I cant believe i got my upper hooks on my front coil spring compressor stuck. I cant get the threaded rod back into it to remove the spring and i tried beating on it with a screwdriver for 1-1/2 hours with no luck.
Any suggestions before i purchase another coil spring compressor so that i can remove the other unit from the spring?

thanks

 

Support the frame on the corner you're working on.

Put a jack under the lower A frame and put some pressure on it. Loop a safety chain from the spring to the A frame.

Take the lower ball joint loose and then let the jack down. Your stuff will fall right out the bottom with a little help from a pry bar. The spring won't have much pressure on it but tie the chain just to be safe.

 

I don't know how your spring compressor is made but maybe you can wiggle it out if you rotate the spring. Just open the jaws on a pipe wrench far enough to go around a coil and then work the coil back and forth and see if the compressor loosens.

 

Some auto stores like Auto Zone loan out spring compressors as an option.

Someone else had this happen a few months ago and someone came up with a pretty simple solution. Darn if I can remember the details but I think it involved making another compressor with a flat plate to insert through the spring, a threaded rod through a hole in the plate and down through the lower A-arm and a plate on the bottom of the arm. Tighten up the all-thread to compress the lower part of the spring and decompress the upper part until it releases the hooks. You might do an forum search and see if the thread comes up.

Dan

 

Might work but one word of caution. Any nicks you put in the spring coil might form a stress riser at which the spring will crack. It's amazing how many uses Vice-Grips and Pipe Wrenches have.

 

[QUOTE=MikeM;1570742421]Support the frame on the corner you're working on.

Put a jack under the lower A frame and put some pressure on it. Loop a safety chain from the spring to the A frame.

Unfortunately that will not work since its just the chassis without an engine. There is zero weight up front. These springs were the toughest set i have ever had to compress and they were the original units out of the chassis. I guess the car really did only have 17,250 miles.
thanks for the tip on autozone. I forgot that they loaned out the tools. I will go pester them tomorrow. I really dont see any other option. Sucks-it was an absolute pain to get this spring in. I had to resort to tie straps as well to get the top ball joint threads into position.

Everything was starting to look so good-damn!

 

I use a threaded rod with a plate washer at the top and bottom. You can compress the whole unit and remove the part

 

That sounds good-do you have any pictures?
Thanks

 

No just buy a 3' 1/2" diameter threaded rods and nuts with large washers. Slide the rod through the upper shock mount hole all the way throught the shock mount opening in the lower a arm. Place a large washer on both ( tape them so they don't leave a mark). Then intall a double nut at the bottom and one at the top and crank it down till you can get the compressor out

 

Do a search for the Maryland style spring compressor.......


Here you go pics are gone description is still there

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/fact...ompressor.html

 

Check Tom Parsons threads on the coil spring compressor he made up works great........

 

Here is a picture of my home made compressor, maybe it will help, has worked well for me for years.

[IMG]



5/8 threaded rod, bar across bottom of a frame so it can swing freely and nuts and washers.

Jeff

 

Thats how I always did it. Only thing is I always mount the frame upside down on my dolly.

 

Thanks for the pictures. I am headed top lowes in about 5

 

Failure. I got the spring back out, but unfortunately the homemade spring compressor will not work with the standard suspension big block springs. They are just too long. I tried, but there i cant find a way to get the spring to fit in the hat and the seat correctly and manage to get the threaded rod through the center. I guess i am back to square 1.

 

What I have had to do many times is unbolt the cross shaft and let the a frame and spring float while you tighten up the all thread. Notice I use a thick 1 inch piece of steel under the a frame pocket positioned cross ways so when you get the spring compressed and the a frame close to position, you can rock the a frame up to the chassis and bolt the cross shaft into place.

Good luck
Jeff

 

You can also run the chain in under your floor jack. Putting the chain under the jack increases the compression or acts opposite somehow to allow more squeeze. I had to do it that way on a SB with the engine out.

 

This same thing happen to me last winter. I assume you are talking about the compressor finger arms that are pinched between the coil up in the coil spring frame pocket ? search using coil spring compressor in the search this forum box. with a little effort and the right set up it will fall right out.

 

Here's a pic of the so called "Maryland" spring compressor. This one has been handed around my Corvette Club for decades.

Chuck

 

If your back at the start with your springs out then consider ths. I have what are basically standard rate springs in my BB and I use a internal spring compressor by dissassembling it and removing the set of hooks on the sliding block. I insert the threaded rod through the upper shock hole and install several lubricated heavy washers and nut on top. Slide the spring up into the upper seat and set the hooks down somewhere about 2/3 or 3/4 of the spring length. If hooked down too far then you may end up with the hooks trapped in the lower A-arm pocket when through. Then tighten the compressor and compress the spring until you can seat the spring in the lower A-arm pocket and swing the arm up to secure the lower ball joint. If I remember correctly the springs tend to want to curve out slightly to the outside if the hooks are placed front and rear on the spring. I believe I positioned them on the L & R sides, positioning the outer hook lower than the interior hook.

I guess an option would be to have the lower control arm fastened to the spindle and swing it up and secure it to the frame. I haven't tried this way becase the springs are so long that even with 2/3 of it compressed I still have to use a floor jack to get the arm up to secure to the spindle. It's seems easier in my mind to guide the spindle to the arm than an entire lower A-arm to the frame with a jack under it.

Good luck.

Dan