shocks struts and springs install question

Asha'man said:

They can, but not when you've unbolted the strut/spindle and let the control arm swing down. They're not compressed at all at that point, just pry them out over the lip of the pocket and they fall right out. People are way too afraid of springs, I swear.

Ash

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Thats a hella load of bad advice. Have you ever seen a spring go off before? You think that because you've changed springs once, that they are all the same?

If the poster is using jack stands.. he probably won't have the car up very high. Think about how much he can lower the control arm.. you are advising him to PRY the spring out when it is most likely still under compression?

Asha'man said:

They can, but not when you've unbolted the strut/spindle and let the control arm swing down. They're not compressed at all at that point, just pry them out over the lip of the pocket and they fall right out. People are way too afraid of springs, I swear.

Ash

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Ash, i also disagree. i am speaking in blanket terms here, not anything specific (and even then, my vert springs still had life in them when the control arm was nearly perpendicular to the ground). the point of my post was to treat ANY spring with great respect (just like wiring at home - double and triple check it is off, treat it like it is on).

the original poster, while asking good questions, sounds as though he has not done spring R/R before. i certainly would have him error on the side of caution (as we all should; each year there is a story of someone being seriously injured or worse, from springs).

i can see your point, Ash - i just dont think it would be good advice for someone who has not done the job before. and i just wanted to stress the caution part. like i said, i treat springs as if it is the first time i have ever worked on a car (i think i mentioned 'kid gloves' in an earlier post - true). i go very slow and methodically.

i guess i am not as confident as the Asha'man.

Well, I've had mine apart twice, and my buddy's apart a couple times as well, and never did I have any fear of the spring jumping out, blowing a hole through my chest cavity, and flying 20 feet beyond like some seem to think it will. Yes, I stand to the side when I'm prying, but the car is on jackstands and there's plenty of clearance for the A-arm to drop, and little to no tension on the spring. If you're removing drag springs or something, then disregard....I've only dealt with stock and lowering springs.

If you're really scared of the spring "going off", so to speak, take a chain and run it through a coil and through the A-arm, and padlock the ends together. Pry to your heart's content - if it somehow has enough compression to leap out when you pry, the chain will hold it down.

But I still maintain that the sheer destructive power of coil springs is way overexaggerated.

Ash