I don't know who makes it or where to find it. I've seen it mentioned in the Helms manual and in several magazine articles. On one end it looks like your typical internal spring compressor, but on the other is a long metal piece that stays under the A-arm and compresses the spring aginst the a-arm. Sorry I don't really know any other way to describe it. Does someone out their know what I'm talking about??

 

One of these?

 

I don't think one of those is what you are describing but i have the one on the left in the post above and it worked fine for me. I got it for $70 at an auto parts store. I thought the price was high, but when three other shops are out of them and your car is all ready a part in your driveway, you tend to spend $$ sometimes! lol

 

i've used the one on the left with success a couple times. i havent seen one like grafx is describing but what you could do is get an internal type, take off the lower jaws and put a bar in its place with a hole drilled through to let the threaded rod go through.

 

You can borrow them for free from AutoZone. They have the one on the left with their free loan-a-tool program.

 

free?!?! Damn, even if they had them in stock, Pep-Boys, Strauss, and NAPA did not rent them for free. I had to go to a KARPARTS to get them, and of course they did not rent them out. I had to buy them. Also, there is no AutoZone around here. I think they wanted like $20-$30 for the day, well Pep-Boys anyway.

 

I've already got one of the internal types. Yeah I know I could probably make the type I'm describing, just wondering where I could purchase one like it

 

86IROC, you sure? The Pep Boys' that I've been to always charge you for the tool, and if you don't return it within a week, "you've bought it". Bring it back before that week's over, and you get your deposit back. You might've found a Pep Boys that doesn't follow directions! Try another store!

I believe the one grafx is describing is a modified one. I've seen it mentioned before around here. Basically one of the "grips" is unscrewed from the center bolt, and replaced with a thick, flat piece of metal, and a nut. So the set of grippers left on the compressor goes into the top of the spring, then you put the thick flat piece of steel below the a-arm.

 

TomP, that is what i said. Pep-Boys did not have them for free, you had to put money down. What i had said is that they were out of them at the time, so i bought a set at the only parts store i could find with a set. thanks for the heads up though

 

the ones on the right suck for our cars!!! dont bother with those.

 

I don't remeber what Auto-Zone was doing. I think you might have to put a deposit down, but it wasn't like you paid for the whole tool. You would need to ask someone at AZ about it.

 

Yeah, '86, it's just a deposit (like Autozone), you should've gotten all your $$ back if you brought the tool back within a week... otherwise, everyone would be "renting" the tools and forgetting to bring 'em back! (Although they're usually beat to hell, though, don't know who'd want 'em to keep.) If they were charging $20/$30 a day, they're not following policy!