front shocks

[vinelandidiot13]

do i need to have a spring compressor to due my front shocks i didnt need them to do the back so just wondering if it would be alright without it

[william]

Yes ! You can rent one from most autoparts store.

[WmWatt]

Unless you can buy the full strut assembly. All I could find were the shocks so like william says you have to reuse the old springs and for that the compressor is required

[firebush357]

You can put the Advance Suspension Mod coilovers on the front without a spring compressor but not stock springs.

[FestYboy]

Do NOT EVER disassemble any loaded strut without a spring compressor. The results can easily be deadly. The preload on some can easily exceed 500lb and flying pieces under that pressure can mimic the force of a mid-caliber bullet with alot more mass.

[WmWatt]

***Do NOT EVER disassemble any loaded strut without a spring compressor.***
I can vouch for that. Got some Kia Rio struts from the junk yard and figured off the car they are not under compression so would be okay to remove the nut holding the top on. BANG the top flew accross the basement and hit the far wall. Luckily I was postitioned at the side and not at the end.

[bhazard]

Do NOT EVER disassemble any loaded strut without a spring compressor. The results can easily be deadly. The preload on some can easily exceed 500lb and flying pieces under that pressure can mimic the force of a mid-caliber bullet with alot more mass.

You don't wanna know how many times I've zipped that nut off with an impact just to see how far that strut shoots across the ground...

[skeeters_keeper]

About 20-25ft..

[Dragonhealer]

The MK X Jaguar one went over 40 yards wedging under an Austin Healey3000, the 3/4 impact hit the block wall 7 feet away and knocked a small hole in it, 3 broken fingers.......

[Dragonhealer]

^ That was using an old 5/8 acme thread center rod compressor, striped the threads out of the nut!

[bhazard]

Holy crap I've never had one go farther than 10 feet or so.

Then again the biggest ones I've done we're maybe my Outback.

[TominMO]

Do NOT EVER disassemble any loaded strut without a spring compressor. The results can easily be deadly. The preload on some can easily exceed 500lb and flying pieces under that pressure can mimic the force of a mid-caliber bullet with alot more mass.

This is great advice. However, there is a way to remove the nut safely on Festiva/Aspire front struts. I have done it a lot.

First I loosen the nut with a ratchet wrench while the strut is still in the car, while sitting on the fender to compress it a little (just to make turning the nut easier). I leave the nut flush with the top of the threads. This removes some of the preload on the spring, which is only 105 lbs anyway. I would not do this with a heavier spring, but we can get away with it because the spring rate is relatively low.

Then after removing the strut assembly from the car, I lay it down on the ground with the bottom of the strut against something immovable, like my garage wall. Usually I put a cardboard box a couple feet from the top of the strut, with the box opening facing the strut, to catch the nut so I don't have to go looking for it. I use my impact wrench to finish removing the nut, while holding on to the upper strut mount. It goes bang when the nut comes completely off, but no damage to me, and the process is pretty controlled. Repeat: do not do this on heavier springs.

To reinstall the spring, I do still need spring compressors.

An improvement might be to have the bottom of the strut about two or three inches from the wall, and the space in between filled with something that gives a little, like maybe cardboard, so that some of the force would go backwards and less would go forwards.

I am going to work on designing a simple manual spring compressor for the front Fespire strut, which should be pretty easily usable with or adaptable to other small cars, using just mechanical leverage and body weight. Held compressed with a ratchet strap maybe.

[TominMO]

Ran out of time while editing the above.

When using the impact wrench and holding on to the strut top mount, I am standing over the strut while it is laying on the ground. So I am completely out of the line of fire when it lets go. The top mount will fly out of my hand along with the flat bearing, but only goes a few feet. Not really all that dramatic. I am wearing mechanic's gloves just to prevent the possibility of any cuts due to impact, but I'm not sure it's necessary. Makes me feel better to do so though.