This is IMPOSSIBLE.

[blurple124]

I hope someone can convince me otherwise.

I am trying to get the front suspension back together. How the heck are you supposed to get the spring in and the A-Arms in place? I have a spring compressor, but the stupid thing doesn't fit. Useless.

I know people have done this before. What is the trick? Upper arm on first? Lower on first?

[narfire]

Some have had success with a compressor that fits inside the spring.
I compress mine outside/ floor/ use forklift and keep them compressed with lock wire. Install and then cut the wire.

[djape1977]

just remember to thread the wire so that first and last circle of the spring is free. when everything is in place, and shock absorber is bolted in, cut the wire.

[BEEK]

you can install the springs on the front end of a spider without a compressor, provided the car is assembled and fully weighted, meaning not stripped and motor not out. install the lower a arm, place a floor jack under the lower ball joint, as far out as possible without the danger of it coming off the control arm. install the spring into the upper seat. then push the control arm as far down as you can, using a pry bar to then seat the spring onto the lower seat. it will barely be able to be pried onto it and stay, then jack the a frame up into the normal position , install the upper arm and then you are done.

you have to pry the spring to make the inside of the coil rise and the outside to lower if that makes sense. i wish i could draw it out and post it. . you are bending the spring in the arc that it will sit when first installed. bowed outward in the middle and inward top and bottom, if that helps.

i know this may sound confusing, but i have installed 100's of 124 front springs this way. i did know a guy who would compress the springs in a spring compressor then use 10-20 coat hangers and wire them in place, remove the compressor and then cut the wires when installed, very dangerous ... a loaded bomb.

if you are lowering the car, the springs will just go in easy this way

[RRoller123]

I went through this myself about a month ago, what a pain in the arse. The fundamental problem is that the spring compressors will NOT compress enough to take all the force off the control arms, so you need to do a combination of the spring compressor and jack methods to do it safely. You can get part way there by using an INTERNAL spring compressor (from Auto Zone, etc.) but it doesn't compress the spring enough to remove all the compressive force, but it DOES compress it enough so that you can do the following:

To get the front end apart:

0. Make sure the car is jacked pretty far up. Will allow the lower control arm to be rotated down as needed later.
1. Load up the internal spring compressor as far as it will compress.
2. Put a jack under the lower control arm out at the BJ and slightly compress.
3. Release the lower ball joint nut about an inch or so.
4. Lower the jack so the remaining spring compression is helping disconnect the lower BJ.
5. Use the pickle fork to break the lower ball joint connection so only the nut now holds it together.
6. Raise the jack again slightly to take the remaining spring force off the nut.
7. Remove the nut.
8. Lower the jack slowly and it all comes apart. The remaining spring force pushes the LCA down until the spring compressor stops the force. The the lower arm can be rotated manually way down so the spring can come out with the compressor in it and intact. No dangerous spring bending or wires. Leave the compressor in the spring for re-installation if will be done immediately.

To Re-Install:

1. Bolt in both the control arms. You can torque the lower, but just tighten the upper enough to be secure.
2. Bend down the lower one and set the spring in the tower with the internal spring compressor installed and compressed as far as it will go. This is why I left the compressor installed from disassembly. The orientation will be correct from the gitgo, no fiddling.
3. Raise the LCA until the spring is well positioned.
4. With the jack under the LCA, raise it and guide it all together, spindle etc.
5. Install the BJ nuts and torque them.
6. Remove the spring compressor.
7. Torque the upper control arm bolts with the car loaded with 2 adult passengers and weight on the wheels. And check out the thread on the bolt problem recently uncovered. If the UCA bolts are easy to rotate with a wrench on the bolt head after torquing, then there is a bolt thread problem and either a replacement bolt or 14mm SS washers need to be installed to resolve. I did the washer solution myself.

I am writing this from memory but I think it is basically correct. The key is to use a combination of the spring compressor and jack method and it is then both safe and quick. I scratched my head and tried 4 different spring compressors and wasted a week on the driver's side. The passenger side then took about 15 minutes to disassemble and maybe the same to re-assemble, once I identified a safe methodology.

Pete

[blurple124]

Thank you very much for the responses, this is very helpful.

you have to pry the spring to make the inside of the coil rise and the outside to lower if that makes sense.

I do understand what you are saying.

Pete, I have already seated and torqued my ball joint nuts on this side, so I will not be able to use your method here, but I have not touched the drivers side yet, so I will have the option to depending on how this side goes.

I have an external spring compressor, but rather than wire hangers, I have an eye-bolt and a steel plate that I rigged up which is much safer and will allow me to hopefully get the spring seated better, but if not I will bend the spring as you are saying, Beek.

I will make an attempt at this and make sure to post back with my successes for anyone else who may be having these troubles in the future.

[blurple124]

Wow. That was incredible. I'm almost ashamed for having said it was impossible!

I will forever live by the fact that any job is easy if you have the right tools and techniques.

I used Beek's method, but pre-compressed the springs with an external compressor. The trick was using tie-down straps (2) to keep the spring compressed as I put it in the seats. I just set it in there and jacked the lower arm up. Piece of cake.

Probably took me 10 minutes to do it the right way, took me about 8 hours to figure the right way out though

[BEEK]

do not over tighten the pivot points of your front suspension DO NOT!, you will just tear the new bushings and cause yourself to have to redo what you just did. the bushings are to dampen road vibrations, the steel collars are the pivot points, not the rubber.

[blurple124]

I have heard you say this before. Am I seeing in the shop manual that the nuts on the lower arm pivot shaft are to be tightened to 72 lb feet?! This seems like it will result in exactly what you have said!

How much torque do you typically put on these? And for the upper arm bolt?

[BEEK]

use new nylocks and then just snug them, the upper arm should be tightened where it pivots on the chassis, but has no for to aft movement, i like to do this before bolting the lower ball joint in place, so i can check the movement, the lower i just snug to where you see the rubber start to smash, but not bind

[majicwrench]

Torque the nuts/bolts to factory specs. It WORKS that way. Make sure weight is on everything tho before you tighten em up. If you have suspension hanging, like car is suspended by jackstands under frame, and then tighten bushing nuts/bolts, the rubber will be twisted once you sit car down.
Keith

[narfire]

When I did mine while on the lift, I had a bottle jack and 2 X 4 and jacked up the lower a arm to simulate a loaded suspension before snugging up. No issues when the engine was in the car.

[BEEK]

i refuse to argue with anyone, i owned a fiat shop for 20+ years, so i have a little idea. but not to say im always correct. choose which ever method you prefer. then compare the results in 6 months

[majicwrench]

Heck, I'm not argueing with anybody. We've all got our ways of doing things. And the factory's way is almost always correct.
The steel collars are not the pivot point. If they were you would grease inside em. The rubber is what pivots, what few degrees rubber can pivot. That is why it is important to have everything at a loaded height when tightening things up.
Keith

[v6spider]

Keith is correct...the rubber in the bushings will get torn from twisting past it's shear point. It happened to me...
Rob