KONI Yellows: seeking spring compressor recommendations
 

Hey everyone. :tiphat:

Late last week, I ordered a set of Koni's from TireRack that were delivered to me earlier this week. I am very excited to get them installed, but I am in need of a spring compressor. I placed an order for some other tools to help get the job done (pending delivery): 1/2 in. drive breaker bar, socket set and torque wrench.

There are a lot of spring compressors available online, but it's hard to know which one will be the best for our Z car. I'm aiming to spend less than $50 but still get a quality product. I've combed through the forum as part of my due diligence but my quest did not bear much fruit. So now I come to you and ask for your expertise.

If you own a spring compressor or used one before in the past on your Z, please share your experience and/or recommendation. All thoughts and suggestions are also welcome.

I'm posting a pic of the Koni's because I'd be lying if I didn't (somatic). :hello:

I just rented one from autozone before, I think it was about a $50 deposit, return it when you're done and get your money back.

davenue- awesome! :tup:

yah, you can go to harbor freight and get one for like $20 but as scion mentioned, you can rent one too. :)

if you decide to buy one, get one that is low profile. i have a pretty chunky one that ive been using the last 10yrs or so. it works fine but at times i can't get the clamp between the coils without scuffing them up.

next time around i would get something like this:

MacPherson Strut Coil Spring Compressor Set

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_18480.jpg

opposed to something like i currently have. you can see that the blocky rectangular
shoulder on the opposite side of the coil holder curve can get in the way between
the coils. :ugh2:

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znet...27036/image/4/

make sure to wear safety goggles and work gloves. be safe! :)

Since you have eibach springs, I would use the first one Kenchan posted. Otherwise you will have a hard time getting the compressor on and off the spring.

haha, typeone also speaks from actual experience. :tup:


if i was doing car mods as i was before i had kids i would get the table top/wall mountable one. :) do a few local buddie's' cars for $50 each and it will pay for itself in no time.

Cool...I didn't know they offered this.

I'm interested in buying one for sure. I'm going to shoot for the low profile idea (great feedback btw) and buy the Harbor Freight compressor. I tried repping you for this but I gots to spread it around first. :icon17:

Good stuff. This just what I needed to know and confirmed it for me. I've been studying your DIY for like a week now and plan on using it to install these bad boys. :tup:

Thanks for the quality feedback, guys. I really appreciate it. After I get these babies installed, I'll post up the experience for all to see.

^^ :tup: GL with the install. :)

Yeah, just hit up Autozone. Congrats on the yellows man, Im totally jelly. Let us know how they ride when you get them in!

:tup: Koni FTW.

dAvenue- have you installed these yet? :yum:

I would just take the strut off, go to an alignment/tire shop and have them swap them out. It should be less than $50 and save a ton of time.

:rofl2:

Will do, buddy!

Indeed. :tup:

Nope, not yet. The last order of tools are scheduled for delivery today. I'm going to start working on the install as soon as I can.

I should be able to work on it during the weeknights or, at the very latest, get it all done this weekend. I can't friggin wait! I mean, staring at the Koni's for a week while knowing I don't have the tools to begin the install has been brutal. :excited:

Well sunava beach. Did not think of that. :facepalm:

Bring it out to Sacramento -- we have a nice wall-mounted spring compressor you can use.

hahaha. :tup: so you have an impact gun/breaker bar and everything else? sockets, socket adapters, ratchet, etc? :)

not only that mr. onzedge jr - ASE certified master-tech can do installs and alignment! :tup:

Yep. :tup:

I would love to drive to Cali and take you up on that. The only problem is the time it takes to get there. :driving:

Totally. I have everything but an impact gun...and a vice. :eek: Definitely need to get one of those to hold the shock.

I did my Swifts without a vice. Just laid it on the ground and had at it.

Same here with my swifts.

Unfortunately I had the big ol block spring compressors from craftsman... omg getting stockers off ez... getting swifts on and getting them big ol blocks off... not so ez lol

My Swift install went easy. Too bad Koni's werent out when I got my Swifts so I could have done it once instead of twice!

Hellz yes!

:woot:

My offer is still open:

http://www.the370z.com/members/onzed...ft-install.jpg

Lol, yeah screw the vice dude :bowrofl:

This is ideal though:tup:

blah, you dont really need a vise, do you? :D


one tip i usually tell folks is crack loose the front strut top shaft nut while it's still on the car.

and i suppose the other tip is to mark the strut top tower bolt to the car to make the orientation easier when you put the strut back together. :D

:tup: yah. if i was in sac i would just bring my car and wallet over and just watch and sip on coffee while i wait.

these days i dont want sore up my hands cause i play music as a hobby.

Installed them on the rears today and geez Louis I'm exhausted! I'll get the fronts done tomorrow.

:tup: :pics:

Pics are being taken and I'll post them up soon. :)

I'm trying to convince myself to continue work today, though (my back is ailing me). Torquing the nut to spec on the top hat is a PITA. I had to lay it on the ground and hold the assembly in place with my foot while I torqued it. I assume a vice would help with that and I might give it a try.

Struggle through it!! Im dying to hear the results. +1 for your troubles.

:tup:

Took some pain medicine and working on the fronts now. Before I began today, I had to hunt down a pair of hex nuts to pair with the shock bolt; the stock nut can't be used because it's welded to the stock shock (this is true for the rears and I assume it's true for the fronts). Also bought a vice and installed that as well.

BTW here's a teaser pick of the rear.

:tup:

:tup: Ill have to remember to get nuts for my install when I get them as well. LOVE the pic, as that is what my setup will look like. Konis, slotted rotors and F14's:tup::tup::tup:

hahaha, i didnt know you had to do acrobatics to install the rear. :icon18:

i usually use my hydraulic jack under the hub carrier to raise and torque everything in place. :D

:tup: GL with the rest!

kenchan, I tried doing that but the inner most bolt of the strut kept turning as I turned the outer nut. Maybe it wasn't raised high enough by the jack? I really don't know man...please forgive my ignorance on this one.

So I removed one of the front shocks, but the nut holding the top hat on is a real PITA to remove. The spring compressors are compressed as far as they will go, but I'm having absolutely no luck getting that sunava beach removed.

I'm tempted to haul it over to a local pro to swap them out like Mike suggested. I just don't want to fork over $50. Do you guys have any ideas just short of doing that?

This is Colin (the guy in the snap on hat compressing the spring in the earlier picture)
If you are talking about the nut that holds the strut into the mount (top hat), then there are three ways to go about removing it.

1. use an impact gun. just be sure to go in short bursts to avoid spinning the seals inside the strut. I only use this method for removing the nut, not installing, to prevent damaging the new struts.

2. get a pair of vice grips and a rubber hose large enough diameter to fit aroud the shaft of the strut. cut a pice of the rubber hose off (1-2") then slit it down one end, but it around the strut shaft then clamp down on it with vice grips to hold the shaft, then use a ratchet or wrench to remove the nut.

3. use an offset whench or ratchet with a pass through (like a gearatchet) on the nut while holding the shaft with either an allen, torx, socket, or outside torx (depending on strut)
if you dont have a offset wrench or a pass through ratchet use a socket then use a pipe wrench to turn the socket, instead of a ratchet.

http://www.twinsaabs.com/9-5_repair/...t_top_bolt.jpg

http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impre...es/topbolt.jpg

-Colin Clark, ASE Master Automobile Technician

Colin, thank you. I have an offset wrench but it's a 12-point and I think it would strip the nut (I tried it anyways and it slipped right off); I searched high and low for a 6-point offset wrench, but I couldn't find one that was sold anywhere local to me.

I don't have an impact gun, so I can't do that either.

More about my trouble with this: when I put my breaker bar on there with a 17mm deep socket, I can feel that I'm getting the leverage I need. The problem though, to be more descriptive, is the whole strut assembly begins to torque (like a twisting motion) when force is applied to the nut of the top hat. I don't have a technique for neutralizing the strut assembly while doing this; I thought a vice would do the trick but I was wrong. :)

With all of that said, it sounds like an impact gun would take care of it. The only problem with that is they're expensive. Man, I wish I lived in Cali so that I could visit your shop and knock this out of the park.

I really appreciate your ideas, though. Even if I couldn't use them per say, they illustrated the concepts to me and gave me ideas for tools to buy in the future. So not all was lost there. :)

I guess I'm going to throw in the towel for this part of the job. I'm going to take it to a pro tomorrow.

that's the nut i was talking about to crack loose while it's still on the car. :)

I just got my wife to do it... she's awesome at crack'n nuts... mine haven't been the same since we got married.