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Posted

Whilst stood in the garage last night with a fresh brew I was pondering how i remove the springs from my front shocks.

 

My spring compressors are too thick to go between the coils and when removed, at full extension, the retaining collars have the springs tightly up against them preventing the collars from being slipped off and the springs slipped off the end of the damper.

 

How on earth to i get the springs off? I'm certainly i've missed something obvious.

 

Cheers, Pikelet 😬

Posted

Not easily.

 

Machine mart do some thinner spring compressors but they are still not great.

 

Caterham apparently use two peole and two big pipe spanners.

 

Before you consider getting them off consider how you will get them back on as without ASPs it is veeery challenging.

 

It is possible to tie them under compression before you jack the car but you'd need to be sure whatever wire you used could hold the force, if the wire broke with the spring under load it could cause a serious injury.

 

 

 

R287 Mobile Jaffa Cake- It's black at both ends with a smashing orangey bit in the middle here

Posted

Cheers all, I'll engineer some sort of solution. I thought that might be the case; people just improvise.

 

I'll give it some thought this weekend and if i lose some fingers or maybe one of my eyes, i'll cite Blatchat during the hearing with Claims Direct.

 

Pikelet

Posted

I made up two hooked flat bars to engage in the spring coils either side holding them in place with large hose clips whilst the springs were under compression, then removed the damper/spring unit and top hat and carefully removed the clamp bars.

 

When I rebuilt the damper assy I used adjustable seats and with help compressed the spring by hand with the seats at the lowest position to insert the top hat.

 

John

 

 

Posted

This is what I do.......

 

Take damper and put in 10 tonne press.

Compress damper/spring a fair bit but not all the way.

Put 2 or 3 huuuuuuge cable ties on the spring.

Release press.

 

Spring now loose and job's a goodun *thumbup*

 

Refit by putting together, compressing damper again, cut cable ties, release press.

 

Posted

This job is quite easy..

take two ratchet straps (the sort of thing you would use to lash a load to a trailer) and pass the free ends down inside the spring, loop back up and insert into the ratchet machanism. Align these opposite each other either side of the damper and ratchet away equally on each strap until the spring lifts off the seat.

If you are going to leave the spring compressed for re-fitting, then Adam's idea of the huge cable ties seems a very good one.

 

This technique has worked for me a number of times.

  • Area Representative
Posted

I have the equipment for taking off springs.

If you take the shockers off and bring them to me I'll do it whilst you wait.

 

Paul Richards

Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens)

www.lads7.co.uk - now updated

Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional

Posted

Cheers everyone and thanks for the very kind offer Paul... i may take it up

 

Seems I was certainly thinking along the right lines. I'll make a start this weekend and see how i get on.

 

The plan is to get the rust off them and give them a lick of paint, so they must be compressed and subsequently released. Hopefully they wont burst through the ratchet straps and boing accross the garage. 😳

 

Pikelet 😬

 

 

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