I have a '88 Trans Am GTA and I replacing the stock front coil springs since the dumbass who owned the car before decided to heat the old ones up and ruin them. I already have the old springs off and I am trying to get the new ones in. I have tried both styles of spring compressors and both of them are too big. When I go to compress the spring the threaded bolt of the compressor starts sticking out way above the top of the spring thus making it impossible to install on the car. I have already tried taking the control arm off, placing the spring it and and jacking it up in to the car, this did not work because the car itself just starts going up. I live in an apartment, I have an air compressor and air tools but I am alone with no one to help me. Please give me some advice or call me at 512-297-8842 I am losing my mind here. Thanks, Jeff

 

There is no decent spring compressor that works on these cars. You'll either have to do one of these things:

Cut the bolt shorter on the coil spring compressor...not much of an option with a borrowed tool.

Put 3 or 4 inches worth of washers, pipe, or other sort of spacer on the head end of the bolt before you run it through any of the clamps. Then when you install, let the excess lenght of the compressor bolt stick through the hole in the bottom of the a arm.


A third way is a little hard to describe without a picture. Not my idea, and I've never tried it, but there was a guy who posted a thread with the idea, and a picture (i searched, coudlnt' find it). He made a small, round, steel plate and drilled a hole in the center the size of the compressor bolt (basically he made a BF washer). Then he put the bolt through the BFW, then through the hole in the a-arm, then the spring, and last, into the spring clamp. When he tightened it down, it pulled the coil tight against the a-arm.

 

Found it...
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...t=coil+springs

I've never tried it that way, as I haven't had reason to do a spring job since I read that post, but that sure as **** looks to me like the way to do it.

 

Thank you for the posts and the info Black. After about 5 more hours worth of trials, frustrations, and sweat I ended up putting the crapped out bent ones back on. I don't have access to anything like a saw or scrap metal. To perferctly honest today has extenguished the flame I hold for these cars. Everything is so hard on 3rd Gens. No tools work for them, hardly anyone at any auto parts store knows what you are talking about when you try to get help, GM does not care about 3rd Gen's anymore, and just in my personal situation I do not have the proper space and resources to do hardly anything more advanced than an oil change. Thank you again for your help. -Jeff

 

damn man that sucks, i feel for you. I was pissed and cursing when i was trying to do mine. I gave up and took it to a shop. 60 bucks later and vuala. the springs won

 

Some things are worth paying a shop to do. For $60, a spring swap is definitely one of them

 

the problem is you're using the wrong tool.

the spring compressor you need uses two hooks on one end to grab the top of the spring, and sticks thru the A arm... a forked plate under the A arm slips in and lets you tighten the spring to the arm...


i spent 20 hours in my apartment parking lot last weekend doing the same thing..... except i have no power, so no airtools for me

i had to crank it down by hand...... made a 4 hour job take 20.. lol

 

Here's a link to someone else's creativity that I used and worked great.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tarami...ac.jpg&.src=ph

 

dang...I borrowed a set of spring compressors from a friend and I was able to do mine in @ 2 hours...both sides....

Just need to be sure and put the top set of clamps as high as possible and the lower set as low as possible like within one coil of top and bottom.....


Course then I had to REDO them as I didn;t get them seated in the top mount properly


that took about an hour

 

The funny thing is, for safety's sake, you're not supposed to use an air tool on a spring compressor. Having done them myself, by hand, I think I guy would have to be out of his head to not use them (if available)

 

ahhh come on guys....

it's not that hard to crank them down using a socket...


I'm 58 and did it not once but twice on both sides.....

and NO I didn't walk to school 15 miles uphill both ways





I think I would have been very leery of using a power tool.......loose the feel of the spring tightness and slippage.

The link lo-tec posted is a VERY good idea

 

I have read through everyone's posts not to mention other posts on the site and it seems everyone has encountered different levels of difficulty with stock spring replacement. I have several questions. First, the interal compressor, once you get the spring mounted and the arm bolted to the spindle, can you get the top knuckle/claw out of the spring through the coils? I test fitted mine and it would not fit through the bottom hole in the a-arm. I have seen the pictures of the compressors with their bolts cut, using a large washer on the bottom of the a-arm, and using the piece of pipe to take up some of the length. I honestly never thought of using the pipe nor the washer. If I get the courage up to do this again I will try it and report back with my success.

 

The proper method of spring replacement is to remove the two A-arm pivot bolts and drop the inner portion. This is from the factory service manual. No spring compressor is required. The ball joint stays connected.

It works rather well. I've done many a vehicle with this method and it is fast and easy. The factory manual shows a special bracket to cradle the lower A-arm. This isn't always required. I use a hydraulic floor jack and hook two of the lift plate tabs under the edge of the A-arm, right between the pivots.

Put a little(!) tension on the spring, then check it's placement. Make sure it is properly seated in the upper seat, then check the hole/spring-end placment in the lower seat. For safety place a chain through the coils about halfway up and then down through the hole in the A-arm. Bring chain around and bolt ends together.

Slowly jack A-arm up into place. Once either hole is lined up place a phillips head screwdriver through that hole. Then move the other pivot into place and put another screwdriver through that hole. Can now use the screwdrivers to better align a hole and quickly slip the bolt through. May need to tap it in with a hammer.

Do the same for the other pivot, torque it all down, and you're done. Take your time, think about what you are doing, and it goes quickly with little fuss.

RBob.

 

this method works great on everything except the PA racing and Profab tubular Kmembers.... the crossbar is in the way of the a arm , so it cant come straight up.

you have to bolt the pivots in, undo the strut, and do it that way.

the spring compressor i use holds the spring to the A arm. works well.. no tool modding needed, and if you're smart about it, the springs always in the pocket or otherwise shielded when its compressed, so theres less danger..

 

It can't go straight up, but you can use a prybar or two to guide the arm up using the jack method.

 

the jack method scares teh crap out of me with that cheezy spring pocket... lol


i tried it, and i didnt feel comfortable with it.... too much movement under tension...

 

Jeff, here's how I did mine. The pic linked earlier was from my album:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tarami...r=5792&.src=ph

HTH....

Ed

 

That's a good idea Ed....I just used about 3" worth of large washers on mine. The first compressor unit we had (just like Ed's) my brother broke...some of the threads on the center threaded rod stripped and the top hooks of the compressor flew off......I wasn't there when it happened......
Be careful!!

 

This is a major reason why I don't like spring compressors. Too much energy is being stored in the compressed spring, and very little to retain it. I've also had spring compressors slip and let loose while holding a compressed spring. I was fortunate that I wasn't in the immediate area when it happened. You also have to be handling the spring in order to compress it. Just made me too nervous.

With the jack method you are several feet from the spring. And it is chained to the lower A-arm as it is being compressed. Once a pivot lines up a quick reach underneath and a heavy phillips head screwdriver is in place. This acts as another safety.

During the time the jack is compressing the spring it is easy to back off. If something doesn't look right, a simple twist of the handle and the tension is off the spring.

To quote Z-Man "Be careful!! "

RBob.