Hi all,

My mechanic has been trying to remove the front springs from my van to fit new upper and lower control arms that I have. I have 1995 B2500.

Problem is because I am in England he has not seen a vehicle with such large diameter springs before and the clamps he has for doing the job are too small to fit around the springs so we need a new plan.

Can anyone point me towards the tool that does this job please?

Thanks guys

 

You will need the proper size coil spring compressor.

 

+++1^^^^

 

Thanks for that but I can't find tools of that design with big enough hooks to take the springs which are 21mm or about 13/16 thich so really thick springs.

A video of a guy who changed his springs on his 1997 van used this type of tool.

Can anyone confirm this is the type of tool to use?





Or possibly these as well? Anyone used this type of tool?


Thanks all

 

Try doing a google search.

 

Either will work, question becomes, which style will make it easiest.

 

Actually I don't think you need a spring compressor. You put the van on jack stands and place a floor jack under the control arm. Then disconnect the shock, end link, strut rod, and lower ball joint. Use the floor jack to slowly lower the control arm until the tension is off the spring. As a safety feature most will first run a chain through the upper control arm and spring, then lock the ends together, just in case the spring tries to shoot sideways the chain will hold it.

 

I want to say that on these if you disconnect the sway bar, then loosen the rear of the lower control arm strut, you can lower the control arm far enough to take pretty much all of the tension out of the springs (I've recently had mine apart a couple times), and then open the assembly up however you like (ie removing upper control arm, lower, disconnecting at ball joints, etc...) If you're not able to remove all the spring tension this way, you can always do as suggested above, put your jack under the lower control arm to compress the spring enough to take the tension off the ball joints, etc, loosen them or strut / spindle assembly and then carefully lower the jack to relieve the spring tension. I would put a health ratchet strap through the spring and frame to hold it just in case... However you do it, please be careful and mindful of what you.re doing...

 

If available, using a spring compressor is a good way of doing it if you have a high quality tool that you can trust with your life to hold the compressed, under extreme pressure, spring while you make the necessary repairs until it is once again safely tucked away in its perch with everything back together.
I have witnessed an inferior quality tool be dropped by a technician while under tension and literally explode due to inferior metallurgy and the acme threaded bolt was stripped clean of threads.
No one got hurt, but the tech did need a change of underwear, afterwards...
Done quite a few front suspensions in 40 years of twisting wrenches and the scariest jobs are those involving coiled springs...That being said, using the floor jack under the lower arm to relieve the tension after you free up the works, is by far the fastest and easiest way I have found.
A tip that helps is to place the floor jack in a position that will allow it to roll with the downward and inward movement of the control arm as the tension is relieved.
The same applies to installation.
Obviously this method works while the vehicle is on the ground.
If working on a lift, it becomes even hairier when you need to use a screw jack to slowly lower the control arm while trying to keep the vehicle from trying to lift itself off of the lift...been there, done that.
Adding a safety strap inside the coil,as previously mentioned, is good insurance but not absolutely necessary.
What is necessary is to maintain a healthy respect for the job at hand and work carefully.
Hopefully, by the time you have read this, your mechanic has grown a pair and figured it out by now. Just kidding, well sort of..I could feel mine swelling and growing while I conquered my first attempt almost 40 years ago...and several times since.
BTW, if you ever have to compress the spring on a progressive rate Macpherson strut assembly, then you will know the true meaning of butt pucker...
Hope this helped and best of luck
Let us know how things work out...

 

Well due to the cheap chinese ball joints blowing out on my less than 2 year old, completely rebuilt front end...It became absolutely necessary once again to tear into a complete front suspension rebuild...Hopefully this time with name brand parts...might not be parts made here but at least they have American names...
As I alluded to in my previous post, a floor jack is more than sufficient to ease the lower control arm down and relieve the spring pressure...
Total teardown time on this side, about one hour, all with hand tools...still don't have a shop compressor to run air tools...
Hope this helps.