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[HELP]Suspension Disaster and other miscellaneous issues

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Old 06-25-2018, 08:14 AM
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Default [HELP]Suspension Disaster and other miscellaneous issues

So Yesterday I tried changing my ricey shot spray paint lowering springs the PO had on it and return it to stock. Unbeknownst to me the top hat bolt was just about loose so the spring ended up in the wheel well. I have a single action spring compressor that I plan to use but I'm terrified. And on top of this I figured id remove the sway bar for more space since i needed to replace a Rad Fan but the last small 12mm bolt out of 4 is just spinning and won't come out. This car is about to be my daily for a few months so any help would be appreciated
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Old 06-25-2018, 08:22 AM
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Mobile version won't let me post pics
https://imgur.com/a/ZnJYvbp
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Old 06-25-2018, 08:34 AM
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Use wire or lots of zipties to help safely secure the spring while its being compressed so it cannot just 'let go'.
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:03 AM
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Just make sure the compressor is on the spring real well and if you are worried run a strap around the spring and tighten the strap as you go. Same logic as above. Spring compressors can be sketchy i have had more than one spring some out of the compressors when i worked in a shop. Just be slow smart and safe and you will be fine.
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Old 06-25-2018, 03:22 PM
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By "top hat bolt" you mean the upper shock nut?
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Old 06-25-2018, 05:09 PM
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If the car is up on jack stands and you're worried about the spring letting go while still installed on the car, you can use a hydraulic jack to compress the control arm and then slowly release the pressure to safely let the spring extend after you've removed the top shock nut. If they're lowering spring, there should still be enough room to remove everything once the spring is extended.
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Old 06-25-2018, 09:08 PM
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FWIW, I have found the spring compressors you can borrow from parts stores to be much higher quality, easier to use, and (probably) safer than the set I bought from HF.
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Old 06-25-2018, 09:55 PM
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Originally Posted by mgeoffriau
FWIW, I have found the spring compressors you can borrow from parts stores to be much higher quality, easier to use, and (probably) safer than the set I bought from HF.
What the two compressor deal?
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