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After recently having to replace both front springs after
accidentally letting them "spring" from their perch while
relubing the cv joints, discovered a "cheapo" way to replace
them that others may refer to. I ordered the cheap spring
compressor from J.C. Whitney; part # 81SC6454N; $19.99. After
several attempts to compress the spring using this compressor,
i realized this compressor was too short to compress the spring
properly, and attempts to "sneak up" on it by several intermediate
compressions of the middle turns, only came to naught, during which
i narrowly escaped serious injury. In a moment of inspiration,
inspired by desperation, I went to the hardware store and bought a
5/8" X 3' threaded rod, which would screw into the threaded clamp
of the spring compressor, (which i took with me just to make sure),
i took this home, along with 4 nuts and flat washers to fit,
hacksawed it into two 18" halves which I threaded through the
clamps of the spring compressor. This gave me the reach to compress
the full length of spring just like the picture in my Haynes Manual
on page 108. Lessons learned from this experience, during which
time I could have overhauled two or three engines or transmissions,
are as follows.
1) In any procedure involving the disassembly of the front
suspension system, do not remove the two bolts securing the
upper A frame to the upper ball joint unless you have
solidly braced the upper A frame in position with a 2x4 or
some other means.
2) if worse comes to worse, any attempt to comress the
spring with any method that does not encompass the full
length of the spring is doomed to failure, because the
compressor will eventually slide along the slopes of the
spiral of the spring.
3. During this period of abject submission to the Thor God
of Defeat I thought I remembered reading a factory article
on preparing the Saab 96 for Rallying by cutting one lower
coil off the springs.
The logic of this impressed itself on me at the time
should I be foolish enough to continue work on this
beast rather than buying something I didn'nt know every
nut and bolt on by heart! (Or perhaps; that would be the
first modification I would make on a new acquisition).
enuff said! "The Kid".
3
posted by 204.96.14...
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