Pete Ryner wrote :
>
> I've never built one, but I've used them and you don't want to try this
> yourself. I had one hook slip off, spring flew open and parts made a hole
> in a block wall. Luckily, I had the spring sideways vice being
> in the way.
A word of clarification may be in order here. On most cars, the spring
compressor has to lift the spring away from it's seat. This means the
compressor must hook over the spring coils, which as Pete has noted, is not
very secure. The coils are hard, slippery and slanted; the hooks are very
likely to slip off. The spring does store a good deal of energy, so any
sudden release is likely to be unpleasantly exciting.
However, on a TR 2-6 the compressor does not grab the spring at all, instead
it works directly on the spring seats. Once the compressor has relieved
the pressure on the bolts and studs that locate the lower spring pan, the
pan is unbolted from the lower A-arms and the compressor is used to
gradually release the spring pressure. There is no way that anything can
slip and fly apart.
Since on a LBC the compressor goes through the center of the spring, the
shock absorber (and bump stop on a TR2/3) must be removed first, which means
the pressure must be taken off of them. I use a floor jack and a block of
wood under the outer edge of the spring pan (with the wheel off), but it
could probably be done by putting the wheel on a ramp. Either way, you're
relying on the weight of the car to compress the spring at this stage. I
don't know how to do this with just a bare frame, since it probably doesn't
weigh enough.
Randall
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