Post by tomterrific on Jan 21, 2008 18:13:59 GMT -5
This is a description of a shock spring tool I made on the spot with common garage junk. I have used this same tool twice to pull shocks apart. I think shocks look much better without the half shroud commonly found on the top of the shock, so I took it off.
First, you will need a floor jack. A floor jack is the common hydraulic jack that you shove under a car and pump the handle. It has a pad that lifts the car and a frame with wheels that rolls on the floor.
Second, you will need chain. Just a short length about 3 or 4 feet long. The chain is stretched out perpendicular under the jack. Let the chain lay on the floor stretched out under the jack.
Third, you need some hooks to hook the chain to the springs of the shock. I used steel hooks off a rubber truckers bungy. These are the cheap ones. You can also get small S hooks at teh hardware store. The only requiremnets are that the hooks are small enough to fit the spring coil and not stretch out under pressure.
So you have the jack, chain and hooks.
Place the shock upright on the jack pad.
Hook one side of the chain to the spring getting it as far up as possible. Do the same to the other side.
Holding on the shock to keep it upright and steady, pump the jack.
As the jack is raised the chain is under the frame of the jack and, since the chain is hooked to the spring, keeps the spring from rising with the body of the shock. The spring is compressed and the top of the shock is loose. Remove the keepers at the top of the spring and the jack can be released and the shock reduced to its individual parts for cleaning and repair. Do the exact same procedure to reinsert the spring keepers and assemble the shock.
Hints and warnings:
Use heavy gloves and eye protection to keep from being badly injured. I wore my full face helmet the first time I did this. Springs store a bunch of energy.
Make sure the chain runs directly under the shock so when the jack is raised the shock is not pulled to the side. Holding the top of the shock is to keep it balanced not to force it to stay upright. My shock would stay up on its own with the spring compressed but it was precarious which is why I wore the helmet.
Fold a rag and place it on the jack pad to protect the paint on the bottom shock eye.
Springs are sometimes too stiff for lighter riders. The spring preload maybe reduced if the lowest setting on the adjustment ring is ground deeper with a Dremel stone. Keep the same ramp angles and it should work okay. I plan to do this the next time I mess with my stiff shocks.
Tom Graham
First, you will need a floor jack. A floor jack is the common hydraulic jack that you shove under a car and pump the handle. It has a pad that lifts the car and a frame with wheels that rolls on the floor.
Second, you will need chain. Just a short length about 3 or 4 feet long. The chain is stretched out perpendicular under the jack. Let the chain lay on the floor stretched out under the jack.
Third, you need some hooks to hook the chain to the springs of the shock. I used steel hooks off a rubber truckers bungy. These are the cheap ones. You can also get small S hooks at teh hardware store. The only requiremnets are that the hooks are small enough to fit the spring coil and not stretch out under pressure.
So you have the jack, chain and hooks.
Place the shock upright on the jack pad.
Hook one side of the chain to the spring getting it as far up as possible. Do the same to the other side.
Holding on the shock to keep it upright and steady, pump the jack.
As the jack is raised the chain is under the frame of the jack and, since the chain is hooked to the spring, keeps the spring from rising with the body of the shock. The spring is compressed and the top of the shock is loose. Remove the keepers at the top of the spring and the jack can be released and the shock reduced to its individual parts for cleaning and repair. Do the exact same procedure to reinsert the spring keepers and assemble the shock.
Hints and warnings:
Use heavy gloves and eye protection to keep from being badly injured. I wore my full face helmet the first time I did this. Springs store a bunch of energy.
Make sure the chain runs directly under the shock so when the jack is raised the shock is not pulled to the side. Holding the top of the shock is to keep it balanced not to force it to stay upright. My shock would stay up on its own with the spring compressed but it was precarious which is why I wore the helmet.
Fold a rag and place it on the jack pad to protect the paint on the bottom shock eye.
Springs are sometimes too stiff for lighter riders. The spring preload maybe reduced if the lowest setting on the adjustment ring is ground deeper with a Dremel stone. Keep the same ramp angles and it should work okay. I plan to do this the next time I mess with my stiff shocks.
Tom Graham
