Alright, I got my springs and I'm ready to lower the car.

I went and rented two different coil spring compressors, and none of them will fit inside the coils to grab hold and compress the spring so I can get it off the strut.

The local shops with the wall presses all want $130-$150 to do them. I'm too cheap to pay that, and think that it's rediculous to pay that, for what will take the guy not even 10 minutes to do. I handed him one of the stock assembled strut/springs and he said 'Oh yea, it won't take long at all, a couple minutes each one.'

What else can I do to compress these damn springs?

 

you can do it the old fashion way and just fire the hats into a pillow inside a cardboard box h: Thats how I did mine before I had a spring compressor. Just be careful. You won't need a compressor to put the new ones on, they will be short enough that the top hats will go on without having to compress them.

 

You mean loosening the top nut on the strut and just letting them rocket off?

How about cutting a coil with a sawzall while it's still on the car or the strut assembly?

 

I wouldn't rec. that at all.

can you get pics of the spring compressors you got? maybe you are just doing it wrong.

 

I already took them back, so I can't get any pics.

The compressor fingers didn't fit into the after market ones. The stock springs were almost the same, so I didn't try to see if they would fit.

I'll go tomorrow and get one again to see if it will fit into the stock spring.

 

yeah the aftermarket springs won't need compressing, juts the stockers.

 

Thanks man, I didn't put that into consideration.

I'm going to run up to Autozone and get another one and try it.

Any idea how long it actually takes to do everything? I'm supposed to be catching a movie with the lady tonight in about 2 hours.

 

have you tried removing the rears yet....

 

No, I just pulled one of the front ones off to show to the guy at the shop.

Why?

 

The lower bolt for the rear struts that goes into through the LCA gets seized in the bushing 9/10. You mite get lucky cause it is a Florida car, but on the 10 or so suspensions I have done on civics I have had to blast out the bolt with a torch or cut the strut and then replace the center LCA bushing.