Atten: Grey
02-04-2002
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Atte: Grey
hey...can u hook me up with Deeper Trunk Springs, please ?[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG]
or can i get those somewhere else?
or can i get those somewhere else?
02-05-2002
#4
DIY King
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Rep Power: 396 Whoops! Just noticed the topic. I'm here. I'de have to make them for you. You'de have to tell me the dimentions of your speakers. How deep and how wide they go beyond the bottom of the rear deck. It takes me quite a while to make a set. They're polished and clearcoated. I think I'de have to use thicker diameter steel this time since I made mine and they weren't strong enough to hold up the trunk by themselves. I had to add in those gas springs to generate all the force I needed. If I use thicker steel I should get the right force. You also need to tell me if you have a spoiler or not. With a spoiler you need even heftier trunk springs.
02-05-2002
#5
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Rep Power: 396 Let me just write up a quick little DIY for people who want to attempt this themselves. You need a pattern to work from, so take out the old trunk springs. It would help if you had the trunk spring removal tool. This can be purchased from H And A-Accessories.com. I didn't have one and I didn't know tha you could buy one without buying the OEM spoiler, so I made mine out of a 1/4" thick steel rod. DIY for a DIY anyone? Before you take them out, look them over really well to see how they'll go back in.
Then buy a 1/4" steel rod longer than 5 feet. I bought two (one for each spring) from Home Depot. They came in 6 foot lenghts. The 1/4" trunk springs that I made produced less force than the stock springs since the bends had to be deeper. I think you could find a slightly thicker rod and try to make trunk springs from that instead. I wonder what the next size up is at Home Depot? 3/8"? Anyway, now take off that price tag and bar code and sand that thing till it's shiny. Give it a light coat of WD-40 so that it doesn't rust on you.
Now comes the hard part which I can't really explain. You have to look at the stock trunk spring and at the rod and start bending it to match the curves and angles. remember what you wantto change, you want the part under the speakers to be deeper and wider. I found that deeper is not as much of an issue as where it start to get deepr is. I used an anvil to bend the trunk springs. I used little pieces of wood so that the rod would not get scratched up.
The bends are difficult to make (wear leather gloves to help cushion your fingers). You have to tug on the metal rather low to make sharp bends. I wish I had a metal bending machine (not sure what that's called, had one in high school though). To make the bends for the end pieces you need to get creative. They're tiny loops and they're very difficult to make. I did a whole bunch of stupid things to get those into the right shape. I would try to bend it into the shape you need around a metal rod; I'm going to try this method next time I make a set of these (I'll make stronger ones if I ever need a spoiler).
What else? Work from one end all the way out to the other. Do not start in the middle! Look at the angles closely. Make sure that they're the same as the ones in the stock springs. You only need a broader opening for the speakers and a slightly deeper opening (depending on your speakers of course). I made a spring that didn't fit at all the first time. Then one that fit, but was too deep. Then ones that fit nicely, but don't generate enough force. I ended up making some gas springs instead to generate the remaining force needed to keep the trunk open.
If you want to see what gas springs look like then take a look at burrite's setup. He talked to me and came up with his own design. A bit more complex, but it works nicely for him. I'll be improving mine as well in the future. Here is the link: Burrite's Trunk Shocks Notice that he doesn't use any trunk springs and that he has a spoiler as well.
I'de rather have you guys DIY them yourselves because I'm so busy with college right now. These take half a day each to make and I can only stand to do one a day. The cost of the work and the materials totals something like $50. Imagine me having to go to Home Depot to buy the steel rods. Imagine me sanding the rods. Imagine me setting up the anvil on a desk outside the garage. Imagine me bending and checking and measuring. Imagine me testing to see if the trunk springs work. Imagine me sanding them to a high polish and clearcoating them twice. Imagineme hanging them to dry. Only then are they ready.
Oh yeah, I sort of missed a step. After you make them and they fit nicely you can try to temper them. I blowtorched them and then dunked them in my tub to cool them off quickly. It worked a little bit, but I don't think it's not worth the effort. I can't make them hot enough to temper them really well. I think I'll just use 3/8" steel rod to get the higher force next time.
Then buy a 1/4" steel rod longer than 5 feet. I bought two (one for each spring) from Home Depot. They came in 6 foot lenghts. The 1/4" trunk springs that I made produced less force than the stock springs since the bends had to be deeper. I think you could find a slightly thicker rod and try to make trunk springs from that instead. I wonder what the next size up is at Home Depot? 3/8"? Anyway, now take off that price tag and bar code and sand that thing till it's shiny. Give it a light coat of WD-40 so that it doesn't rust on you.
Now comes the hard part which I can't really explain. You have to look at the stock trunk spring and at the rod and start bending it to match the curves and angles. remember what you wantto change, you want the part under the speakers to be deeper and wider. I found that deeper is not as much of an issue as where it start to get deepr is. I used an anvil to bend the trunk springs. I used little pieces of wood so that the rod would not get scratched up.
The bends are difficult to make (wear leather gloves to help cushion your fingers). You have to tug on the metal rather low to make sharp bends. I wish I had a metal bending machine (not sure what that's called, had one in high school though). To make the bends for the end pieces you need to get creative. They're tiny loops and they're very difficult to make. I did a whole bunch of stupid things to get those into the right shape. I would try to bend it into the shape you need around a metal rod; I'm going to try this method next time I make a set of these (I'll make stronger ones if I ever need a spoiler).
What else? Work from one end all the way out to the other. Do not start in the middle! Look at the angles closely. Make sure that they're the same as the ones in the stock springs. You only need a broader opening for the speakers and a slightly deeper opening (depending on your speakers of course). I made a spring that didn't fit at all the first time. Then one that fit, but was too deep. Then ones that fit nicely, but don't generate enough force. I ended up making some gas springs instead to generate the remaining force needed to keep the trunk open.
If you want to see what gas springs look like then take a look at burrite's setup. He talked to me and came up with his own design. A bit more complex, but it works nicely for him. I'll be improving mine as well in the future. Here is the link: Burrite's Trunk Shocks Notice that he doesn't use any trunk springs and that he has a spoiler as well.
I'de rather have you guys DIY them yourselves because I'm so busy with college right now. These take half a day each to make and I can only stand to do one a day. The cost of the work and the materials totals something like $50. Imagine me having to go to Home Depot to buy the steel rods. Imagine me sanding the rods. Imagine me setting up the anvil on a desk outside the garage. Imagine me bending and checking and measuring. Imagine me testing to see if the trunk springs work. Imagine me sanding them to a high polish and clearcoating them twice. Imagineme hanging them to dry. Only then are they ready.
Oh yeah, I sort of missed a step. After you make them and they fit nicely you can try to temper them. I blowtorched them and then dunked them in my tub to cool them off quickly. It worked a little bit, but I don't think it's not worth the effort. I can't make them hot enough to temper them really well. I think I'll just use 3/8" steel rod to get the higher force next time.
02-05-2002
#7
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Rep Power: 371 Just a thought. Take it to your local tech college, or High school with a metal shop. They might be able to help you, slip them a couple bucks for the school. You might have some nice new trunk springs, and helping out your local school.
02-05-2002
#8
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Rep Power: 0 ill sell my trunk spring tool for $4 + shipping (shipping would probably be $2-3) they cost $4.91 new from handa-accessories.com, mine is as good as new, and when youre done with it, itll most likely still be good as new and you can sell it again [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]
if someone wants my stock trunk springs, you can have them for $1 + shipping (not sure what it would cost to ship them though, theyre light but long, and i dont have a good box for them)
grey, you can have the trunk spring tool if you still want it (he responded to my post in the marketplace forum), i finally got done setting up my paypal account
if someone wants my stock trunk springs, you can have them for $1 + shipping (not sure what it would cost to ship them though, theyre light but long, and i dont have a good box for them)
grey, you can have the trunk spring tool if you still want it (he responded to my post in the marketplace forum), i finally got done setting up my paypal account
02-05-2002
#9
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Rep Power: 396 Actually... I'm going to buy some filters, touch up paint, and other little odds and ends from H and A-Accessories.com, so I think I'm going to get it from there. The shipping for all my crap is only $6 over there, so I'm better off buying from them.
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