Springs for Spring
Katie posted on
- 03
- 19
- 2011
Being a hero must be a heavy weight to bare because Ned’s springs were shot. So today we put in new ones as well as new shocks and greased the front end for this big adventure we’re about to embark on. Let me tell you, the difference is tremendous. I use to have to creep over any pebble in the road, but now, no fear.
Before we removed the springs, I did my fair share of research to make sure we (my dad, Ned and I) knew what we were up against. All I kept reading was how “catastrophic” things could be if you didn’t do it properly which I understood to begin with, but when I saw words like “catastrophic”, or “limb loss” and “fatal” it made me think of words like “oh boy” and “mother something” and “don’t be an idiot Katie”.
The shocks were easy pie to replace. The springs were a little more work, but not a rubix cube. And we popped the Nova emblem back on 
This actually turned out to be the biggest challenge because we didn’t take off the fender to do it. Instead we slid between the wheel well and the firewall which is about an inch of room. Reasons we did it this way #1- didn’t want to risk chipping the paint #2- didn’t want to risk not being able to re-align the fender after the struggle we had before Ned got painted when the new fenders went on after the accident #3- we knew we’d be able to do it #4-we are genetically stubborn.
The biggest piece of advice I’d offer on the subject of coil springs is to take it slow, and don’t rush because that’s how you forget things and/or get hurt.
Here are some of the pic’s I snapped on my phone quick while we were working. I was covered in grease and my phone’s a touch screen so I used my nose to shoot them. Its a nifty trick I learned from my friend Chelsea. Apparently to a phone, a nose can be a suitable substitute for a finger. Again technology’s logic baffles me, but I’m not going to argue. I’m only glad that doctors don’t think the same way -”Oh I’m sorry miss, but we weren’t able to save your fingers. Good news is you have a nose. Happie Texting.”
