Hi again...
Almost done with my front end. Only one new bit of wisdom acquired during
the process, and it has to do with compressing the road spring, one of the
stickier parts.
The lesson is: Don't use a floor jack to compress a road spring
when the car is on jack stands!!
This is not a heavy car. The spring is stiff. If you compress it against
the ground you will lift the car off the jack stands or at least take off
much of the weight, then any sideways force (like that required to position
the spring pan) will dangerously destabilize the car.
I almost pushed it off its stands when I tried this, ohmygod!!
The RIGHT way to do this is with a central-axis spring compressor like the
one TRF sells. This is a threaded rod running up the center of the spring,
right where the shock absorber used to go.
I made mine from 20" of fine threaded rod, 2 clamping bolts and washers plus
one more big washer for the top of the shock tower, and the same custom hunk
of wood (with bridge washer) I used to release the spring in the first place.
TRF's is expensive (~$50); you can make one yourself for $5 in hardware and
a piece of thick scrap wood.
Note that it worked OK with the floor jack to release the spring, since you
didn't need to position anything, but it's not a symmetric operation. If you
have the compressor, use it for removal AND installation since it's totally
safe. A jack is not safe.
Anyway, make or buy your own spring compressor to do this job, don't do it
the way the Bentley's says to.
--ian
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