Yeah, we've all heard about the dangers of coil spring compressor tools yeah?:cry:

Well, me and my workshop offsider (daughter) spent a few hours on saturday fitting some pedders sportsryder springs to the magna. Well one of the spring compressors failed (metal fatigue) and shot off, hitting me in the shin, and then ricocheting into a timber dining table i had stored in the garage. I didnt break and bones, but hace massive bruising. The timber dining table however has a substantial dent in it....and that was after the tool bounced off my shin...youch!

I reckon i'll invest in a better brand of compressor that attaches to the coil rather than hooks over the coil. And possibly not use it for more than a few lowering jobs....too pharking dangerous.:redface:

Lucky your alrite man, could of done some serious damage.

Also just wanted 2 ask how much king springs would cost?? for about a 2-3inch lowering??

That was a close call thank god your alright.I picked up some lovells superlows for about 230 brand new

That was a close call thank god your alright.I picked up some lovells superlows for about 230 brand new

how low did those bring it?

I am not sure how low they go i havnt installed them yet but i do know that they pretty low.I think they are about a 50mm drop

I am not sure how low they go i havnt installed them yet but i do know that they pretty low.I think they are about a 50mm drop
so 2 inches, thats nice, thanks man.

I also think thats called cheap tools.. Good tools wont let go like that..


Lucky no one was seriously hurt..:)

I was just browsing through your pics.....you've got one of the nicest magnas ive seen in a long time. And, some of the photo's are awesome....you're a pretty good photographer...specially some of the night pix....

I was just browsing through your pics.....you've got one of the nicest magnas ive seen in a long time. And, some of the photo's are awesome....you're a pretty good photographer...specially some of the night pix....


Cheers mate.. I think i only took half of them..:P I am a crap photographer..:P Its all about the location..:)

Also just wanted 2 ask how much king springs would cost?? for about a 2-3inch lowering??
Approx $140 for a pair of King Springs, so ~$280 for all 4.

Cheers,
Martin.

Approx $140 for a pair of King Springs, so ~$280 for all 4.

Cheers,
Martin.
You can get them cheaper than $280, I paid $240 myself.

Me n a mate took apart one of my front struts without compressors, without thinkin either, and the top shot off like a bullet. Nearly broke mi mates hand and scared the **** out of us lol. Never found the nut either.. lol

Me n a mate took apart one of my front struts without compressors, without thinkin either, and the top shot off like a bullet. Nearly broke mi mates hand and scared the **** out of us lol. Never found the nut either.. lol

That was a very.....smart....thing to do....

hope ya learned ya lesson:P

Yeah, we've all heard about the dangers of coil spring compressor tools yeah?:cry:

Well, me and my workshop offsider (daughter) spent a few hours on saturday fitting some pedders sportsryder springs to the magna. Well one of the spring compressors failed (metal fatigue) and shot off, hitting me in the shin, and then ricocheting into a timber dining table i had stored in the garage. I didnt break and bones, but hace massive bruising. The timber dining table however has a substantial dent in it....and that was after the tool bounced off my shin...youch!

I reckon i'll invest in a better brand of compressor that attaches to the coil rather than hooks over the coil. And possibly not use it for more than a few lowering jobs....too pharking dangerous.:redface:

Glad youre ok mate.

To get spring compressors that attach to the spring via a bolt will cost you about $140.. And they are hard has hell to find. (not sure if its worth spending so much considering how often you would do it)


I recently purchased a new set of spring compressors as my old ones were fairly worn (11 x4 sets of springs it had done)


The new set has alot tighter thread (closer) and can be wound alot easier than my old set. Im not sure what brand you had, but my new set cost me $40..

Never ever drop your spring compressors.. Thats how stress fractures arise :)

Yer went out n bought spring compressors after that... We knew in the back of our minds it would happen but we were just having a stupid day... lol, it didnt click that the struts were under pressure....

The reason we didnt think of it was because i had another set of struts with the springs cut, and the springs didnt have to compress at all to fit on the strut assembly... lol

i just paid $235 from philcom rally for kings low.will be on the car by the weekend.

When I got defected and I had to return my car to stock height I didn't need to use spring compressors to remove the superlows as they were shorter than the shocker. I put all four springs back in then took the car round the block to test it out and there was a knocking sound. I rang a few people and found out that I hadn't aligned the top and the bottom of the strut on the drivers side. I pulled the strut out of the car again to realign the strut and now that the standard springs were in I needed to use spring compressors on the spring to take it out of the strut. I forgot about this, as I had just done all four of my superlows. As I was undoing the bolt on the top of the strut it got harder like it was under pressure but I thought nothing of it. On the final turn the bolt came off, the bolt went through the roof of the workshop then the strut top launched into my arm which then continued on and wacked me in the face. The spring went straight up about 5m into the air (so I'm told) then came down and landed on my mates boot leaving a circular dent. A few minutes later I woke up lying on the ground with hardly any vision, a black eye, a hole in my arm and a massive headache. I couldn't see properly for like 5 minutes and my headache went on for ages. I was really lucky I got only those injuries. Let that be a lesson to anyone not planning to use spring compressors. I will never do that again!

here's the damage....five days afterwards

ouch

very very lucky.

A broken bone that low requires bolts :)

This is exactly what I have been saying on the forums for a long time now. Glad that everyone is ok aside from some blood and bruises.

A work mate years ago ended up in hospital for many months having his face re constructed after a cheap spring compressor gave way. The company never skimped on tools after this.

Personally, i use the Snap On ones as these do not rely on the casting for the threads, they also have brackets which clamp to the spring so if they ley go, slip or anything, they will not fly off. Both ends have double "fingers" to hold the spring also

this all sounds freaky-ly familiar...
a mate and i were lowering my wife's car at the time (an EF Falcon wagon).
we were using a set of those cheap and nasty compressors that have the cast 'single hook' arrangement.
anyway, 1 let go, the spring hit the back of his hand (only cracking 1 bone... god knows how), went between us, bounced off the factory wall and went straight thru the office window, ending up on the secretaries desk... ohh, and we didnt even see it go, coz it flew sooo damn quick, but the trail of damage told the story.
thank god it missed our vitals, and everyone else, and the secretary was at lunch too.

so it was off to the local Bursons and get a set of decent compressors.
they have 'double hooks', are all steel with huge welds, and weigh a ton.
but they sure as hell do a top job.

BTW, his hand was heavily taped and bandaged for a couple of weeks, and has been fine since.
*** lucky tho...

and TJ... mate, just think, if thats the damage it did too u, imagine the damage it would have done to junior...
i have a nearly 6yo girl here, and i shudder at those thoughts too now...

Yes, i shudder at the thought too....

Its amazing how much interest she has (for a 13yo) in cars, and working on them.

She's got her heart set on a sierra for when she gets her licence...but nooooo not a pink one....or softop....nooo...she wants the lift kit, rollbar mounted spotlights, bars, the whole kit. I think she somehow fancies herself as a Lara Croft (tombraider) wanna be....hehe.

But, thankfully thats a few years off yet...and in the meantime she's a great offsider....how many 13yo's know what to hand you when you ask for a 12mm socket on a 6" extension with a ratchet? lol

I bought cheap spring compressors, did 4 spring swaps and the thread is stuffed, but hey wont need them again for long time. Did the job for $39

I bought cheap spring compressors, did 4 spring swaps and the thread is stuffed, but hey wont need them again for long time. Did the job for $39

Seen it happen so many times... the threads just stretch. Also remember to lubricate the compressor threads before and after each use, to minimise any damage to the threads.

Actually quite disturbing reading this thread, to see how many people have had 'bad' experiences with spring compressors. Why they even release/market cheap compressors without testing is beyond me, as cheap ones could easily cost a persons life. :doubt:

If they continue to sell crap like that, the average joe will always take the cheaper option out without thinking ahead.. and often (as we see) will deal with the conscequences.

Yeah, we've all heard about the dangers of coil spring compressor tools yeah?:cry:

thankfully ur allright considering what could have happened. im thinking of binning mine and telling people to go to a suspension place. was that a new set got any pics of the compressor?

the way my bos dose it he puts the coil assmable in a vice and ties down the coil some wird way with some thick wire. lucky he did though he was showing me how the compressor worked and one gave way but only went as far as the wire would let it.

I pulled springs off an old front end i had sitting next to a VP i was wrecking.

I didn't use an spring compressers and when the bolt came undone the strut top shot off and went through the side window of the VP. Glad it didn't hit me thats for sure!