[NüR-SPEC]

i've spent months tracking one down here in arizona to no avail. if anyone has one i'd be extremely appreciative if i could borrow it. if you could send it to me UPS ground, i will send it back after i use it with cash/check for compensation of shipping it to me. and maybe some parts your in need of? if anyone can help PLEASE let me know. thanks guys.

 

[mramay]

I used the $30 hook type coil spring compressor on the first five SECs I lowered. Most auto parts stores have them. This is an INTERNAL hook type compressor, not the external macpherson strut compressors. Slather the compression bolt with grease and you'll be fine - use it to do your car then toss it out.

Autozone has one - part number 27035.

 

[cyberdrakon]

Same here...i got mine from autozone too. I used their free rental option, and the safety pins were pretty messed up, so be careful if you take that route. it's very easy to use, but also very easy to hurt yourself, NEVER put your fingers between the springs, and keep your hands away from the unit whenever you aren't actually using it, DON'T drop it with the spring compressed, and make sure the spring is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS pointed away from you.

 

[Teutone]

I am in the tool business, and springs can be lethal.
I assume you mean a coil, and not a valve spring compressor.
You should be able to buy or rent one at Kragen, Pep Boys etc.
If you want to spend the $ for the correct one, check out Baum Tools, Inc. in Florida.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

okay, i rented the 27035 compressor last week and there was a flaw. i'm assuming you slipped it into the center of the spring from the top in the engine bay, right? well, the bottom of it where the hooks are seems to be too large to fit through the holes. how did you guys get it into the spring? and the fork piece that slides into the top of the spring also seemed to be too large to go all the way into the coil. i'm stumped on that one. but it MUST be possible if you guys have done it with the autozone compressor..

 

[NüR-SPEC]

bumpage!

still trying to figure out what you guys did to make the autozone compressor fit.

 

[mramay]

Put the bottom hooks in several inches up then rotate them to the bottom.

Also, it's easier with the shock disconnected and the suspension lowered. The shock is the travel limiter so don't just disconnect it. Put a jack under it and raise the suspension an inch or so, then disconnect the shock, then lower it. That opens up the coils. Add the spring compressor, take up the slack then jack up the suspension, then take up the slack, etc.

This is MUCH easier with a 1/2" impact gun and a 24" long 1/2" extension to reach into the spring opening to turn the compressor bolt!

 

[HeirKranz]

200$ on ebay for a compressor (plate style) like the really expensive one
I think i'll buy this one in the next 3 months---have 3 cars to lower!!

 

[cyberdrakon]

i used the one where the screw posts go on the outside. more dangerous, but also quicker.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

i used the one where the screw posts go on the outside. more dangerous, but also quicker.

you mean the macpherson strut compressors? i own a set of those, but to even fit the hooks onto the coils, you have to undo the shock, the upper control arm ball joint, and the caliper. seems like it would take much longer. that's what i had to do with my old W123 280CE. my problem with the internal compressor is the hook steel block where with the hooks on it is too large to pass trough the hole. i'd hate to have to grind the hole out bigger, but that seems like the only solution. maybe the holes above the springs on an SEC are larger?

 

[pesho]

I did this bout 2yrs ago with the autozone compressors, If I remember I put one side on the spring and also could not get the last two hooks in the hole so I put a rag on the body and had the hooks use the body as one stop.. not sure of this makes sence. What I do rememeber I screwed up cause I the guid rod was one of the last things i pulled off and it wasa limiting the control arm travel. Hope this helps. Also for the rear unbolt the 4 bolts that hold the dif and the hole subframe pivots thus springs fall right out.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

okay, i just re-rented the autozone tool today. 27035. i've spent 6 hours working on it and have made no progress. utter disappointment... i'm really wondering how in gods name the "tuning fork" looking piece slides into the top of the spring, cause the nubs on it aren't even close to going all the way in. also, it seems the long threaded bolt makes its way down to the very bottom of the spring perch where it meets metal and can go no further. i can only assume you guys did it like this:

unbolt the upper damper mount
break loose lug bolts
jack car off the ground
remove wheel
place a second jack under the lower control arm
unbolt brake caliper and all sensors
hang caliper from sway bar
unbolt upper control arm ball joint
slowly lower secondary jack

and maybe this could possibly provide a large enough gap between the coils to fit the tuning fork piece into the spring. i don't have air tools, so i can't break the damn caliper bolts to begin with, and on top of that i'm not to excited about undoing the upper ball joint. but if in fact this is what you guys have done, let me know. i've also tried using my macpherson spring compressor but i couldn't fit it onto enough coils to compress it enough for removal. i could only manage to compress 5 coils and that obviously wasn't enough.

i'm still very interested if someone has a disc type compressor i could rent from them. any help is appreciated.

 

[AzimuthAviation]

okay, i just re-rented the autozone tool today. 27035. i've spent 6 hours working on it and have made no progress. utter disappointment... i'm really wondering how in gods name the "tuning fork" looking piece slides into the top of the spring, cause the nubs on it aren't even close to going all the way in. also, it seems the long threaded bolt makes its way down to the very bottom of the spring perch where it meets metal and can go no further. i can only assume you guys did it like this:

unbolt the upper damper mount
break loose lug bolts
jack car off the ground
remove wheel
place a second jack under the lower control arm
unbolt brake caliper and all sensors
hang caliper from sway bar
unbolt upper control arm ball joint
slowly lower secondary jack

and maybe this could possibly provide a large enough gap between the coils to fit the tuning fork piece into the spring. i don't have air tools, so i can't break the damn caliper bolts to begin with, and on top of that i'm not to excited about undoing the upper ball joint. but if in fact this is what you guys have done, let me know. i've also tried using my macpherson spring compressor but i couldn't fit it onto enough coils to compress it enough for removal. i could only manage to compress 5 coils and that obviously wasn't enough.

i'm still very interested if someone has a disc type compressor i could rent from them. any help is appreciated.

I used and bought an inside coil spring compressor from Kragen's when I did my guide rod joints. IIRC, loosen the tire, undo the top of the shock, jack the car, remove tire, remove shock, insert fingers of spring compressor. I didn't have any problems getting the stock spring out and reinstalled.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

was it the kind with the long threaded bolt with the hooks on the bottom and the fork piece to slide into the top of the spring?

 

[mramay]

was it the kind with the long threaded bolt with the hooks on the bottom and the fork piece to slide into the top of the spring?

that's the Snap-on type that I use now. Works fine.

FYI, I do not lower the assembled hook compressor into the hole. Take the lower set of hooks (threaded part) and toss it into the hole. I use a pair of 12" hemostats to help set the hooks on the coil spring and rotate it into place as low as possible. Lower in the upper hook set and set it in place, rotate it up as high as possible, THEN lower the threaded rod through the upper hooks and thread it into the lower hooks. Tighten.

My Snap-on compressor was done the same way until I ground off the edges of the lower hook block so it would fit through the hole in the top.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

upper hooks? hmmm.. that may be what my problem is.. i have lower hooks that i managed to fit through the hole, but i have a two prong 'fork' to slide into the spring on top. the long bolt has thick washers that sit atop this fork piece to hold the tension. i HAVE to figure this out without taking the calipers off and lowering the control arm.. i shattered my 3/8 rachet trying to get the calipers bolts off.. i guess i'll just have another go with it tomorrow and take pics to explain where the problem is in getting the fork in between the upper coils... cause as of now i'm very dissapointed. i've never had this much of a problem with suspension work.

 

[pesho]

Is this the tool you are using see attached.
as mramay mentioned.. It makes perfect sence I should have thought of this. unthread the two hooks from the rod (car has to be jacked up with out wheel so that you can position the hooks on speing) then just rethread the rod through the hooks. I assume you would be able to compress enough with guid rod & upper control arm still on. When I was doing this I was changing all the bushings and had everything off making the lower control arm trave as much as you want.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

i finally got tenacious enough to figure something out. i used the macpherson type spring compressor and there's literally one specific way to use it, so if anyone needs specific directions on how to do this, let me know now while it's still fresh in my memory. i know someone was asking for help with this... also, my car sits perfectly! looks and handles great. i just need to do the rear, so i assume the best way would be to-

remove rear seat
unbolt upper shock mount
lift rear of car from the side
remove wheel
place jack under diff
unbolt the 4 bolts holding diff mount to chassis
lower jack to let the diff come down
compress shock by hand
slip spring out of housing

anything i'm missing? please let me know.

 

[mramay]

put the spring compressor inside the spring, compress it and take it out. Never heard of dropping the differential, which isn't connected to the rear suspension.

To repeat, do NOT use a macpherson strut (outside) spring compressor as they can slip and release enough spring tension to kill.

Get a spring compress like Pesho's picture shows, one with hooks that work from inside the spring and compress it.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

oh but my middle name is danger

hahaha.. isn't the damper in the middle of the spring? from what pesho said in a previous post ("Also for the rear unbolt the 4 bolts that hold the dif and the hole subframe pivots thus springs fall right out.") the springs just fall out after dropping the diff. is this wrong? if thats true, i'd definately preffer to not dick with a spring compressor if i don't have to. doing the front coils took me about 8 hours and was some seriously physical work. (no impact tools)