Is it dangerous to....

I am taking the front end of my 57 suspension apart(finally) and have a question. I got one side of the springs compressed with a spring compressor and off with no problem, but the other side is whooping my tail. Now for the is it dangerous part: rather than using a spring compressor how about placing a jack under hte lower a arm/spindle bolt and putting another jack under the front of the car then taking the upper ball joint loose. Then using the jack under the front of the car raise the veichle until it is high enough and the spring is no longer compressed. It should just fall out without any major boing or anything, right? The spring will not shoot out because of the pressure from the jack under the arm/spindle nut, right? Am I crazy/stupid, will this work, should I just get a buddy to come over and help me with the coil spring compressor(which I am about to throw thru a brick wall due to frustration). Help.
Shane T.

 

Chain the spring to the frame so it' won't fly off the handle!!

I woudn't take the upper ball joint loose though....

 

I did my 53 Chevy that way, just go slow and you should be ok. I put them back in that way too.

 

I'm puttting coil overs back on the front so the re-install should be pretty easy.

 

That's exactly how I remove every sing set of springs I do. however, I have been doing this since before I had pubic hair. I would reccomend a couple of things.

#1- be in a position to MOVE. Don't eeven think about getting in the wheelwell with the spring-not because the spring is gonna jump out and bite You, but because sometimes, once the ball joint is loose, the entire car will lift up a couple of inches, possibly knocking it off BOTH jacks.

#2-Gloves are Your friend. in the event You get bound up, they double as an easy way to find any missing digits. (You only think I'm kidding.)

#3-don't position Yourself directly in front of the wheelwell, either. if the spring manages to "squirt" out of somewhere, it typically doesn't go very far...but every once in a while, they get to movin' pretty damn good. You don't want to be in the way of 20+ pounds of steel in the unlikely event that happens. Unless Your gal digs on facial scars, in which case, ditch the chick and stay out of the way of the unhappy Iron.

 

I've had a front spring off a late 80's wagon come shooting out by me when the compressor broke, it's a sound I don't think I will ever forget.

If you are not going to reuse the spring, why dont you cut it in half with a torch then remove it in two pieces?

Tad

 

I have done a LOT of old cars that way. Just make sure you no one or anything is off to the side by the spring and let the jack down slow. Never had one fly out. I put them back in the same way.

 

Nor do you want anything you care about being in the path either. Car, toolbox, etc. Have a clear path....

 

The car is about 3 foot from a brick wall, nothing else in the way.

 

Just hope if it flys into the wall it doesn't bounce back... really just go slow and you should be ok. I usually end up having to do it to a chassis with no engine, without the weight of the engine it's a real P.I.T.A.

 

Motors. still in so it should be plenty heavy to keep the spring from jumpimg up.

 

What is this "spring compressor" item you speak of??? LOL!

Never used one, a jack is fine, just be carefull. Knock the spindle loose with the spring tension on it BEFORE you take the nut completely off though. That is the scary part if you forget to do that first.
Tell us how it goes!

 

remember who the one ASKING the questions is here! coil springs can have many hundred pounds of preload as installed. and the bigger and heavier the car, the more likely it is to have a greater preload on the springs. like lux blue said, the car will move. be prepared for it.

i'm very safety conscious, that is why i always remove those dangerous coil springs and cut off a few coils to reduce the preload. wouldn't want a spring flying out for no reason and injuring someone. this does however have the downside of all of my cars riding dangerously close to the ground.

 

I usually put the car on stands and then replace the castle nuts with regular nuts, back them off 1/4" and then knock the ball joints loose with a brass hammer. I then put a jack below the lower ball joint, put a load on it and remove the ball joint nuts and slowly let the jack down. Most of the time the spring stays in place, but using a chain or a rope isn't a bad idea.

Dave

 

I'm a pussy. I don't like getting hurt. I won't ever take a coil spring out without a compressor.
What is the problem you're having? Why were you able to get one out, but can't get the second one out? Something there isn't making sense. If you could do one, you should be able to do the other.
One thing I've found with coil spring compressors is the threaded rod often hits the top of the spring pocket and bottoms out. As you're tightening up the compressor, you run out of travel.
What I do is put a piece of hardware-store black pipe (a pipe nipple, cut-off piece, whatever) between the nut and the lower fingers of the coil spring compressor. This takes up he excess at the end of the compressor rod's travel. I have to do this with Tri-5 Chevy's, first-gen Camaros, second-gen Novas, and Dodge Dakotas.

-Brad

 

Retain the spring with a chain or rope somehow. A young man that works for me came in one Monday morning with and x-ray of his nose. Big ol fracture. Guess what hit him!!!

 

I do it opposite of how you asked in your first post. I set the front end up on jackstands high enough to let the lower control arm down fully and also for a floor jack. Than put a floor jack under the spring pocket, break the ball joints loose than slowly let the arm down. Once the arm is down all the way, it shouldn't hardly have any force on it than put a prybar in the shock hole to help it out. I install the spring in the arm also with a prybar in the shock hole to get it started. I've rarely ever had to use a spring compressor .

Than jack up the lower arm, if the car lifts off the jackstands before the upper nut can be put on, take another floor jack and jack up the opposite rear corner your trying to put together. That will put enough pressure to compress the front spring furthur.

 

I unbolt the top of the shock last from under the hood,no part of me is near the wheel well.Then lower my jack!

 

I've done it a half dozen times on several of my 57 chevys this way. Never had any kind of trouble.
Do you have a pic of your 57? Is it a chevy?

 

The potential energy (just waiting to become kinetic energy) stored in a spring is frightening. It will hurt you before you know it has happened. Use a chain and ALL the good advice you have been given here. Be careful.

 

This great advise! Be Safe not Sorry!!!!

 

It's only dangerous until someone stops laughing.

 

Yeah it's a Chevy. 2 Door Sedan. I'll try and get some pics soon.
Shane T.

 

On the Mustang II front suspension I remove the shock and slide a solid metal rod through the top shock mount hole, the coil spring and the lower control arm. Hopefully this traps the spring and limits its ability to spring too far.

Never had a problem.

I bought a coil spring compressor but it is a pain to use. It never seems like it fits right.

 

Better wear a helmet....full face.

 

I saw a guy get killed in a Pick Your Part yard by a spring. It caved in his head.

A guy I was working with was changing a front strut in the wall mounted strut spring compressor. He did not have some thing right, and the top plate shot out and got him right in the forehead.

He went flying and was Ko'd. He survived but alot of stitches and a few weeks off work...

I always undo the shock nut on the top last. With a jack, it should be OK, but always be really careful.

 

You guys are funny. Why not just remove the shock. Get a good long piece of quality threaded rod. Cut two pieces of plate and drill them for the rod. Pass the rod down through where the shock lives and put a plate top and bottom. Screw on a nut top and bottom and start cranking. You might want to grease the threads to make it easier. The spring isn't going anywhere because the threaded rod says so. Once the spring is compressed, undo the lower ball joint and slowly undo the nut you just did up. Just make sure the rod is long enough that you don't run out of thread before the spring is fully relaxed. Reverse for reinstallation. No Danger Park Ranger.

Pete

 

They already have those--they're called "spring compressors." I still don't understand why one isn't being used on the other side?

-Brad

 

I didnt read every post but what always worked for me on GMs is pulling the shock and sliding in a 3 ft x 1/2 inch extension in its place so the spring cant shoot out. also works on the install.
Gasshole

 

Yes. My question also. I've also done this many times. Using a spring compressor on a TriFive is "textbook". It should compress the spring on "both" sides equally. Jack stands under the frame rails, Chain the a-arms, pop the tie rod, and lower the floorjack slowly. In that order. Done. B