it's proper spot in the bushing. I finally had to slide the bushing all the way to one end to thread the springs in. The thing is, you can't loose your religion here. Don't get in a hurry. I walked away a few times.