The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop safely installing coil springs safely

This week I am going to install new coil springs under my 55 Chevy truck. It has an 81 Camaro front end.
I am looking for advice on installing the coil springs. I know I need to use a jack under the lower control arm to help compress the spring. However there is no motor in the truck and I am sure when I jack it up to install and compress the spring the entire truck will lift and it want go high enough to get the knuckle bolted in.
The spring compressors appear like they will get in the way when I go to install between the control arms. The spring compressors I have are the external type; would the internal type work better?
I thought about compressing the springs on my work bench using the compressors and a chain through the spring to maybe help keep it from flying if it should come loose.
I also thought about using multiple strands of bailing wire after I get it compressed to hold it compressed while I remove the spring compressor and install the springs.

I thought about using 3 or 4 3/8ths inch wire ties to hold them compressed while I install them.

I know these ideas are probably crazy and that’s why I am asking here for some advice.

Tom
55 Chevy 2nd

Sounds like a good way to get hurt IMO. You need to chain the frame down to the floor or temp install an engine for weight.

I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY with fleetside.
i wouldnt mess with em till ya get the motor in or have acccess to chain that puppy down .
Suspension springs under compression can an have been deadly !
Do you have a way to add some weight to the frame in place of the engine ?
WIRE ON COMPRESSED SPRINGS SOUNDS SUPER SCARY !
Tim

Had a friend with the same predicament. Where he lived there were trees all around his house. He found one that had a large root at the base that looped up and back down. He pulled his truck over the root and hooked a chain to it. Talk about shade tree machanicing!

The right way to do it is to use a spring compressor that goes through the hole in the control arm where the shock absorber mounts, and engages the spring with a pair of hooks over a couple of coils. There's a flat plate that bridges the shock absorber hole in the control arm.

The shade tree method is to loop a piece of heavy chain underneath the base of your jack, and secure it to the frame ahead of, and behind the spring pocket. Compress the spring enough to unload the lower ball joint, knock the taper loose, and gently lower the control arm to take the tension off the spring. Installation is the reverse procedure, compressing the spring with the chain-anchored jack and reattaching the control arm. It's much safer with the correct tools! Loop a small piece of chain through the spring to retain it in case anything slips, and never put your hands in a position where the spring can fly loose and take a few fingers on the way.
Jerry

Jerry is 100% Right!!! Spring compressors are cheap compared to hospital bills, if your that lucky!

I swapped coils on my toyota and it took a lot of patience and time and also finding that happy medium with clearances to get them out.

If I remember correctly I jacked up the front end and let the springs expand as far as they could go. Then due to clearances I put the spring compressors only on the 2 or 3 middle coils and got them compressed enough to move. Unbolt the suspension that gets in the way and wiggle those outta there. It took me a few tries to get the compressors on the coils properly so that I could remove them, but time pays off, still have all my fingers and toes!

Dont screw around with this. Good luck, Jeff

On car springs you have to use a spring compresser. Those things just keep growing & growing. On the trucks you can drop down the lower arm & the tension is almost all gone. It still would be a problem putting them in with out the weight of the engine.

I talked to a buddy of mine today and his boss has the type compressor that hotrod lincoln mentioned. One that goes through the shock hole and in the middle of the coil spring. Hopefully that compressor will do what I need.
However I do have another challenge. The upper control arm has two different sizes bushings. I was able to get the front bushing in, but the rear bushings seems to be to large in diameter. Two seperate shops said the replacement bushing was not the correct one. However all the replacement bushings i have seen are the same size, 1-3/8's. I'll have to do some more research on this problem. Thanks for the help..