Removing shocks without compressors

[Kaibo]

Hi all, my coilovers turned up yesterday but I cannot for the life of me find my spring compressors, does anyone have any tips for changing shocks without them.

Cheers Kai

 

[jojo]

Hi all, my coilovers turned up yesterday but I cannot for the life of me find my spring compressors, does anyone have any tips for changing shocks without them.

Cheers Kai

What car? Lol

If you are on about just removing the front shocks, they come out as one built unit, no spring compressor needed? Rears don't need spring compressors aswell to just remove the shock.

 

[Kaibo]

Sorry : ) it's an a3 3.2, Had a crack at the rears yesterday but there was no way the spring was coming out without breaking something, I'll be needing them for the fronts to take the top mounts off.

Cheers Kai

 

[jojo]

Sorry : ) it's an a3 3.2, Had a crack at the rears yesterday but there was no way the spring was coming out without breaking something, I'll be needing them for the fronts to take the top mounts off.

Cheers Kai

In that case, you'll need spring compressors, I would not recommend splitting your shocks any otherway.

 

[pablo]

Id usually pop the topnut off with an impactgun with the topmount between my feet and the strut pointing away from me. strut will scoot over the floor a foot or two but never had a problem yet.

bit ghetto and at your own risk of course. I ****** hate spring compressors!

 

[jojo]

Id usually pop the topnut off with an impactgun with the topmount between my feet and the strut pointing away from me. strut will scoot over the floor a foot or two but never had a problem yet.

bit ghetto and at your own risk of course. I ****** hate spring compressors!

I'm sorry, but I would highly not recommend the above procedure, it's not safe, infact, it's ****** dangerous!

Pay someone to do it if you don't have the correct tools.

 

[pablo]

I wouldnt recommend it either but thats what I do

 

[Kaibo]

Thanks chaps, wouldn't be a problem if I could find mine, not the biggest fan either after having my fingers nipped more than once. I'll just have to wait until I find them, probably leant them out.

Cheers Kai

 

[jdp1962]

How about baler twine wrapped several times around the spring?

 

[Kaibo]

How about baler twine wrapped several times around the spring?

That's not actually a bad idea so long as it didn't give way, I'm sure it's very strong mind. I don't happen to have any though, strange
: )

Cheers Kai

 

[pablo]

Oh yeah that's much safer lol

 

[jdp1962]

Oh yeah that's much safer lol

Well, it was a few years ago, but my brother and I used it many times, and never had any scary moments.

 

[Audibritz]

How about baler twine wrapped several times around the spring?

Beat me to it, I did it a few years back, I put a trolley jack under the suspension arm to tighten the spring then wrapped it with the baler twine then released the jack and it should pop out

 

[jdp1962]

Beat me to it, I did it a few years back, I put a trolley jack under the suspension arm to tighten the spring then wrapped it with the baler twine then released the jack and it should pop out

What helped was that I had a summer job in a factory making the stuff, so not only did I have access to a near unlimited supply, I also had a pretty good understanding of the strength of extruded polypropylene!

 

[Chillout]

Remove the shock and take it to a garage an get them to swap the spring ( a compressed spring has a lot of energy and can seriously injure you and those around you)

i bought spring compressors and replaced mine while lying it horizontally in case of one of the compressors failing that way the force is away from under your chin as you work .