I replaced the shocks four years ago and got the springs off, but gave those compressors away as I was sure I would not ever need them again. Well.....of course time to replaced the upper shock mount again.....
I have tried two different style of spring compressors with the same problem.....hooks are too large to fit into the coils of the compressed spring.

Sooooo,....for those out there that have done this job at home....what spring compressor did you use?

 

these

 

I use my HF press but you can take them to a machine shop for not much money and get them done.
While you are at it, get them to put the bottom bushing in the shock. I put a sleeve with a pin through the lower bushing to keep it safe. Only need to compress enough to get the nuts off the top center mount. You will have to drill a hole in the one of the braces for the third stud in the top.
Just make sure to give the release enough room to come up and take the tension off the spring.

 

I think I found the type of spring compressors I had, that I used before, so have ordered them. No shops nearby and would likely cost more than the spring compressors...which I guess I will need again.

 

I just borrowed 2sets (yes 4 compressors) from autozone. Find its easier than 1 set. Look at photo above. Once compressed, still big gaps at each end. I insert 2nd set there, a few seconds with the compressor and 1st set is off, 2nd set fully compressed.
John

 

I use one set of autozone compressors (which I bought because it seemed this would be a semi-frequent job) and one wrench. Makes for a good workout for my arms.

 

FWIW, I bought one of the 8MILELAKE Macpherson Strut Spring Compressors , and it worked pretty well. I mounted it to the side of my HF press- seemed like a good place for it.

 

have you tried this on rears?

 

No, only done the fronts so far.

 

This is what I used. It was a bit of a custom job but it is the real deal. Easy a pie as they say. Safe too. If you were a bit closer than AZ we could meet and change them in a parking lot. However......... :^) TM

 

Yeah...that would be nice. Still waiting for the ones I ordered to arrive.
As far as the rears....do not need any compressors, there is a way to do the rear where the springs just fall out. That is how I did them. Pretty easy job.

 

I borrowed one of these from Advance Auto.
The paddle parts were just narrow enough to get through the springs.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...429/10451283-P

 

yeah that looks like it would work just fine. But no Advance Auto nearby for me. I checked two chain auto parts stores that have the loaner tools...but had the same strut spring compressor style....which would not fit, not even close.

The ones I ordered are supposed to be delivered on Friday afternoon.....will see....

 

Got the spring compressors and they did fit. I got the other side spring compressed, still had to use the 3-jaw puller out to pull the mount off...and it still did not easily come off....but it did.
Saw where the problem was; it is not the shock rod threads, it is the non-threaded area just above the shoulder of the shock rod. Either the Bilstein shock rod is a tiny bit larger than the original shock's rod, or the Welsh mount has this hole a tiny bit too small....it is almost a press fit.
I decided to enlarge the hole in the new Welsh mounts a tiny bit so the shock rod now slides into the hole with minor effort and the bushing rests on the shock rod shoulder...like I think it is supposed to.

I started re-assembly but found that my replacement air compressor is just too small to power my impact wrench to compress the springs. Did try just using my racket, but that is going to take quite a bit of effort, if I even can.
So stopped until Monday, call around to some auto shops, see who has a proper strut spring compressor and what they would charge. If too much, will purchase an electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight to use....which is probably what I will end-up doing.

 

I called around my area and no shop wanted to touch customer supplied parts. So that's how I ended up with the compressor pictured above.
It took some doing to make the tools fit and a machine shop to make fixtures, but it works like a champ.
I think I should take this thing mobile, travel around to all the forum members houses and change their struts, LOL.

 

I have seen similar looking, some have the paddles that slide between the coils, others have the same forged hooks like most....then they have the hydraulic ram to compress the spring.
The ones I have would probably work, but I have to hold the spring & spring compressor with one hand, tighten the bolt to compress the spring with the other for a few turns, then switch between the two compressors to keep the spring compression straight. Takes a lot of arm muscle and hope that nothing shifts/slides switching between the two. I get rather nervous being in such close proximity with all the energy. This is why I am going to go to one shop tomorrow, see what they say.

Hey Tom McK....just saw that a past love of yours was '93 VFR750F, I currently have a '97 VFR750F....such a great bike!

 

Lannyl81, I sure have been kicking myself in the butt for selling that one. I must have been in an "off" state of mind, LOL The VFR is one of the greatest engines in all of motorcycling. I prefer the generations of gear driven cams, of course. I do have possession of a '95 while a friend in out of the country. Vrooom!

 

TomMcK - could not agree more. Thought about selling it once.....came to my senses. Love that gear driven cams sound...... I have only had it for six years....cannot see me getting rid of it until I am too old to ride.

Anyways, the spring compressors I purchased worked fine for taking apart....however....appears they do not have enough grip range to put the spring back on. I tried offsetting the compressors, one lower, one higher....just would not compress enough. I would need to have a third one...(sound familiar from above?). Local shop says they will do them for $100, which is about the cost to purchase better compressors and an electric impact wrench. Shops says they can do them tomorrow...I would have to order the compressor and wait another week.....gee.....guess what one I choose?

 

Sorry Lanny, it's a 10 minute job at my garage. :^) Seriously folks, anyone within a reasonable range is more than welcome to squeeze their struts here. I have to get more use out of this thing, LOL. TM

 

Bro I just did my fronts last month and I'm genuinely shocked I still have all my fingers 😭 The AutoZone loaner compressor on an XK8 is an actual near death experience. Those springs got enough stored energy to send you to meet Enzo Ferrari personally.

Ended up pulling the whole strut assembly out and taking it to a local shop. Dude charged me $40 per side to swap them on his wall mount compressor. Took him 15 minutes. I spent 3 hours in my garage sweating and praying before I gave up.

Moral of the story know when to wrench and know when to write the check. I'll do my own oil, brakes, filters, all of that. But I'm not arm wrestling a compressed coil spring in my driveway with harbor freight tools. That's how you end up on a forum memorial thread.

On a related note though if you're putting this much work into your XK8 suspension please tell me you're at least covering it properly. I got my fitted cover from https://www.carcover.com and it's the one thing between my paint and whatever the sky decides to do that week. After dropping real money on springs and mounts the last thing you want is the sun cooking your clear coat while it sits in the driveway.

Good luck to anyone attempting this. Double check your compressor claws and for the love of god wear safety glasses.