i have used spring compressors with no luck. i dont want to use lowering sprins or cut out a coil. i need to seat the spring properly and have been unable to get it to seat. any ideas?

 

I had trouble too. What I found out the best way to do it is. To compress the spring using a inside compresser and hook up the ball joint first then jack the arms into place. I also had to cut down the bolt in the compresser so it didn't hit the top of the pocket.

 

I just recently replaced my springs with stock height ones not to long ago. I choose stock hieght for the clearance of the front. To many steep entries into parkinglots and driveways. I let it drop by unbolting the struts(bottom) not the Ball joint. Seemed better to not have to push the brakes and all out of way since they dropped down also.

I used a spring compressor. It was well worth the time. I did try to get spring in place first without a compressor and it wasn't gonna happen. Glad I already had one handy.

Inside compressor is what I used on mine also. Passenger side went together np, but driverside(done last) I had some trouble getting the spring compressor out after I let the spring extend. But that was my bad placement of the bottom part. It was wedged in there. All I had to do was let the jack down some to extend the spring some more and it came right out. Well with a little luvin it did. Now time to do the Back. Wich is cake walk compared to the front.

GOOD LUCK!

 

Seat the spring how ever you can with it touching the a arm and in the pocket at the same time, jack up the a arm so it is tight but you can still rotate the spring, get it semi tight then index the spring and finish installing. Thats how i did it. other wise the spring ends up sitting on the lip of the spring pocket and makes your car sit like a monster truck.

 

Did this recently on my friend car, we did it just like 89rsragtop. Use the spring compressor, put the spring in and hook up a safety chain, put the a-arm under the spring and index it, put the balljoint stud through the spindle hole and tighten the bolt (not all the way but enough to hold it), then use a floorjack and push the backside of the a-arm up into the crossmember and use a long screwdriver or something to align the bolt holes. I was really sketchy about doing this at first but with the balljoint bolt attached and the safety chain in there is actually pretty stable.

 

It can be done without a spring compressor, but I wouldn’t bother trying till you have a good feel for doing it with a jack. As I’ve said before, don’t bother with doing it from the BJ side, pulling the pivot bolts and installing them from the back always works better because you can drop the arm farther.

If you’re having problems and you have a decent inside spring compressor one way that does usully work well is to use the spring compressor to clamp the spring to the LCA (as in spring compressor through the spring in the top and the bottom pad/arm on the bottom of the control arm, with the spring seated in it’s pocket correctly. Just compress it down, slide it in, put the pivot bolts in and you’re done…

 

that is the best way i have found.

 

i just did it on both of my f bodys i dont like advance autos spring compressor. i think it is worth the money i spent on it witch is nothing. but it helped using a 5" pipe to take up slack on the bolt. good luck and take your time

 

How do you do it without a spring compresser?? I tried, long before the a arm was in place the jack was raising the whole front of the car.

 

Ah screw it...put some 33"s under that bad boy!

Ed

 

Honestly, if that is happening with a stock spring then you have something wrong. It does occasionally happen with a stiffer, aftermarket spring (takes more force to compress it), and I’ve always gotten around that by jacking the opposite rear corner to shift more weight to the one that I’m working on…

 

It did it with my stock WS6 springs too.

 

I just finished my stock size front springs with help from 83 Crossfire. His method is best. You can't do stock size without the spring compressor, which was my mistake. I used the inside compressor too, but put the lower claws under the a-arm, so I was compressing the spring to the a-arm. When I just jacked up the a-arm (with a big $60 floor jack) and slipped in the pivot bolts (with some hammering and cussing). It felt a lot safer the way I did it binding the spring to the a-arm.

I also had to put a bottle jack under the opposite rear side of the car to keep the whole car from raising up.