So right now I'm in the process of reassembling my front suspension. I got the K member bolted back in, reinstalled the control arms, and proceeded to install the springs. I thought I had read you can get them in without a spring compressor. NOT true.

Got the external style compressor since that's all I've ever used, but when I got home I realized it wouldn't work for obvious reasons.

I then got an internal style compressor from Autozone. It's a POS. It doesn't have the four adjacent jaws like most do. It has two jaws on one end and a plate on the other end that slides into the spring. It's just plain not the right tool for the job as I can hardly compress the spring even using a spacer (not to mention it feels very unsafe.)

Anyone have any tips?

 

what exactly are you having trouble with? i had no issues getting my springs in and out while i worked on my suspension. do you have the strut bolted to the knuckle? are you pushing the lca down far enough?

 

Knuckles and struts aren't on the car, only thing suspension wise are the control arms and I can push them until they're parallel with the springs. I had to yank them pretty good to get them out, they still had a bit of tension on them. I'm wondering if maybe my springs just aren't sagging like most? My car sits right at stock ride height.

Anyways I bought the 4 jaw compressor. $40 for something I'll probably never use again.

 

I had the EXACT problem. I wound up dropping the A arm again, putting the spring in place and using my jack to push the arm back into place while I put the bolts back in the A arm. No amount of spring compressors would do the trick....they just dont fit up there.

 

I think I may end up doing that. I still can't get them in with the 4 jaw compressor (I'm using a spacer on the puller as well to reduce the length of the threads.) I only tried for about 20 minutes though as I got rained out.

I have never had this much trouble with springs. It's not like I've never done something like this before, so it's not my fault.

Worst part is I'm scratching my newly painted control arms and springs to hell.

 

Just drop the arms. Its the only way your going to get it to work. Trust me, I invented new swear words trying to get the springs in......

 

I'm getting called out bad on TGO. Apparently because some people can do it, it's the same for every single car. There's also just as many people that had trouble too, however most of them say the springs went in easy with the compressor. I had the spring compressed probably a good 4" and it still just didn't want to seat right.

 

try compressing the spring out on the floor, then run a rachet strap inside and snug it, then remove the compressor. see if that helps

 

all you should have to do is drop the lower control arms, line up the spring in the control arm and jack the control arm up.

 

maybe there is a difference in spring height between yours and mine? mine has factory z28 coils and after 20 years have probably sagged a bit. are yours new or original?