60 Comet front suspension removal question.

[VtComet]

Hi everyone. I have a question about removing the front suspension in my 60 Comet project car. I was wondering if it is possible to remove everything, including the struts and strut towers, all in one piece without having to remove the springs, as I dont have a spring compressor to take them out first, and also thinking it might he faster to do it this way, but maybe im wrong.

[lavron]

I dont have a spring compressor to take them out first

Most bigger parts stores loan stuff like this out for free.

including the struts and strut towers

Do you mean the spring towers, they are part of the body, are you replacing the front suspension with something else? Trying to remove everything in one piece would be really hard in my opinion and not really necessary.

See Ya,
Mike

[VtComet]

My plan is to put a straight axle under it and I will also be cutting the spot welds out for the spring towers to run custom headers through them.

[redhotcomet]

I'm guessing you have a welder, so why not build a compressor like this one:

http://dazecars.com/dazed/spring.html

[comethead]

Yeah that sounds like trouble. Start cutting and BLAM spring comes out and does damage!

Remove the springs amigo. You don't want to learn a hard lesson with those big springs.

Joe

[VtComet]

Thanks for the link redhot, I never thought of that. Greatly appreciated my friend. Have everything except the shock to cut the part of I need, what do the threaded studs go into tho.

[Rocket989]

The threaded stud has a nut washer that sit on top of the shock top (on Comets and Falcons). That's the only real drawback - pulling the spring in & out a few times can chew up the shock top a bit. Not a problem for what you're doing!!

[Lip Ripper]

If you're throwing the spring's away just torch them and release the tension.

[Comechero65]

Would never ever consider cutting the springs while under tension. Too risky! Rent or borrow a compressor or fab your own. Autozone will loan you one with a small deposit which you get back.

http://www.autozone.com/loan-a-tools/co ... icle=false
Ron

[Lip Ripper]

It's nothing; you heat them, they lose tension, then you cut them. I've don't many times. It takes about a minute. And I happen to own the super nice Moog spring tool kit but when it's scrap metal for the sake of time I get out the smoke wrench.

Below is my compressor kit. The best I've ever seen. If any of you stumble across one, buy it. They haven't made them in year's but they're out there.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/imag ... ePFZ9vLauJ

[poboyjo65]

Stacey that link isn't working for me.

[Lip Ripper]

Try it again.
Even though the tool has two plates to clamp the spring with you can actually put one plate on top of the shock tower and pull the spring up into the tower in order to service the suspension. This providing that the spring's are being reused. It is the best tool I've seen; especially for the Ford's. I first saw one in 1983 when I built my 62 Comet and changed it over to V8 suspension. My front end guy (who was retired and working at home) offered to loan me the tool. I had never seen one. After that, I had to have one.

SW

[poboyjo65]

Yea now it works!
My buddy has one I like with a fork for the top. Lots of people dont like the one that is 2 seperate pc.s one for each side of the spring but I have used it & lived. I like yours LR & both of the ones I mentioned better than the kind that bolts to the shock top because if you just want the spring out of the way for some other job you can just leave the compressor on it then it is ready to go back on when your ready.

[Lip Ripper]

The first time I took spring's out of a Ford I would clamp the coil with a vise grip, then tie it with number 9 wire. Repeat until it was loose. And I lived through it. Scary though.

SW

[VtComet]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. This was a one shot deal as far as buying the compressor as I dont do much strut work so wouldnt be practical to buy one but I did manage to rent one from autozone, for $58. Got both springs out so will return it tomorrow, so now its time to finish taking the rest of the stuff out of the frontend. Just curious, are any of the parts worth anything or would it be just scrap crap? Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.