Compressing American coils

["Mark Price" <Wrambler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have finally found enough time to make my jig for holding American coils in my shop press.
It works! I want to do a bit more on it. But, I tried it out this afternoon and safely compressed the spring and released it from Garry's holder. What I did was make a jig out of 3/4" angle iron that keeps the spring cup centered on the bottom crossbar of my press.
  One trouble I had was that the spring would try to slid across the press once it was taken out of the holder. Now it doesn't budge at all, it can't!
  The other thing I did was use a 6ton bottle jack under the lower part of my press. By jacking up the lower cross bar first as far as I can, then inserting the cross bar pins in my press, then jacking the 12ton press jack down I get enough travel to install and remove the springs, plus I see no sign of any thing flying out of there. It is not nearly as scary as trying the other methods I have tried!
   I'm so glad this works! No I have t!
 he tools I need to do this any time I wish!
Tomorrow I hope to get the springs in place and be done with it!
I have till 12:30 to get it wrapped up. If I succeed I can drive it again!
  YES!
Tomorrow is also the last show in the Theatre for a week! I actually get some evenings off! I have not had a day off since July 9th!
 Next Saturday is it!



Mark Price
Morgantown, WV
Vice President I.A.T.S.E. #578
1969 AMC Rambler, 4.0L EFI, T-5.
1965 Ambassador 880 Conv, 327, Auto, Ratrod want to be!
1997 Cherokee Sport, 4.0L AX15
2001 S-10 Crewcab, 4.3, Not one of G.M's better vehicles