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How to Make a Spring Compressor Tester

Spring compressors -- often used in automotive functions to replace coil and strut springs -- compress springs to a small, manageable size to make placement and replacement quick and safe. Though spring manufacturers perform quality testing on their springs and spring compressors, in some cases an end user may wish to perform diagnostic tests on their compressor to make sure it meets quality requirements. Building your own tester will require a basic understanding of the operation of a dial indicator and drill press.

Things You'll Need

2-inch dial indicator
Drill press
Digital scale
Dial indicator holder

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the round rubber cap from the arm of the dial indicator.
- 2
  Place the dial indicator on the holder.
- 3
  Position the dial holder so that its foot rests at the center of the surface of the digital scale and its arm rests beneath the drill press.
- 4
  Position the feet of the spring compressor at maximum extension.
- 5
  Place the feet of the spring compressor between the bottom of the drill press and the arm of the dial holder.
- 6
  Apply pressure with the drill press until the digital scale reads the desired pounds of force desired. If the compressor fails, another should be tested for the desired application.

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