The weight of the car is not enough to get the rebound spring all the way home but sufficient to get the bolts back in and drag it up the rest of the way. I wouldn't like to secure the car to the floor and then use the jack, if the car lifts something's wrong, if it's strapped down you wouldn't know.
My car's an '86 but there's no way I could get the main spring back in by hand. The first time I did the job I used an adaptation of my bush puller to compress the spring then strapped it to put it back on. Strapping it as it comes off is easier. Either way, when the springs compressed the palms start to sweat a bit!
Regards
Thanks for info, Simon!
Compressors are safer, no doubts. Anyway I don't like them always, as it is often hardly possible to avoid injuries of the spring coating.
Am I right supposing, that getting the stuff back in with the jack, the weight of the car is too less to compress the spring fully?
How about to "tie" the lower cross-tube of the suspension to the garage bottom (e.g. a screw with a ring anchored to the garage bottom)? Then it should not be a problem to compress the spring the last few milimeters to get the kingpin assembly in?
Regards
Peter
