To cut springs or not - that is the question

I've cut springs all my life ... just don't go too mad ..

Is it a daily driver taking weight (I ask with it being a Kangoo) or not?

If you're not taking much weight, go ahead and lop a coil off .

I have not cut kangoo springs, but feel the need to mention kittens and nuns in relation to everybody's posts except ChasR's.

cut away but be aware of location/dislocation issues, and remember there is a lot of energy stored in a compressed spring. (that means you MM ;D)

hopefully someone will come along with some better targetted advice

bruce - the comment was more a general reminder to be careful

plasma technique is not likely to maim someone the other side of your workshop, but it would pay to wear safety goggles
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and mind your fingers



edit/ i do know your model is wearing designer safety shades,just general advice ;D

Id say get cutting, NOW!

If you don't like the result you can always weld the bit back on....

If not try these.

www.nicedeals.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=15561

I concur.. it is like people working with their cars on jacks,.. it takes two minutes to put it on axle stands. It only takes one failure (no matter how unlikely) to ruin the rest of your week/month/year/life. Safety first people.. no matter how 'cool' you may look in the photos.

I can only assume the "no matter how 'cool' you may look in the photos" is aimed at the picture I posted above? (seeing as it's the only pic in the thread) I find it highly amusing but also bordeline offensive that you'd think this was done to score cool points.

I can only assume that you've used clamps like these to hold your springs while chopping some coils off the Datsun? (if you did actually do them yourself?)



If so, then I would say that they fall into the 'working with your car on jacks' level of risk. I count them as pretty dangerous and fairly high risk....and as such have banned them from being used at Area 52. Instead I invested in a proper hydraulic spring compressor which is the only method I will allow when needing to compress springs at the unit. The ONLY way.



If I need to explain the difference between the two types of compressor to you then I'm going to say that you're in no position whatsoever to pass any kind of judgement on the photo above being dangerous. Or taken to look cool. If you can explain how a complete coil could somehow spring out of a strut and hit anyone I'd like to hear it?

I 100% agree with your sentiments about safety first and concur that it's unwise to work under a car without proper axle stands or support, but I also state that using those awful cheap coil spring compressors are far more risky to use than anything shown in pictures in this thread. I'm sure that plenty of people have used them without any harm coming to them, but that doesn't for one minute mean they aren't risky to use.

I won't explain the story Rich and I were told by a mechanic when his workmate was killed by a topmount & spring when some of these compressors failed on a compressed spring.

This is what I don't get....HOW can a complete coil fly out? There is literally no room for a whole circle of metal to find its way off a strut.

I know there is a gap between the two ends of the coil, but it's actually impossible to remove this with the spring/strut still together. The ONLY way to remove it is to cut the loose/free coil into pieces or remove the strut/topmount/spring.

When cutting through the spring with a plasma cutter, the main spring actually moves down towards the spring perch the further through it's cut. A bit like cutting a long sheet of metal, the further you cut through it, the more the overhang 'gives' and bends downwards. This means the spring has hardly any movement when the cutter makes it through the spring....less than an inch, if that. Don't forget there are no parts in contact with the spring at any time and fingers/hands are well back on the handle of the plasma torch. And the spring or cut part of the spring are all contained within the strut. Like I say, if someone can show how it can possibly come free, fly across the room and hurt someone, I'd love to know how?

These are facts, not speculation (unlike a some of the opinions on this thread) but I guess it's easier to call 'danger' to something that may look it when in fact, the risks, as already mentioned, are absolutely minimal and certainly far less than using those god awful spring compressors.

Mr Speedy, I agree, the ones you have shown were the ones I was referring to (I used the first pic I came across on Google search), but even the ones I posted are risky if not used with great care. Based on actual experience, I'll take a plasma cut in situ over them anyday (whole coils only...NOT part coils, obviously). I'm not saying everyone should, but it's certainly not dangerous or high risk like the completely misjudged comparison with someone working under a car using only a jack as support.