Steve-B Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I have a set of Draper spring compressors and try as I may, you just can't get them onto the Bilstein adjustable dampers properly to remove from my SV. Curious as to what others are using, and where sourced from. DT, Halfrauds, etc don't seem to have anything better, but there has to be a place to get them from and I've just not found them. Anyone tried these from ScrewFix 🤔 Would love to find some -- soon as car has been off road too long now ☹️ Edited by - Steve-B on 11 Jun 2012 10:39:45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Steve, sorry if I'm misunderstanding this, but it sounds like you're trying to compress the spring on the car. You have taken the whole unit off the car, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 When SM25T helped me fit the spring platforms, we used a combination of body weight, ratchet straps and hose reel bits. It was a bit Heath Robinson, but it worked 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Hayward Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I used a set of Sealey ‘Motorcycle coil spring compressors’ (model VS1824) when doing this recently, link here You can get them off EBay for under £35. They have small hooks with plastic spring protectors and fit well with out scratching the damper body. Although I had to make a wooden frame to stop them from slipping around the spring under tension when removing the rears. Ian Edited by - Ian Hayward on 11 Jun 2012 11:11:41 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Of you try to remove a rear shock and haven't compressed the shock that's OK, but when you try to put it back on and the spring isn't compressed there's merry h3ll to the attempt. I was trying to compress before removal, so it will make the replacements more simple. Am I going about this in the completely wrong way? This is how I've done cars back to my 1966 Spitfire years ago; compress, remove, place shock, install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Steve, not sure if I'm misunderstanding, but I've currently got the DD tube out of the car and the shocks + springs are just hanging there. When I've finished all the other messing about, I'll slide the DD tube back in, bolt the shocks to it, attach the radius arms and A-frame and put the wheels back on. Is there something I'm missing about having to compress the springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesElliott Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I bought Draper ones and ground them down to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irrotational Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Quoting charlie_pank: Steve, not sure if I'm misunderstanding, but I've currently got the DD tube out of the car and the shocks + springs are just hanging there. When I've finished all the other messing about, I'll slide the DD tube back in, bolt the shocks to it, attach the radius arms and A-frame and put the wheels back on. Is there something I'm missing about having to compress the springs? That's what I did a few years ago - maybe physically changing the shocks makes it different, or some of them have longer springs, or something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 But the shocks are at full extension when they're hanging down. So the length of spring would make no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative paul richards Posted June 11, 2012 Area Representative Share Posted June 11, 2012 Quoting myothercarsa2cv: When SM25T helped me fit the spring platforms, we used a combination of body weight, ratchet straps and hose reel bits. It was a bit Heath Robinson, but it worked 😬 you think that's Heath Robinson!!! I use 2 house bricks, 2 tyre levers, a porta power and 2 walls, but it works 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 An elegant solution 😶🌫️ *tongue* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Steve, Take the dampers off the car. I use the draper ones unmodified and seem to have managed ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackb_ms Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 You need motorbike spring compressor then you can do it on the car. It's what I use for my 21 Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-B Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 I have just finally (don't ask -- we "got" a new Granddaughter that got in the way!) have finished the shock in question. The Ratchet Straps recommendation is absolutely a WINNER for spring compression!!! Once I figured out which coil circle level of the spring to get the straps onto, and got the two ratchets to stay put, this worked a treat! I owe you a pint (at least) Quoting myothercarsa2cv: When SM25T helped me fit the spring platforms, we used a combination of body weight, ratchet straps and hose reel bits. It was a bit Heath Robinson, but it worked 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titanium7 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Just used these (same the Sealey ones), worked a treat.here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboylaw Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Quoting Ian Hayward: I used a set of Sealey ‘Motorcycle coil spring compressors’ (model VS1824) when doing this recently, link here You can get them off EBay for under £35. They have small hooks with plastic spring protectors and fit well with out scratching the damper body. Although I had to make a wooden frame to stop them from slipping around the spring under tension when removing the rears. Ian Edited by - Ian Hayward on 11 Jun 2012 11:11:41 I use these as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myothercarsa2cv Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Quoting Steve-B: I have just finally (don't ask -- we "got" a new Granddaughter that got in the way!) have finished the shock in question. The Ratchet Straps recommendation is absolutely a WINNER for spring compression!!! Once I figured out which coil circle level of the spring to get the straps onto, and got the two ratchets to stay put, this worked a treat! I owe you a pint (at least) Quoting myothercarsa2cv: When SM25T helped me fit the spring platforms, we used a combination of body weight, ratchet straps and hose reel bits. It was a bit Heath Robinson, but it worked 😬 Ah well done! You may owe Ian a pint, it was his idea 😶🌫️ I used big zipties recently too... Worked alright as well, but a bit of a pricey option as I used about 30 in total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now