I'm having alot of trouble getting my bbk springs to fit in my car, I'm attempting the mfe meathod but its not working out for me i cant get the wholes to line up to bolt the a arms back up. how much would it cost ( ballpark figure) to have my springs compressed at a shop and banded? and all i would have to do after that is come home bolt up the arms and clip the bands right?
how much to get springs compressed and banded?
- Thread starter jmd2914
- Start date
Do what I did... I used these to reinstall my stockers since no shops around here would band'em for me due to liability issues
Get a bunch of those hose clamps, compress your springs with the compressor, and clamp a bunch of them around each coil. Careful though cause some of them will want to break while you unload the compressor, so do it slowly. I only spent like $15 for 100 clamps or if you got like 10-15 laying around. I tried zip ties and they popped like zitts. This will work and it's cheap!
Get a bunch of those hose clamps, compress your springs with the compressor, and clamp a bunch of them around each coil. Careful though cause some of them will want to break while you unload the compressor, so do it slowly. I only spent like $15 for 100 clamps or if you got like 10-15 laying around. I tried zip ties and they popped like zitts. This will work and it's cheap!
Roland69
Sergeant Tangnet
all i have to say about that photo is: did you wear saftey glasses?wazazzle said:Do what I did... I used these to reinstall my stockers since no shops around here would band'em for me due to liability issues
Roland69
Sergeant Tangnet
If a ratchet strap can pull a car onto a trailer and than compress the complete front end and back end towards the trailer using a strap for the front and a strap for the back I'm sure a ratchet strap wraped between the coils will compress when ratcheted tite.
Shakerhood
20+ Year Stangneter 
GREYFOX4INCH said:
The Spring Compressors they rent out are not the correct style for doing our Mustangs.
GF, those are for jacking up an existing (installed) spring an inch or two (or compressing them) for aesthetics (like if you have saggy springs or want to drop a spring a tiny bit).
An internal spring compressor works in a pinch - I did that with stock springs. But I had to make a shim for under the head of the compressor so the rod didnt bottom out in the spring perch before compressing the spring.
The correct clam shell compressors would be the ticket - check the local stang club and see if anyone has a set that they will loan or rent to you.
ANd keep calling around for the banding of the springs.
Good luck.
An internal spring compressor works in a pinch - I did that with stock springs. But I had to make a shim for under the head of the compressor so the rod didnt bottom out in the spring perch before compressing the spring.
The correct clam shell compressors would be the ticket - check the local stang club and see if anyone has a set that they will loan or rent to you.
ANd keep calling around for the banding of the springs.
Good luck.
dragnazz5.0
My "0" key d0esn't w0rk, s0 I have t0 use the zer0
unbolting the strut and putting a jack under the ball joing and lowering it down slowly doesnt work?
Why did you unbolt the control arm from the k member???? You unbolt the strut from the spindle and pull the stocker out that way, and the new, shorter lowering spring will slide right in! THen jack up the control arm and bolt up the strut... The only reason I've ever had to unbolt the control arms from the k-member is because I was installing drag springs (higher spring rate, and about two inches taller) They wouldn't fit in the strut/spindle way... I had to unbolt the control arm from the k-member, stick the spring back in, and jack the control arm back up to install the bolts... it was a pain, but not too bad. Good luck.i tried doing it by unbolting the a arm from the k member while still having the tie rod and strut bolted up to get the spring in, the spring fits in fine, its just that whenver i try and jack the arm back into place, it wont line up with the bolt hole, and when i try and put my bbk springs in, it actually pushes back against the jack and just makes the jack roll backwards
Whatcha need to do it unbolt the strut... and bolt the a-arm back to the k-member without the spring in... Then install the spring from the front... then jack up the a arm and reinstall the bolts for the strut... The strut will move in all directions so the bolts go in very easy.
rd
Founding Member
Having tried this a bunch of ways, unbolting the strut, unbolting the control arm, with a compressor, etc, with stock springs it can be a mother.
I ended up doing it enought to make an internal compressor out of two pieces of 1/2 in plate, and a single 5/8 threaded rod. I compress the springs in a press, and thread the compressor down. Make sure to get the extended thread through the hole in the arm, install and its done.
You can sometimes get enough compression with a pair of the outside spring compressors, like Harbor Freight sells.
I got a KD internal unit, but one of the threaded end pieces was too big to come back out the hole in the control arm. I could have ground the compressor part or made the hole bigger, I guess, but I got around it.
Can be a pain.
I ended up doing it enought to make an internal compressor out of two pieces of 1/2 in plate, and a single 5/8 threaded rod. I compress the springs in a press, and thread the compressor down. Make sure to get the extended thread through the hole in the arm, install and its done.
You can sometimes get enough compression with a pair of the outside spring compressors, like Harbor Freight sells.
I got a KD internal unit, but one of the threaded end pieces was too big to come back out the hole in the control arm. I could have ground the compressor part or made the hole bigger, I guess, but I got around it.
Can be a pain.
