Parts missing
You are probably better off. That’s the suicidal version of a spring compressor. What car are you trying to change the struts on?
I have a small vise style one that I’ll donate to the space if automotive wants it. I used it on my Mercury Capri.
4 Likes
I believe there is another one at the space - I’ll check later when I’m there
2 Likes
4 Likes
There’s also this one: Eastwood Coil and Strut Compressor - Automotive - DMS Source
The one in the photo looks epic @ozindfw, but best wait for a grown up to respond.
That Eastwood is almost as scary as the first one. I’d really like to see us have a good A-Frame style compressor. So many of these designs rely on perfect alignment and nothing slipping. Personally, I want all that spring energy that’s waiting to kill me carefully (and preferably redundantly) contained.
Something like this:
And even with this I’d use a chain and some steel to prevent the spring from bowing out.
I know, I’m paranoid. I’m old, and I got that way be being paranoid, and in spite of some of my less wise moves.
We have had one like that in the past. Of course, it’s commonly believed that steel is impenetrable and hammering the ever lovin’ crapola out of the screw with an impact will have zero repercussions, and even if it does, who cares because DMS has all the monies & will totes buy me a new one for when I need to do my next set of struts.
The car is Ford Escape. I was able to replace it at at a part store’s parking lot LOL Thanks anyway!
2 Likes
This type of spring compressor is the safest and easiest to use. The one i use is decades old andvis not made where the ebay one is from but for the money it is by far the way to go for the way tools use and abuse the great tools at the DzmS. Coil Spring Strut Compressor Clamp Struts Shock Absorber Suspension 3 Pcs | eBay
2 Likes
Can somebody link a tutorial of how to use this tool, I cannot find a single spring compressor of this type online. Is this a custom built tool? It’s missing a screw and nut which holds one of the hinged flanges shut
Without the missing screw that tool won’t work. I ended up borrowing a tool from autopart store but later I bought my own tools. It made me nervous when I had to use an used tool to compress spring. You just can’t tell who used it in the past and how bad is the metal stress.
1 Like
You are right to be paranoid about coil springs and compressors. There is a lot of stored energy in compressed suspension springs.
There are a lot of cheap compressor tools that are tragedies waiting to happen. The two-bolt units are the cheapest and can slide along the spring and fail simultaneously releasing the spring and releasing shrapnel propelled by the spring. There are several fork-type units like that pictured that capture the spring and prevent it from being released. The vary wildly in quality. There are also some that use a groove in the fork or a strap that attempt to retain the spring. YMMV. A lot.
The tool pictured is one I bought from a European supplier in the late 80s to do a strut change on a Mercury Capri. It is too small for anything I currently own and was missing one keeper pin when I donated it. A 1/4" bolt will do the same job. It is much stouter than most competing products, so I would not worry too much about metal fatigue as an issue. I’d inspect the welds for cracks before I used it, though.
As to use, all are pretty intuitive. You remove the strut from the vehicle, use the tool to compress the spring enough to take the load off the strut assembly so you can replace the shock and reassemble/reinstall.
No matter what tool you use, always be mindful of where the spring could go and do your best to have something between you and the spring. The blue tool has a tab designed to be clamped in a vise, so keep the vise between you and the spring. The number of folks I’ve seen holding springs against their chest while compressing a spring boggles my mind.
1 Like