[petek]

Hey you're 90% there already! Did you disconnect the drag strut (or what ever that thing is called). It connects to the lower A arm and to then back to the chassis. That thing can hold the lower A arm in a high enough position that the A arm won't drop all of the way.

When I pulled out my (too long) springs I ended up in about the same shape that you're in right now... jack all the way down and still the A arm wasn't low enough to release all of the tension on the spring.

Make sure the spring is tied down with a chain or tubular nylon strap and then push down on the lower A arm with your foot while either prying or just pulling on the spring (I pried the bottom of the spring with a BF screwdriver). (Oh, make sure the chassis is on a set of jack stands as you aren't even using the floor jack at this point).

Once you've cut a coil off of the spring you'll find that the spring goes in MUCH easier!

Been there, done that, know EXACTLY how you're feeling!