With the strut attached and the tie rod removed you must remove the a-arm bolts and lower the a-arm. It is best to lower the a-arm with two bottle jacks, one on each tail of the a-arm. When raising the a-arm back up, use a crow bar between the a-arm and k-member to align the a-arm holes. This is the only way to get those suckers back in without the proper spring compressor.
I have done this several ways. The Ford tool is pricey, its an internal compressor with rounded plates that fit the springs nicely, and ball joints at the nuts where you tighten it.
Shorter front springs can be installed without a compressor, you remove the sway bar, tie rod, and lower strut bolts. Insert the spring and coax it into both spring pockets and jack the lower arm back up. It still can be a mother.
I ended up taking two pcs of 1/2 in thick steel, about 2 by 5 inches, and putting a hole in the middle for 5/8 or bigger threaded rod. This is the country boy spring compressor. I cpmpress the spring in my press or by tightening the nuts before I install it. Make sure the long end of the rod sticks out the hole in the lower arm.
The country boy would jack the spring under the trailer hitch to an F250 as tight as possible and wire it closed with coathangers or short pieces of chain. I have not done this one, but others have and it works. A steel banding tool is considered the ultimate for this approach.
I also have the KD tool, and it would work but the threaded pcs with the hooks are too big to remove through the hole in the lower arm. You could just get one of these and enlarge the hole.
The Ford one has been called a clamshell compressor.
The MFE method is widely known on the Corral (he's a mod there). Guys are talkin about it here - using the LCA to compress the spring rather than compressing it statically.
Fidstang, I'll have to see if I can find that compressor at AZ - sounds like it might be useful.
Good luck.
I bought the Ford one last year from a tool company on the net, it was over 200 Bucks, but was worth every penny as it really made changing the fronts easy!
I used some muffler clamps. Put them over two coils, put the nut on, tightened with air ratchet and sucked t down, lowered A arm the removed spring. same for install. Fast and cost less than 10 bucks!
Never had to use a spring compressor to remove them. However, to put in the Eibach I had to use a spring compressor. If you are looking for a compressor, I used Eastwoods. They have two styles - one that clamps from the inside and another that clamps from the outside. I used the one that goes on the inside of the spirngs.
Did mine a couple of times and i used a cheap fix. bought some motorcycle straps wrapped them around the inside of the coils and started to tighten them down. stick the spring in the top of the spring pirch push the spring into the arm and jack it up. done this a couple times like i said and never had a problem.
well i got my c springs in and i didnt even need a compressor the car rides real nice compared to the wore out 4 cyl springs anyway thanks for the info guys