Say NO to coil spring compressors!!!!

[KendallF]

Damn Louie! Hope you're OK and it wasn't your middle finger. Guy who works with us broke his middle finger. They put it in a splint; he walked around with a permanent "bird" for months!

I have done the job a couple of times using a jack (or two). While doing Dan Boden's car recently we only had a small jack and didn't feel very safe while trying to jack the control arm into place. Dan got a spring compressor and finished the job. Guess maybe the jack method wasn't such a bad idea upon reflection.

Hope you recover quickly..judging from your typing and grammar above, the medicine is working.

 

[8UWITH6]

Thats scary Louie. Glad to hear your okay. Its kinda odd I read this today.......I was just over at a buddys house all day pulling the engine and trans, power steering rack, front suspension, and K-member in his 89 Texas Highway Patrol Mustang Coupe. We tried using spring compressors after the new K-member was in, but it didnt work. So, we had to use pry bars, hammers, and our feet to get the coils in. Lets just say it wasnt fun. We were lucky enough to take extra precautions when wrestling with the springs. We had one pop a few times, but luckily there were enough pry bars in and on the springs, that we were able to harness the spring. Its still fricken scary when those things pop though. Makes me really think about what we were doing today..............again, glad to hear your okay, keep us updated on how your doing bud!!

PS-did front end rebuilt on my Ttype a few months back, and I dont care to ever wrestle a Buick front coil again if I can help it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Louie L.]

"when you smash your finger into dont ull it aparts just so you can see inside of it"

LOL i just noticed that!!!!!!!!!

Kendall,
Next time ill call ya so u can just muscle these in for me. U can bench press the a arms while i put the stuff back together....

Neil,
BTDT...Mustang springs sux, played lots with those in the past and to me, are way harder to do than buick ones.

 

[UNGN]

Yikes, I hate spring compressors with a passion. That is why I use the following procedure to install springs:

1) remove the lower control arm bolts and control arms completely from the frame
2) install shock absorber into frame and loosely tighen the top nut
3) slip the uncompressed spring over the shock
4) attach the shock to the lower control arm (now the spring can't go anywhere)
5) Attach A-arm at ball joints
6) put a floor jack under the A-arm and jack up.
7) install A-arm frame bolts using a large screwdriver to line up
8) tighten everything (You may need to remove forward jackstands to get enough weight on the A-arm to tighten the ball joints.

Your hands stay clear of the spring and the shock will keep the spring from flying

 

[SuperSix]

Is this the type you used?
http://www.autopart.com/tools/pictures/75dpi/CDefault-190.jpg

I'm always scared of these things while swapping springs, this is the type I have used before:
http://www.hswtools.com/products/ATD-7549.gif

Not sure if they would clear, but these look a little safer..
http://www.handsontools.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_5/25658_28650.gif

Hope you get better soon!

 

[Louie L.]

http://www.hswtools.com/products/ATD-7549.gif


These are the kind i used.The ones in the bottom wont work.

 

[SuperSix]

Originally posted by Louie L.
http://www.autopart.com/tools/pictures/75dpi/CDefault-190.jpg

These are the kind i used.The ones in the bottom wont work.

/me makes note to NOT use that type.

 

[BM Computer Src]

Sorry to hear that, Louie! Hope you get better soon!!

Bob

 

[Race Jace]

Sorry to hear that Louie, Hope that was not your doughnut dipping finger. J.K.

seriously, I really never considered the dangers of working with spring compressors like that. Glad you spoke up so some of us won't be learning that lesson again.

Hope you get better soon.

 

[Donald McMullin]

I understand everyones concern about using spring compressors. I am using the DSW Tool as shown by SuperSix. However, it does have its problems when trying to use both spring attachment ends. I did not like compressing the spring off the car then transferring the spring to the car.

I have ended up using only one of the spring attachements. I run the bolt, with a heavy plate washer through the shock openning in the lower A-arm and compress the spring on the arm. I have a jack under the arm which I use to take up the clearance as I compress the spring.

However, even with my revised way of compressing the spring I still have some concern. I like UNGN's approach, however in some cases when the spring is longer than the G-body shock length, you might have to sub a longer shock for the installation.

This is the type of subject which makes this MB so valuable.

Deep Enough
Donald McMullin

 

[kamarossrs]

man thats no fun, glad your ok, i had a similar thing happen a few weeks ago while installing the moroso drag springs up front, i was using the free rental tool from autozone. (the kind that goes inside the spring ) i had it all compressed and was puting it into position when it just let go, popped right off, LUCKILY it just popped right into the seat on the control arm and i just jacked it the rest of the way up,,,i was a little feeaked out by it and was a little more cautious on the other side, BUT the same thing happened. again it caught on the control arm seat and i just jacked it into place. i have done front springs many many times both drag springs and stockers, i have never had any problems with it. i didnt do anything differently this time so i can only belive the tool was at fault, maybe it was tweaked just a little and that caused it to slip of so easily...it was a new one and i was the first to use it....i belive the brand was OEM...very cheap POS. next time i have to do springs im gonna get a snap on one or some other good quality tool. i didnt realize just how lucky i was to not get hurt.....i hope you make a quick recovery!!!

 

[terryk]

Well, I pulled my springs and control arms today. I used a KM compressor and compressed only the three inner coils a bith. I popped the ball joints loose using the expanding bolt and left the nuts on about five turns. I then removed the lower control arm bolts and lowered the control arm using a jack.

The spring came loose and was easy to remove. On the second spring, I set it on the ground and the compressor promptly came off and scared the sh!t out of me. All it really did was go "tink", the spring jumped a bit and that was about it, but I was thinking about this thread and really jumpy. I hadn't compressed the spring all that much though. I did a quick check of my shorts and moved on.

In hindsight, I'm not sure the F41 springs need to be compressed very much if at all to remove them if you take them out like the manual shows.

Now to reassembly with the Eibachs.

One final note on the 17 year old ball joints and lower bushings. Both were floppy and one cracked at the bottom. What indicators? They still showed good but one was ready to separate. The smaller bushings had fissures the size of the San Andreas Fault. Might explain so of the characteristics in the corners........Oh how I love life-on-the-razor's edge....

TK

 

[turboculosis]

Glad to see you're ok.

Take Care-
Alan

 

[Red Regal T]

I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE ABOVE PICTURED SPRING COMPRESSOR WAS THE TYPE THAT WAS USED. THIS TYPE IS ACTUALLY FOR STRUTS........REALLY NOT UP TO THE TASK OF COMPRESSING OUR SPRINGS. I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE BUT THE TYPE I USE HAS A THREADED ROD THAT GOES UP THE MIDDLE OF THE SPRING WITH TWO 3/8" THICK HARDENED STEEL CURVED FINGERS ON EACH END TO HOLD THE SPRING. TURNING THE THEADED ROD SHORTENS IT AND PULLS THE FINGERS ON EACH END TOWARDS EACH OTHER THUS COMPRESSING THE SPRING. I'VE USED THE TYPE PICTURED ON STRUTS AND THEY DON'T EVEN WORK GOOD FOR THEM. I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE WHO HAS THE PICTURED STYLE OF SPRING COMPRESSOR, NOT TO USE IT ON OUR CARS. :fear:

I JUST NOTICED ON SUPER SIX'S POST. MIDDLE PHOTO IS THE TYPE TO USE. OTHER STYLES ARE FOR FRONT DRIVE CAR STRUTS.

 

[Louie L.]

John ,
i messed up the link....u know the pills made me do it.... I used the exact unit u just described.

http://www.hswtools.com/products/ATD-7549.gif

As u stated the one with the outside loops are for strut front ends.

 

[ijames]

A few months ago I stopped in to visit a mechanic friend at his shop, and saw a little pile of slag on the floor. He told me that it was what was left of a SnapOn spring compressor . He's done more spring installs than I have oil changes, and still had the compressor slip this time. He usually uses the two jack method and no compressor but this spring was a little too long and he had to compress it into place. Didn't get him but the spring just missed him as it went flying. His brother said that he heard a loud crash and clanging, then he watched him go pick up the compressor, light the acetylene torch, and turn the whole thing into a little pile of slag. Funniest part was when he tried to give the remains to the SnapOn tool guy for a warranty replacement . Didn't get it, sigh .