Front spring refitting
Discussion
Afternoon guys
Im having real troubles today and hoping someone can help?
Firstly, how on earth do i search in just the wedge forum posts? My phone seems to take me to a mobile looking page with every forum checked, when i uncheck them i still cant find what im looking for.
Brings me to the stuff i cant find...... how do i refit the front springs to a chassis without the weight of the engine/ body?
I have made up a spring compressor as i think it should be from the bible but i either cant compress enough to get the back of the bottom wishbone located or it strips the studding iron! I cant get my normal compressors on as they are a really strange double type. Its driving me crazy, i cant remember it being difficult when the car was still assembled.
I have attached a photo of it as i was uncompressing, as i tighten it it just goes back but not up much, i have nothing to lever against and cant think of any other way of attacking it (except with a sledge hammer!!!).
Any help greatly appreciated
Jon
Im having real troubles today and hoping someone can help?
Firstly, how on earth do i search in just the wedge forum posts? My phone seems to take me to a mobile looking page with every forum checked, when i uncheck them i still cant find what im looking for.
Brings me to the stuff i cant find...... how do i refit the front springs to a chassis without the weight of the engine/ body?
I have made up a spring compressor as i think it should be from the bible but i either cant compress enough to get the back of the bottom wishbone located or it strips the studding iron! I cant get my normal compressors on as they are a really strange double type. Its driving me crazy, i cant remember it being difficult when the car was still assembled.
I have attached a photo of it as i was uncompressing, as i tighten it it just goes back but not up much, i have nothing to lever against and cant think of any other way of attacking it (except with a sledge hammer!!!).
Any help greatly appreciated
Jon
Hiya,
Forum search is in Adam's sticky 'welcome to the wedge forum' at the top of the wedge pages.
Spring compression is not easy; I had the same experience of stripping threads on studding, scary. You need decent quality large diameter studding and 'long nuts'... also called connecting nuts. Much longer thread engagement and no stripping...
Good luck!
Forum search is in Adam's sticky 'welcome to the wedge forum' at the top of the wedge pages.
Spring compression is not easy; I had the same experience of stripping threads on studding, scary. You need decent quality large diameter studding and 'long nuts'... also called connecting nuts. Much longer thread engagement and no stripping...
Good luck!
Excellent, cheers for the tips, i will try and get some M20 rod and drill and tap one end M12 so i can bolt it to the top mount, hopefully that will compress it enough! I am dreading trying to squeeze the bottom wishbone back in, with new bushes its bloody tight even without the spring attached.
Thanks again, ill give it a go at the weekend.
All the best
Jon.
Thanks again, ill give it a go at the weekend.
All the best
Jon.
I search using google mostly just add
site
istonheads.com wedges
to whatever you want to search for.
Why not add some weight into the engine bay?
E.g. a few bits of 2x4 then put bags of sand, cement, whatever you have handy.
You only need a 1/4 tonne in there to compress the spring against. That's 10 bags of coal.
Then you can use a trolley jack underneath until you can get the shock absorber bolted on.
I used a jack under my rear one after the suspension bolt refitting, was only mildly scary.
site
istonheads.com wedgesto whatever you want to search for.
Why not add some weight into the engine bay?
E.g. a few bits of 2x4 then put bags of sand, cement, whatever you have handy.
You only need a 1/4 tonne in there to compress the spring against. That's 10 bags of coal.
Then you can use a trolley jack underneath until you can get the shock absorber bolted on.
I used a jack under my rear one after the suspension bolt refitting, was only mildly scary.
KKson said:
Late last year I rebuilt the 390 front suspension and had no problems with my standard set of spring compressors. They are heavy duty and look similar to these:
I didn't have any problems stripping and rebuilding mine, my compressors are Sykes Pickavant. You have to watch out for some compressors that are designed to cope with springs wound in the opposite direction (so the 'hooks' don't fit properly).My standsrd compressors have a double hook at each end, because it is level it means the compressor sits at a really funny angle. How much do the springs need compressing to get them in roughly? Am i better to remove the bottom wishbone and try to relocate it with the spring attaced or compress the spring and try to get it between the top mount and wishbone? The steve heath method seems to be the first one.
Nope i'm gonna have to give up for tonight, i compressed the spring enough to get it to fit but cannot get the compressors in with the top wishbone fitted, the drive end is too big to clear the top mount and they are too long the other way up. I will need to buy some better threaded rod so i can clamp the bottom wishbone to the top then remove the compressors, then fit the top wishbone and stub axel, hopefully that will work? i was genuinely fearing for my life with the spring compressed that far!
Assuming i can get the spring in, is it fairly easy to get the drop link and anti roll bar in? I remember the nut of the drop link was always very tight against the wishbone.
Thanks again.
Jon.
Assuming i can get the spring in, is it fairly easy to get the drop link and anti roll bar in? I remember the nut of the drop link was always very tight against the wishbone.
Thanks again.
Jon.
I sympathise with you especially with no weight in the front end of the car. I work on cars a fair bit but this is one job I really hate. As you say it's a risky business compressing the springs the required amount. One thing I've never managed is to compress the spring enough with spring compressors, home made threaded bar compressor or both to get the wishbone reattached. Usually I end up using the spring compressors and then 2 jacks, one either end of the wishbone. This won't work for you unless you add some weight to the front of the car/chassis.
A good reason to go the coilover route....
Hope you get it sorted. Cheers Steve
A good reason to go the coilover route....
Hope you get it sorted. Cheers Steve
I actually bought some spax coil overs, strengthened the bottom wishbone by plating and seam welding the pressed steel joints, the top support I also added some metal too. I decided against it partly because i heard loads of horror stories, but mainly because I couldnt find what spring rate to use, at the time both Spax and Gaz wouldn't commit to recommend a rate and Steve Heath had stopped selling them by then.
I bought 9" long x 325lbs but people were quoting the need for really high rates upto 1000lbs, so I thought I would use them with the old springs, if they are easier to fit I might dig the springs I bought out.
Any advice on spring rate, length and fitting tips would be useful.
I bought 9" long x 325lbs but people were quoting the need for really high rates upto 1000lbs, so I thought I would use them with the old springs, if they are easier to fit I might dig the springs I bought out.
Any advice on spring rate, length and fitting tips would be useful.
KKson said:
Edit - that springs looks in great condition!
Both springs were within a couple of millimetres of each other once they'd been off the car a week 
They had a session in the sandblaster (surely the most tedious task ever) before an appointment with some black paint
When I did the rear ones a couple of years back I powder-coated them instead
and the trusty SP compressors did the business there as well
For some reason my rears didn't need a spring compressor, I got some stiffer ones from Wedge Automotive (back in the day) and they were alot shorter, because they were stiffer the ride height stayed the same, looked a bit dodgey to me but seemed to work fairly well, did come off the seat when jacked up.
The front coilovers I bought fit exactly the same as the originals, that was the other part I didn't trust the fact that they would attach under the lower wishbone on two M8 bolts, the full weight of the car an the spring would be on there rather than just the damper.
The front coilovers I bought fit exactly the same as the originals, that was the other part I didn't trust the fact that they would attach under the lower wishbone on two M8 bolts, the full weight of the car an the spring would be on there rather than just the damper.
Got one on, used everyones advice, spring compressors, studding iron up the middle, weight on the front, a jack and big nuts (which i also needed for the scary bit). All seems to have gone well, i may remove it again to try and line the rubber up a bit better but i seem to remember it went into place when i drove it last time.
Thanks for the advice.
Jon
Thanks for the advice.
Jon
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