Club 80-90 Forums

I need to replace my front springs, do you need a spring compressor for this job?

Ideally yes but there are other methods using ratchet straps and or a jack.

Just be very very careful. Those compressed springs are like explosives, if doing it again I'd buy some strength rated good compressors. The least favourite job I've ever done!

Thanks for the input, think I might take my bus in to get this done, pretty much do everything on it myself so i can justify this one

Yes I equate the task akin to bomb disposal in terms of Adrenalin. I used to do it but use my aged and infirm card nowadays.
CS

Citizen Smith wrote:Yes I equate the task akin to bomb disposal in terms of Adrenalin. I used to do it but use my aged and infirm card nowadays.
CS

Had a strut held in a vice with spring compressors holding it compressed, one broke, it was like a bomb going off. Scared the ... out of me.

When my garage door spring twanged from a broken cable I came up with a somewhat clever idea to re-install it. Or so I thought!
I tied one end to a heavy drain cover outside my house and parked one wheel of the car on it to stop it being catapulted up the road.
I then tied the other end of the spring to the front tow bar on the van and backed up until the spring was fully extended.
Both ends of the spring were then nut and bolted to a length of angle iron and the tension transferred from the drain cover and van.
This assembly (AKA UXB) was then carried to the garage and hooked up to the garage door cables.
Now came the problem of undoing the bolts securing the spring to the angle iron.
The door had to be closed to access the spring so after fretting over it for a while I fixed a socket to the end of a long tube and released the bolt remotely from back of the garage while hiding behind a bench.

I don't think I would use this method again.
Cheers
CS

And people think global warming will kill us all.
That story just disproved that notion.

My fingers are trying to find somewhere to hide from the horrors.


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You go up or down?

I replaced mine without. It worked well and didn't appear to risky. I replaced old springs for new -50's. I have a thread on here about how I did it, ill try and find it but on my phone.

E D I T; found it but it no longer exists! https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=130961" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Basically, if I recall you can put a jack under the wishbone and slowly lower it. with the damper there it cant go far, but be careful. Once fully released I had to push down with my foot on the wishbone to pull the spring out. The -50 went back in easily.

Hadn't really considered going up or down, it looks like one spring is cracked at the base so I'm looking to replace both. I've seen that there is a heavy duty option so might go for those...