Removing front springs?

[vxah]

I was thinking about this very job as I have springs to paint and new dampers to fit! Some years ago I made a special compressor with thin "fingers" to go in between the coils of my +2, now I come to do the little Elan and I find the spring coils are wound the other way so the angle of the fingers is wrong for them! I was considering making a new set of fingers until I saw the disc/wheel method but, I see you have bolt on wheels! I can only find one old disc as well!!

[Bombay Racing Green]

I too didn?t have a bolt on wheel but I did have two old brake disks. It works well. I have tried the ratchet strap method and stopped fairly quickly! The threaded bar allows for a slow and controlled release.

[vxah]

" allows for a slow and controlled release" That's always a good idea!

[Tmac897]

I too didn?t have a bolt on wheel but I did have two old brake disks. It works well. I have tried the ratchet strap method and stopped fairly quickly! The threaded bar allows for a slow and controlled release.

That sounds like the winner. I do have two front brake rotors, but they?re not in bad shape and I planned on using them again. As long as I tension/release them fairly uniformly, I don?t think I?ll run into any problems down the road.

What diameter and length threaded rod did you use?

[grassyknoll]

Fitted using ratchets, the large ones, not flimsy ones for roof racks.

On protec damper

[baileyman]

Here is the one I mentioned. Heating the rods, I bent them, then cut and filed to make a decent hook shape, and wrapped in aluminum HVAC tape to soften the profile against the painted springs.

threaded rod compressor in action

[Tmac897]

Looks good!

[RichardHawkins]

I use the same method as Alanr except my steel plates are circular, they had been pipe flanges that I adapted for th purpose. You need a hole in the plate that allows the spring to be collapsed/compressed whilst removing the keep. Rather like a valve spring compressor on a larger scale.

Richard Hawkins

[Bombay Racing Green]

I think they were either 8mm or 10mm threaded bar. I used longer nuts (about an inch long, can?t quite remember the exact term for them!). Worked well on both my front and rear Europa shocks.

Good luck.

[661]

My effort based on the Buckland one.
The upper ring splits to go between the rungs.