86 560 SEC rear spring replace
 

Looking for procedure to remove/replace rear springs. I got as far as removing shocks and couldn't lower the control arm due to stop on sub frame. Does the lower control arm have to be removed or dropped from the front? Does the half shaft have to be removed?
Before everyone jumps on me for doing this, the previous owner removed the hydro/pnumatic shocks and I don't want to go chasing problems.I intend to install springs from a 300 SEL as the rear end is about 2 inches lower than the front. Any help would be appreciated.

1) Remove the shocks
2) use a clamp type spring compressor inserted through the hole where the shock was and compress and remove the spring.

Is this common? The front end of my SEC sits up higher than the back, too. I know I can adjust the height a little bit by adjusting the SLS height control, but it dosen't seem like that should be necessary. If anything, it seems like the front would tend to sink lower over time than the rear, since the front is supporting the weight of the engine.

All four springs are done with an internal spring compressor - a STRONG compressor. Remove the front shocks while supporting the lower control arm, then slowly lower the control arm, insert the compressor, then take up the slack in the compressor while jacking the control arm back up. Once the arm is up as far as it will go, finish the compression of the spring with the compressing tool. Lower the arm, take out the spring. Piece of cake.

Pull the rear strut out of the rear spring, compress it, remove it.

TREAT THE COMPRESSED SPRING LIKE A LOADED GUN - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER POINT THE END OF THE COMPRESSED SPRING AT ANYTHING IMPORTANT (like a body part).