I have to agree with you. I can't even imagine how you would use a rachet strap to compress a spring but I can imagine it turning real ugly real quick.

 

i have used them! but they were 5000 lb military grade ratchet straps....


NEVER USE A RATCHET STRAP IT IS FREE TO RENT A COMPRESSOR AND REALLY CHEAP TO BUY ONES! ($40-$50)

 

I am planning on doing this install myself this weekend and just so I and the OP are clear. The compressor is not for the removal of the spring but for the installation. the spring will slip right out after removing the retainer clip.... right? The compressor is for squeezing the spring enough to fit the spring back on under the spacer... is this right? If so, is it best to compress the spring two or three inches before removing it or does it matter? ......... now that I think about it, compressing it before removal will make it easier to remove....

 

raise the jeep, place the jackstands where the front axle can hang in the air. ( i usually put it behind the LCArm on the subframe).

remove the tires
disconnect the sway bar
remove the shocks
remove the clip at the bottom of the coil spring (just do one side at a time)

for the most part you should get enough play to get the spring out. anytime i had a problem i just put the jack on the opposite side to get abit of flex to get more space for the coil + spacer!

hope it helps...for that matter...hope it makes sense

 

Ratchet strap naw not dangerous till the strap breaks,good set of spring compressors 50 bucks, FINGERS PRICELESS.

 

So just disconnecting the sway bar and shocks should be enough to pull and replace the spring? If this is all there is that should be simple enough.

 

Did the install of the spacers today. Was pretty easy, hard part was getting the spring back in, the spring compressor was a pain in the butt when it was tight, took forever to loosen even with air tools. took a few hours and two trips to the auto parts (gave me the wrong spring compressor the first time). My XJ did not have any spring retainer clips on the coils anywhere. just saying.

 

the spring retainer clips are in the same area as the lower shock mounts, just hold the spring in place. sorry i forgot to mention, the strut spring compressor is the one :P which i am sure you now know. SORRY....

Guess i should have added alittle more. before you put the spring back on with the spacer you should compress the spring and when you put it in, jack up the side with the spring you put in so you wont have to losen the spring compresssor as much!

pictures?!?!?!?

 

haha i figured it all out. i was like how is this supposed to go in the middle when my bumpstop is there???
I guess mine doesn't have spring retainer clips because i jacked the body up and the springs just fell right out when i pulled on them, i only needed to use the compressor to put them back in.
I wish i had taken pictures of how to do it and the before and after results but i forgot to. i'll show some before and after pics tho, i'll post those tomorrow sometime. It evened the jeep out finally, 5 inches in back, and 5 in front (roughly) now i need a bigger tire!

 

I am getting my 2 incher tomorrow so I hope it goes pretty easy. Something tells me this will not be the case though. I will have to rent some spring compressors I think. I am not really looking forward to it but I need it done.

 

It was really easy after i had the first side done. Take sway bar off, and the shocks cuz they get in the way big time. I also had a heavy duty air compressor and a snapon Bad *** air gun. There is no way i could have compressed the springs w/o that air gun. it would have taken probably an hour just to tighten it up because it is so hard to turn the compressor by hand going back and forth... make sure its a strut spring compressor. This is just the putting back in procedure that will take u forever w/o an air gun....

 

once you have the old spring out, you can actually drop the whole front axle down and set the new spring in place and bring it back up. we did it to my buddy's ZJ like that when we had to replace the front axle.

 

You'd have to unhook the control arms though correct? that seems like it'd take longer

 

harbor freight has one. i got mine for 25 bucks and works great.

 

yeah, the whole nine yards. it's not as hard as it sounds. have a little jack under one side and once you get the spring back on, it just rolls through.