Ahh!!! My new coil spring just tried to KILL me!!

[chillware]

Let me start of by saying spring compressors SUCK!!!

Talk about almost having a heart attack!! I was compressing the coil spring on my bench and BOOOM the whole thing came flying apart with sparks flying and all. The coil spring flew half way across my bench and the compressor out the other end w/ my impact wrench. I just about crapped myself, LOL! Luckily I didn't get hurt, only a minor nick on my pinky finger.

So now that I just burned up one of my 9 lives, let me ask, what is a good way to install my new drop springs in to my (almost) rolling chassis that has no weight on it?

I recently got a set of new 2" drop coils from ECE, and they are big block springs so they are even more stiff. I went out and rented two different spring compressor tools, one from Kragen and one from Autozone.

Just from looking at them I could tell neither one of the would work. They are the internal hook type but the screw rod seems waaay too long, the rod would be clearly sticking far out the top of the spring when its compressed and wouldn't be able to seat in the upper bucket. And the hooks don't fit well around the coils, hence why it blew up on me..

Do they make these things with shorter screw rods? Also it impossible to fit the hooks in between the coils to get them out once the spring would be installed, nor do they fit through the hole in the lower control arm either. ugh! (It's a tubular lower arm from Performance Online)

I'm at a loss on how to compress these damn springs and get them installed...

Help?!?!

Thanks!!