olivedrabcj7 said:
the problem i always have with them is getting the compressors off the coil once its seated in there. theyre a PITA and slow. i used an impact on mine one time and its alot easier if you do it in very small incriments alternating side to side with the impact. otherwise it may fly apart and crack some skullz.
I usually just use an air ratchet with a small extension on it. It fits the area around the spring better than the impact does...and it's alot more controllable, speed-wise. I also do it the way that SharkTj was referring to...which is to jack up the side with the coil in it...and then remove the compressor. Sometimes though, with your bigger coils, this method doesn't always work because the spring is compressed more than the amount of force that you can put on it with just a jack. In other words, the vehicle can't use the rest of it's weight, like it does out on the trail, to compress the coil.
I have been helping a buddy before and he got carried away with the impact and one side flew off! NOBODY wanted to touch that coil...it was lying on the floor with one side still compressed. Everybody was just looking around at each other thinking to themselves "I'm not touching that freakin' thing! I wonder where he's gonna get another coil spring at this time of night?"
I finally re-attached the compressor to the other side...a little further down and worked it back and forth really, really slowly. I will admit though, I felt like I was definitely on some kind of a BOMB SQUAD detail! It was funny though watching everybody walk away from it, and rightly so. If I didn't have quite a bit of past experience with these things there's no way I would've touched it. LOL I kept the old steel shanked workboots firmly planted on it at an angle and with all my weight (225lbs) too...that way it would at least, hopefully, shoot out across the shop through the path with least resistance (away from me!).
The next time that this happened was in my shop...and I was able to use some huge all-thread and nuts and I made a couple of big steel plates to go onto each end of the spring. By doing that I was able to "cage" the coilspring and I even was able to re-compress and re-install the compressor again. This way was MUCH safer...but the time before was at another guy's place and was late into the night.
I wouldn't recommend doing either of these things to people that don't have alot of experience with semi-dangerous mechanical situations......(damn disclaimers..lol) !
Aron
