Replacing door spring without special tool

**safetyfast** · 06-04-2009, 10:06 AM

I put new door pins in my driver's door and didn't have the special tool to reinstall the spring. I came up with a solution you may find useful. I ran zip ties through two sides of the spring and then compressed the spring in my vice. Zipped up the ties, inserted spring in the door and clipped the ties with angle cutters. Job done.

**Springthing** · 06-04-2009, 03:53 PM

Very nice! Great tip!

**usetaboost** · 06-04-2009, 06:34 PM

You can get the tool from harbor freight for around 5 bucks. I hope you were wearing a face shield when you had that spring in the vise!

**safetyfast** · 06-05-2009, 06:48 AM

Face shield yes. Harbor Freight is not in our town.

**usetaboost** · 06-05-2009, 07:03 AM

ah man that sucks. It isn't the best in town but for tools you don't use often enough they get the job done and at half the cost. Good tip for no one that has a harbor freight!

**TRPLXL2** · 06-05-2009, 09:50 PM

I just bought that tool for $8.00 at Car Quest, but now I need the one for the back spring and it's all but $300!

I would be afraid that those zip ties would break, and then I would end up with missing teeth. Thanks for posting though.

**usetaboost** · 06-05-2009, 11:06 PM

Yeah I hear ya on that!!! I put a zip tie on the boot for the rear strut on my grand am today and it broke. That's scary trusting a piece of plastic holding all that pressure