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Removing the front springs is quite dangerous. Be very careful about removing coil springs, and if you aren't absolutely sure your compressor fits well, don't attempt to remove the springs. If the compressor fails while the spring is compressed, anything that gets in the way of the spring when it expands, like your face or arm, will be hurt. The recommended procedure is to use a two-ended hook and jack up the rear opposing corner. There are special brackets on my Rambler American that can then be fastened so that when the rear corner is lowered again you can remove the spring. Well, I don't have the special two-ended hook. I have removed these three times (two on our 330, and one on the 440H) using a regular coil spring compressor that fits over the coil. The problem with this method, particularly with the brackets, is that it is difficult to get the spring compressed enough. I also worry about damaging the spring. On the last spring I removed, I took off one of the two prongs on the compressor, and was able to fit a single prong in both of the brackets. This way I was able to compress the entire spring. I'm not entirely happy with this method either. Putting the spring back on will be a little easier, and I probably won't be taking it off again for a long time, as I'm going through all of the front suspension. One thing that might work better is if I purchase another set and use just the single prong on both ends of the spring compressor.
Here is a picture of the wheel well without the spring:
You can see the top of the upper trunnion just above the tire. There is a circle of a fibrous paper-like material over a pile of grease packed in the trunnion. Notice that I've painted the top of the wheel well with some Eastwood chassis paint. It looks much better, now, than it does in this article, which also shows the installed spring and brackets.
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