spring re-archer

i found this on another site a few years ago and thought you might find it handy. i made mine out of .125 tube but it might be better out of 3/16th, just in case you want to bend thicker springs. i used 3" sqaure for the base and 2"x3" for the legs. i also added some reinforcements to it at the top and side. i just measured the jack and added a couple more inches for the width. put the spring on the floor and draw the arch for a guide. put it in the tool and jack it up and bend it a few inches at a time down the length of the spring. DO NOT+++ I REPEAT+++ DO NOT USE HEAT!! you will be amazed at how easy it bends. i use it to reverse the spring so the eyes are reversed. rearching the spring when it is to flat. i.e., gasser springs.

That is very neat. We did the same sort of thing with our standard 12 ton press by moving the spring across two heavy blocks of steel and pressing down a little every inch along the length. You are right, scribe the shape on some other surface like your garage floor as a reference, and keep comparing it as you go. It really only takes a very little reforming on every inch to get dramatic changes.

We also found that by drawing lines every inch on the leaf being bent that it gave us a more uniform bend, and we also counted the same number of pumps on the handle at each spot so we were kinda getting a uniform bend.

I like your tool though, much easier than what we did probably.

Don

I used my harbor freight pipe bender... worked perfect and I didn't have to make anything.

yea, you didn't have to make anything but, you paid more for that bender than i did to make this one. so there! hahaha
i like dedicated tools. i hate to have to setup tools for different uses. i have a tube bender, but not a pipe bender, i also have a 12 ton press. having to setup either one of these is more time consuming than just putting the spring in this and jacking it up. besides why are you afraid to make something? isn't this a car building site? making tools is fun!!

Thanks for the tip Gary. A couple projects ago I foolishly had some springs rearched so they would match. The bill was $180.00.

flatheadgary said:

yea, you didn't have to make anything but, you paid more for that bender than i did to make this one. so there! hahaha
i like dedicated tools. i hate to have to setup tools for different uses. i have a tube bender, but not a pipe bender, i also have a 12 ton press. having to setup either one of these is more time consuming than just putting the spring in this and jacking it up. besides why are you afraid to make something? isn't this a car building site? making tools is fun!!

Click to expand...

I'll give you credit for your creativity and dedication. That is a nice setup.

I'm still glad I got to use my pipe bender for more than just pipe, it made my investment that much more satisfying. I think I have $100 into the bender.