Elan Front Spring Compressor

[JGeezer]

Anyone have any tool reference, or simple & safe approach to compressing the front coils? I have compressors that are too big and too small (motorcycle), nothing I can get on there. Really cheap is good.

[billwill]

Other members have constructed their own:

Two square steel plates with a big hole in the middle and a 10mm clearance hole at each corner.

4 off 10mm threaded rods of appropriate length i.e a lot longer than the whole damper unit. They have to cate for an uncompressed spring length.

10mm nuts, quant.suff.

It makes a sort of cage around the damper unit and you patiently tighten nuts in sequence to compress the spring.


There's a photo of one somewhere on the site, I saw it when browsing the new Photo Gallery feature yesterday.

Have a plough through this list and see if you can find the relevant topic:

http://www.lotuselan.net/cgi-bin/search ... oom_sort=0

[billwill]

Aha, here is the topic:

lotus-suspension-f42/front-suspension-overhaul-elan-t17535.html#p91717

[JGeezer]

Thank you very much! That is nice & safe looking, I guess I'll give something like that a try.

[types26/36]

Here are a couple I made up and used, only used two threaded rods though
With one I used an old brake disc, a bolt on wheel and a couple of threaded rods.
The other consisted of a couple of plates and a couple of threaded rods.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

A crude but effective method is to employ a pair of lengths of timber as levers
2 hooks made of mild steel strip can be made to hook around each side of the top of a spring coil (towards the top end) & the other side of the hook cam be formed to take whatever size timber lever arms you choose to use.
The fulcrum for the wooden lever arms can be the underside of a handy (heavily loaded) shelf or a fabricated fulcrum attached to a wall.
An adapter to protect the threaded lower end of the damper should hold the damper vertical but with movement to swing.
If you get the lengths right you will be able to fit the springs quickly & without help.

I've also done the job by wrapping twine around either side of the spring & then of course wooden levers.
Takes a couple of minutes longer but all you need then is in principal the two lengths of timber & some twine.

This is not theory; I've used this method numerous times without coming to grief & not needing outside assistance.

Somewhere I have the lovely wall adapter, floor adapter & a pair of hooks that I last used successfully on my Elan but to search for them amongst all of my gubbins

Cheers
John

[AHM]

The other consisted of a couple of plates and a couple of threaded rods.

Just like mine! 2 old mower brake discs with the centres turned to fit the damper base and spring retainer, 2 lengths of studding.

essential tool - ratchet ring spanner to save on the boredom

[types26/36]

[quote="AHM"]
Just like mine! 2 old mower brake discs /quote]

The elan's disc fits perfectly and so does the elan's spare wheel (bolt on) so I suppose you only need the threaded rods
Chapman's philosophy of making every component do more then one job

[robertverhey]

My cheap hardware store solution

lotus-elan-f19/australia-now-has-one-more-elan-t21042-30.html

[AHM]

Brian, Yours must be the deluxe roadside version - spare wheels are a bit expensive for me!

My old mower discs are precision machined - must be the workshop version. Look just like your second picture.

[RichardHawkins]

My spring compressor is very similar to Bill Will, except I used pipe flanges. More easily obtained as I worked in the Chemical Industry.

Richard Hawkins

[billwill]

My spring compressor is very similar to Bill Will, except I used pipe flanges. More easily obtained as I worked in the Chemical Industry.

Richard Hawkins

That's not actually mine, its from a message by Richard rjaxe. But it's one I would build if I needed it.

I like the idea of keeping that wild spring in a cage.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Well, I'm amazed that you are all so happy to sit down for hours twiddling nuts around at about 1/2 turn at a time.
My wooden levers & hooks/twine method does the job in a trice!

I think that those "wild" springs that you are talking about must be the crazily overlong ones that Spyder sold to me as being "correct".
To be honest when I tried & successfully assembled one of them it scared me to death, so much in fact that I took it off immediately & ordered sensible springs from elsewhere.

When you've got the right springs the job is not at all scary.

Cheers
John

[billwill]

I think we might be having difficulty visualising your version, John, have you got a photo or a sketch.
How long were your wooden levers?


Actually at back of my garage I have an old drill-stand accessory for a Black&Decker hand drill, which would work in a similar manner, if I extended the lever.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

OK, you've twisted my arm & I have had a clamber around under the roof of my garage to search for those tools I knew I have & have used on several occasions.

So now you have pictures & yes I know that I'm the person that says a picture saves a thousand words but here you will need to use your imagination a bit.

There is a photo showing the bits of the tool in more or less the positions they would be used.
Comprises a lower bracket through which a bolt passes & locates the lower end of the damper keeping the threaded portion for the anti-roll bar attachment away from the floor & free from damage.

The next parts are the 2 steel strip hooks which wrap around the top of the spring coil(s) & into which the wooden cantilever will rest.

Not shown, the all important Wooden plank cantilever arms which must be positioned to make leverage easy for yourself BY SITTING ON THEM!; this leaves both hands free to centralise things & fitting the spring top retainer ring at the right time. From memory a couple of levers about 140cm long will do the job OK

The other part is the pivot point (fulcrum) for the two wooden plank levers.
The levers are simply drilled through & retained on the pivot point.

Other than the photo there is a sketch of the spring hooks that can be simply replaced by strong thin twine.
The other sketch shows these parts together with a spring/damper & the lever arms all positioned on the floor & the lever pivot screwed to a wall.
Note: This pivot point can also be replaced by a heavily loaded shelf if you have one at a usable height.
All forms of wooden packing to get things to work is of course you free choice.

Believe me, assembly is quick, simple & not at all scary (well yes a bit scary with those Spyder springs )