Are permanently applied coil spring clamps still available?

I hope not as such a device would be dangerous!

probably, just ask in a car shop for coil spring lowering clamps

"Fred"

I did a city and guilds course in mechanics , will that do?

We've got a garage assistant that's got his C&G, but fixing a puncture is about his limit.

Coil spring lowering clamps are not dangerous, provided they're used properly. As long as the spring isn't free to rattle about on the strut at full extension, then they're no worse than fitting a set of shorter springs.

So let's take the original post and your response to my answer!

Question: "coil spring clamp sets designed to clamp two 'coils' together"

Note the word *Two* which suggest one clamp.

My reply: "I hope not as such a device would be dangerous! "

Now take a compression spring out of your biro and pinch two coils together, is the spring still straight?

If you use several clamps you can get it almost straight but you have altered the compression value of the spring beyond it's design tolerance! And by lowering your car you will induce negative camber and f*ck your tyres!

Oh so that's not dangerous then?

It'll still be straight if you clamp two identical coils exactly opposite.

And the difference between lowering the car by altering the springs, and lowering it by loading it up, is what exactly?

It's not dangerous provided the spring isn't free to rattle about.

Which given that the device in question only clamps two coils, it's going to be highly unlikely it's going to compress the spring enough to cause problems. And since you claim to have a C&G, you should know just how much compressing a spring needs to remove all tension from the strut.

Fred,

I don't wish to get into a 'flame' war here, but in the 60's and 70's (when I was at my prime), spring compressors were used on all manner of vehicles at the time - along with cutting the odd half inch or so off the old mini 'trumpet' suspension - as a cheap way to lower the cars suspension with little danger or tyre wear. Or even by gads, cutting the odd coil or two off the spring - along with messing around with the old rear leaf spring clamps to "tighten up" the back end bounce.

There's nothing new under the sun that ain't already been done to 'mod' cars!

Brian G

the OP said coil spring clamp set, so anybody with some knowledge would know the sets come with two clamps per spring so that would make 4 clamps.

Ok we are talking Mini. so we cut a bit off of the trumpet which did not really alter the spring, the spring was a lump of rubber and not a peice of steel that was designed to deflect over it's entire lenght. Next.

Or even by gads, cutting the odd coil or two

This is where the C&G comes in, A spring is designed to deflect over it's entire length, if you clamp the spring then you alter it's designed length and therefore remove it's designed safety.

You will over load the design or your springs.

"Fred" entire length, if you clamp the spring then you alter it's designed length

Correct

Um, that doesn't necessarily follow at all. It certainly alters the spring characteristics, but whether that adversely affects the safety is a rather different question.

What safety problems does your C&G lead you to predict?

clive

a welding torch can be applied to make the spring sag together , then add a bit of steel wrapped around the coils to hold it together and weld the ends together. don't weld the coils together.

I've not seen those in years.