That's a good way to die. Mercedes springs aree more like truck
springs that car springs. You need a special compressor. Rest one.

Having said that I've seen people take suspensions apart with
just a jack perfectly safely but I don't know wnough about it
so advice you how.

My wife's '85 300D had the same symptoms when we got it.  A couple
hundred bucks at the local mechanic solved the problem for us; I wasn't
too interested in doing the work myself but it looks pretty straight
forward without cutting anything with a torch.

Just buy the new parts and bolt them in.  Why cut things to bits?

-tom!

--

Use internal spring compressor to remove the spring first, then you can do
whatever you want. Once you take the spring out, make sure you decompress it
or you got a missile sitting there waiting to explode on you.

Why cut if everything will come out by loosening the bolt?

The guy who says messing with the spring is a good way to die is
correct.  You will not have time to react before the spring takes your
head off if you start messing around with a cutting torch under there.

The front springs of a Mercedes 300 are in a place that requires a
special spring compressor to remove them safely.  It is possible to
replace the bushings without removing the springs, however.  You can
just use the weight of the car to compress them.  But if you want to
renew the springs take the car to a Mercedes dealer and have them put
the springs in for you.  I had new front springs installed on my '82
300 TDT last year.  It drives like new now and the tire wear is even
all the way across like when the car was new.  Tires are lasting for
years again.  I can tell because a set of tires I put on last spring
still look like new.  No worn inside or outside edges like before I
replaced the springs.  You can buy the special compressor for about
$600.  Labor to have the Mercedes dealer in Las Vegas do mine was
about $400.  I bought the springs on line and brought them in.  My old
springs had about 385,000 miles on them.  I replaced the rear springs
at about 250,000 miles and I probably should replace them again soon.
The rear springs may be less critical because of the load leveler, but
if the springs get tired you will end up needing to replace the very
expensive components of the load leveler system.

Paul Fretheim