Is it possible to remove the front coil springs by jacking the car up and taking the lower control arm bolt out and lowering the spring pan slowly?

I am installing Powerflex front bushings & H&R lowering springs on Monday/Tuesday but may not have access to a lift or the threaded bar tool.

Can this be done as I have described? I have much experience in installing coil springs I might add, just not sure if it's actually possible.

 

I don't think the car weighs enough to compress the springs with a floor jack. The springs are inboard quite a ways and the leverage needed will probably lift the car from the stands.

If you can compress, you will NOT be able to control the lower pan to get the bolts back into the lower arms. It will move side-to-side and back/forth.

A set of REALLY long bolts with the hex cut off can help guide the spring pan back into place. I have heard of using 3 or 4 cut-off bolts. When the spring plate is in place you can remove a stud and install a correct bolt. (one at a time)

I have a proper threaded rod tool so I have never tried it 'free-style'.

A 3/4" all thread with a nut and a bunch of washers will work. Just drill a cross hole near one end and insert a 5/16" section of round stock or a cut-off part of a bolt short enough the fit through the elongated hole at the top of the upper spring seat.

The Jaguar special tool has a 5/16" roll pin through an M20 threaded rod with a large metal round plate and a swivel at the nut end.

Turn the rod 90 degrees and lodge the 5/16" bolt into the slot provided.

Use plenty of grease on the threads.

bob gauff

 

Hi, I have removed front springs without the correct tool and just using a jack under the spring pan you will need four studs approx 6" long which you screw into the spring pan bolt holes to guide the spring pan down, but I don't recommended doing it this way as its a little on the dangerous side those springs are damm strong and cannot wait to get out of there sideways! Now I use a copy of the jag tool I made using some m20 rod its inexpensive and easy to make and a lot safer btw you still need to use the 6" studs with the jag tool, good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

I bought the parts listed on here from McMaster-Carr. Can you send a pic of the 6" studs you are referring to?

 

I made a compressor with M20 threaded rod as Bob describes, shown here with the 8-inch-long sections of M8 threaded rod used to replace two screws to guide the spring pan. After testing different lengths by gradually cutting down a wooden dowel, I settled on 24 inches for the M20 rod. Also shown is the 30mm ratcheting wrench I used to speed up the compression and decompression procedures.




I purchased all the threaded rod and most of the other parts from McMaster-Carr. Several guys have successfully used a stack of heavy washers as the thrust device instead of the steel ball, and if I had it to do over again, that's what I would do. Tractor Supply Co. (TSC) stocks some nice heavy washers about 1/8 in. thick in a size that fits loosely over the M20 rod, with an O.D. in the 2+ in. range that seats nicely in the recess in the spring pan.

For the additional photos that show how the compressor is used, click this link:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

Note that I first tried standard dowel pins for the cross pin, but they deformed under the spring tension. I subsequently ordered the strongest dowel pins McMaster-Carr carries, with a breaking strength of 10,000 lbs. and those worked fine. If you use a bolt, it will probably need to be high grade steel. I used pins that were 1/4 in. diameter by 1-1/4 in. long. The cross hole was drilled 3/4 in. from the end of the M20 rod. The 5/16 in. diameter Bob suggested would be better for the cross pin, but when I was developing my plan I was concerned about weakening the M20 rod too much, so I opted for the smaller 1/4 in. hole. It probably doesn't matter as long as you use a strong pin.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don, I took your advice from a previous post and received the parts from them to make the tool today

 

Note how i changed my x300 springs to XJR ones . Very simple just using threadded bar and a few nuts . Lower on a trolley jack a bit at a time and loosen nuts . Obviously same in reverse . Took 1 hour per side.

 

Thank you! I don't understand the threaded bolts and nuts. What do they do and what size/pitch are they? I will pick some up!

 

If you make a spring compressor with the M20 threaded rod, you won't need six smaller threaded rods, just two to help guide the spring pan into position. Mark's method uses six smaller threaded rods (M8, I presume) instead of the large threaded rod that fits up through the spring and hooks to the upper spring mount. Effective, but more laborious and time-consuming than the single large threaded rod that emulates the Jaguar tool.

 

The Spring pan has nuts on bottom with m8 threads cut threaded bar about 15 inches long . Put 3 nuts on each bar . 2 locked together at on end . Remove pan bolts one at a time . Replacing with a threaded bar. Tightening the third nut to it . Do this with all bolts . Place jack under pan . Loosen nuts about an inch . Lower jack to nuts then repeat. To put in new spring just do in reverse

 

Wow, what a unique way to do that with basic tools. I'm almost finished with my spring compressor "Rod Johnson". Just working the 1/4" hole to fit the dowel.

 

I am going to give this method a try as I need to replace all the control arm bushings on my X300.

Does anyone know what the thread pitch needs to be for the threaded rod? Not sure if it is standardized

Bernie

 

Its an M8 I believe .Making the threaded rod tool isn't tough and saves a ton of time. Having the back two bolts with studs in them when putting the spring back in is key to align the bolts. I failed to do this properly and had to start over. Not fun.