Spring compressor?
 

Does it matter what kind? I see McPherson compressors along with others that are just called coil spring compressors. Going to do my springs myself; just needed a little more info. Thanks.

Yes, McPs have to be compressed from the 'outside' - a plain coil compressor 'can' and often does compress w/ the thread part inside the coil. Some compressors can do both struts and plain coils.

You can rent these things too. The rental stuff may be better than some of the 'cheaper' fare offered at retail.

You can in some cases take the entire strut assembly off and then take it to a shop and have them 'bench' swap the sprints.

I cannot stress enough the need to be carefull - a compressed spring is a LOT of potential energy - I have a scar on my hand where I drove a screwdriver threw it due to playing with an old Triumph spitfire spring as a kid. Again, be careful or pay the labor to have a shop do this one.

good luck,

You can buy a good quality "outside type" for $20-40. When you use it just be wary, as if you are changing a tire - ie don't get under the car if you are using just a jack - don't get in the way of the spring in case the compressor fails/slips off.

Some auto stores will loan them to for a deposit, like Autozone.

Pretty much any old spring compressor will work since you don't have to use it until you have the spring/shock assembly out of the car.
Removal of the springs requires the partial disassembly of the upper suspension first - not too difficult, but absolutely necessesary.

Most spring compressors have some sort of locking mechanism that keeps them from slipping off the spring. They're typically VERY safe, but again you have to use the tool properly and not be a dumbass about it :). I've got a set from Autozone that I paid around $30 for that work great.

Having air tools speeds up the process a *LOT*. I've changed springs on a 2nd gen RX-7 in about 1 hour before - no kidding.

Also, the majority of aftermarket springs DO NOT have to be compressed to be installed. Put the spring on, set the spring perch on top, and usually a little pressure on the spring is enough to get the shock threads exposed to start the nut. Makes life VERY easy.

Dale

Thanks for all the info. The shop I'm doing this in does not have air tools (not to my knowlege anyway), so it'll be interesting to see how long it takes.