Coil Spring Compressors

[Joe67]

OK - this may be a dumb question for most, but this is the first time I've done front coil springs on these trucks.

I am rebulding the front end on a rolling frame, no engine/body.

I'm battling with the installation of my front coil springs (ECE 1" drop springs).

I have had 3 types of compressors at my house (see below). It seems the inner diameter is just too small for the conventional, the strut compressors (2 pioeces) won't clear the control arms obviously.

I'm looking at the last one as it seems that would work best for my application.



I also have one by Snap-On that has the top jaws like that one, but a metal cupped plate that goes on the bottom. the top jaws will not come out the lower control arm opening.

This one looks like it may work, I'll drop by a buddies shop today to see if he has one.



Help

[chevytruckfan]

Find as much weight as you can to put on the front of the frame (Concrete blocks, sandbags, or a handfull of friends sitting on it). Then use a hydraulic jack under the lower A arm to compress the spring in place. If you use the last option it might cost you some pizza and beer unless they owe you one.

[griswold510]

yeh chevy thats how i did mine in my 76. and they fit hd springs in a 1/2 ton no problem.

[N2TRUX]

Have you considered going from the other direction? Bolt you A-arms in place at the ball joint, then put a floor jack under the A-arm. Unbolt the u-bolts that holds the cross shaft of the lower A-arm and lower it. Put the spring in the pocket and jack the A-arm back up....

[1972C10]

Me and a friend of mine had a hard time compressoing a spring on an 83 FByrd We strung a chain around the jack and hooked it to the car Sounds Redneck and crude but worked.

[Tx Firefighter]

The chain is a good way, or I have an even more redneck way.....

I take a tractor front end loader and set the bucket down real easy on top of the frame. No way that jack and coil spring will lift a tractor off the ground.

[1971 Cheyenne]

we compressed mine, it was a rolling chassis, so I had to find weight. Didn't have hundreds of bags of lead shot like Stacey David does, so we pulled one of our Duece and a halfs down there, put the front of my frame under the bumper of the truck, put some towels/2x4's under there to distribute the pressure, and voila, my frame wouldn't move up! Then I could just jack on the a-arms to my hearts desire.

[LONGHAIR]

We had some "floor pockets" that where remnants of a frame rack, in the floor of a place I used to work for.........the were great for this kind of thing too.
I had a few tie down loops in the floor of my garage of my old house that were used to chain my motorcyles to the floor. These would work for this too.
A friend of mine had a concrete saw. We cut some large squares in the floor and tapered them to be wider at the bottom. I then inserted a little plastic pipe rig that I made and secured them with some re-bar. The bars are just straight pieces that are longer than the cut hole and inserted under the original slab. Use a large enough pipe to be able to reach into it to grab the chain or anything else that may fall in. This is also big enough for a shopvac hose. You can cap them when not in use too.
After refilling the holes with concrete, there is a perfet tie-down that doesn't stick up to trip you.
I used 4" PVC but you could use anything you have. Here are a few drawings of the way mine was.

[Sublvr72]

its best (safer) to use the spring compressor when doing coils but there is a way to do it with out...

[Joe67]

I located another type of compressor that should do the trick. Thanks for the tips (again)

[1972C10]

We acutally has to pick the A frame up a little with a cherry picker to finish the spring intsall. I think camaro springs are hard to put in anyway motor or not.

[Joe67]

Success

This is what ended up working for me, something very similar to this. My buddy is a Ford tuner here in town and had just what I needed . Funny how the simplest of things can get to your during a project like this.

Even though I've asked this similar question more then once to members here, thanks for the advice