It was cold this morning but I really want to get this suspension cleaned up and painted this weekend.  So I started working on the other spring.

With the spring out of the way I could finish dropping the sway bar out.  I still have not broken any bolts on this project.  Amazing.

Now the trick is to get the eye bushings out of the spring.  The internet is full of advice to burn out the rubber or to drill it out.  But it seems to me that the key thing here is that the spring is a spring.  I should be be able to flex it and get the bushing out.

I cut some of the rubber away so I could get to the metal sleeve on the bushing then pounded a chisel in to pry open the eye of the spring.  There is a lot of energy stored in here so I was very careful to stay on the safe side of the spring.

The chisel thing worked super well.  I got both bushings out in no time.

There was actually very little corrosion on the bushing sleeve or the spring eye.  This should clean up nicely.

Next step was tearing down the sway bar.  I was able to get the VERY rusty cotter pins out by heating them up red-hot with a torch.  Then I got the nuts off.

Last thing to rip apart is the Panhard bar.  I got the bushings out.   I cooked the jam nut on the end with the torch then worked it loose.  It came apart very well.  Once again the rust is not nearly as bad it looked.

Next came a marathon session of wire brushing and hardware inspection.  The spring shackles are actually in pretty good shape but I already have replacements.

Here is all the new rubber.  Everything look like it will fit.

The springs are wire-brushed too.  Springs are in decent shape and should be fine.  I still have to clean up the frame and axle then wash everything down and paint it.  But I am almost out of time and I still have to get to the parts store before they close so I will have to do all that tomorrow.

So NAPA did not have new u-bolts in exactly the right size so I will have to squeeze these down.  But now I am really out of time.  Resume tomorrow.