American Motors: 75 AMC HONET coil spring, coil spring compressor, shock absorber

Question
 I have a '75 hornet need to replace coil springs. Is there an easy way? If not, best way to put them on. Engine shuts off while driving(232), replaced plugs,wires,dist cap,rotor. Is there something you can suggest for that problem?  

Answer
Are you talking about the valve springs or front suspension springs? If you plan on replacing the front suspension coil springs, you will need a coil spring compressor as used on AMC & many Fords. You remove the shock absorber; install the spring compressor where the shock was, and compress the spring. You then unbolt the spring seat and remove it. If you have not done this before, I would suggest buying a repair manual or go down to the library and check one out. The procedure is the same on all AMC cars, except Pacer, from 1970 up. As for the engine stalling, does it start back up imediately? If not, have you removed a plug wire from a spark plug, crank the engine while holding the end of the wire 1/2" away from the engine block and get a spark? A problem with 75 AMC's has been a defective pickup in the distributor...