Failure of the month: I have tried everything to get the *&!%^$^*& springs in. Jack stand, spring compressor, I've read the Suspension 101 articles over and over. The entire left side (struts, spindle, rotor, etc.) is off. My car is just sitting there on stands for the last month. Nobody will tow it without all four tires on there, and I can't do that without the spring assembled. I jack the control arm detached with the spring sitting and it just jacks up the body and doesn't even compress the spring. And yes, I do have the right springs, I checked twice.

There...I've vented.I'm open to suggestions.

 

The spring compressor that goes inside the springs works (a free rental at Advance/Autozone), but .... you need a 3-4 inch piece of pipe to insert - so that you can compress the spring farther than the compressor allows as it is.

 

3-4 in of pipe to insert? I have the spring compressor from OReilly that I rented. Is there a pic on how this set up looks?

 

What pipe? I never used any pipe. I want to see this.

 

You use the chunk of pipe as a long spacer (ie washer), so that when you start tightening the compressor, you are already starting with 3-4 inches ahead of the game, that way you can compress it farther before the turning bolt runs out of threads (if that makes sense).

 

Here's a pic:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...34&cm_pla=Auto Repair>Specialty Tools&cm_cat=pricegrabber&cm_ven=Aggregates

Use the pipe chunk where the washers are (between 2 washers). And have the compressing nut at the bottom - it will come out through the hole in the bottom of the A-arm (there is a hole there that the shft/nut will fit through).

3rd gen springs are short - there's not much room to compress them enough - not many coils. Using the spacer, you compress more - not sure how to describe - just try it and you'll see - it works great!

 

I'm having a hard time picturing this. Sorry.

 

Searches are great on this forum. I have posted very very little just because everything that I have ever needed has been posted.

See post #5 on https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...nt-spring.html

Regards

 

The tool I rented looked nothing like that. I'll go search for a pic.

 

http://toolsandmore.us/coilspringcompressor3.aspx

This works great. Just put the hooks over the second coil, then put the plate under the control arm. Very easy.

 

Ah, ok. I saw both pics. So I'm basically gonna have to compress the spring as far down as it will go at the same time using the piping device?

 

You are correct sir. It is not fun imo, but I have done it to two different cars now and it does indeed work. Just be careful, those things are crazy dangerous. I sliced my head open good the first time that I played with coil springs

 

Yea, I kinda like the whole living thing. Being wounded or dead from a 700 psi spring projectile is not on my agenda.

 

those stock springs are a PITA to put back in.. camaronewbie and i tried and it took use several hours to put them on my car..... then i switched to lowering springs and they just slipped right in..... never again will i try to put stock or moog stock replacement springs on any of these cars again....

 

hmmm, never had this problem using teh internal compressor and a 4" piece of pipe.

 

UPDATE: Here's what happened. After I used the method that you guys showed, the spring FINALLY went in....after I ended up cutting 1 full coil off of each spring, in the process lowering it. AND you right telling me about those MOOG springs, they are very large and there was no way of putting in the spring without doing some cutting. But its done now. Now all I have to do is put in the steering assembly.
Thanks again!

 

lowering springs aren't the way to go imo, messes up suspension geometry, granted not everyone cares if their car handles well but I would like to assume that most people who would buy a camaro do....

 

Well it wasn't by choice. The MOOGs I have now were originally 9 coils long, whereas my the stock spring had I believe 7. The MOOG is a lot bigger than the stock, so cutting it to match the size of the stock was the only way I could get it in.

 

Glad you solved it.

And - I LOVE my lowering springs - my car never handled better!

 

As the car was built, the front suspension would gain negative camber ( very good ) as the car rolled over ( hard cornering ).
But once you lower the car via the springs, you reverse this, and gain positive camber ( very bad )
This is why lowering spindles are better.

 

I hear you can take the springs to a shop and they'll compress them for you and put metal bands on them so they stay compressed then just cut them off after you installed the control arm. I wonder how hard it would be to pull the bands out from the spring though once it's all installed.