Spring compressor tool

[marios]

I am breaking down the front axle/subframe to prepare it for painting. I need to compress the spring to remove the arms but have not been able to find the right tool for it.

I tried two different kinds and they are too big. To save time, which is the right tool for the job? Where do I buy it ?
Thank you
Mario

[Eminent]

I found these at marktplaats.nl (kind of Ebay).
They worked well for me. Maybe you'll find them around the net.
Succes with that!

[georgem]

Another option is to get a long length of threaded rod - 750mm? long and thread it from the top down through the sub frame mount (thred on the rod is the same as the sub frame mount bolt)- it will eventually come out the bottom of the lower wish bone arm. Keep going until you have at elast 200mm protruding. Feed on a plate and a nut - tension the nut and you can then undo the lower wish bone and unscrew the spring.

The rod was cheap and worked for me. I bought it at a bolt supplier.

Cheers

George

[marios]

I found these at marktplaats.nl (kind of Ebay).
They worked well for me. Maybe you'll find them around the net.
Succes with that!

Do these fit inside the spring?
The problem I found so far is that the tools i found so far dont fit inside the spring.

[GGR]

If the front axle is still in the car use the weight of the car: Jackit up, put another jack under the lower control arm, undo the bolts and lower the jack.

If the front axle is out of the car then the threaded rod as described above is cheap and works very well.

[Eminent]

Indeed, this compressor fits in the spring.
What the others members wrote is also possible. I tried with jacking the lower control arm.
Taking the spring out was not such a problem. Putting back in it was.
You need a lot of force to compress it, and i like  to work safe also.
You will find similair compressors at ebay, see http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Internal-Coil-Spring-Compressor-Automotive-Suspension-Hand-Tool-HD-Mechanic-/270969252476?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item3f1706aa7c&vxp=mtr#ht_2641wt_1161 for example.

[jameshoward]

I've done this job several times with and without compressors. There's quite a lot of info on this site and it's worth a search. Joe Alexander ja17 has, I think, offered sage advice on this subject. I think that the blacklick video on the home page (or used to be on the home page) covers this in part.

I would suggest that you forego the compressors as they are lots of hassle. It's far easier perhaps to put the front on stands and then use a jack to compress each side, unbolt the shock and under control lower the spring to remove. Putting it back is harder and the use of a threaded bolt (studding) makes life easier. Two jacks would be useful for reinsertion.

[marios]

I can't really jack anything up as I have removed the axle from the car. I guess that the threaded rod is the way to go based on what you guys have said.

I hope this thing doesn't rip my head off!

[tel76]

On the lower wishbone the inboard mounting point is via four bolts, two on the front and two on the rear.
Remove one bolt on the front and one bollt on the rear,obtain some threaded bar and nuts the same diameter ( about 12 inches long each piece).
Put the threaded bar into each hole and place a nut either side.
Remove the other two bolts,
Gradually undo each of the threaded bar nuts and you will be able to progrssively release the spring pressure.
You will get to a point where all the pressure is of the spring and it can be withdrawn.
Use the same proceedure on reassembly.
Eric.

[DavidBrough]

Here's a pic of when I did mine of it helps.