Door spring tool

[buckethead]

I'm tired of holding my doors open so I'm gonna order some door springs of which it currently has none. My question to those who have installed them is ..is it worth paying for the installation tool that they sell in the catalogs and how much of a PIA is it to do.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Mr.Cool]

I had a screwdriver laying around that appeared to be bent in a similar fashion as the installation tool. So I just ordered the spring. It was not hard to install I got it on the second try. However you will need a tool with that bend on it.

Tom

 

[buckethead]

Thanks, Tom
So if I buy a cheap screwdriver and bend it like the tool it should work. How long was the screw driver that you used?

Doug

 

[BlueL36]

I bent an old 8" screwdriver. It also helps to have a small hammer to tap the spring into place as you manipulate the spring with the screwdriver tool. Instructions are at Corvettefaq.com. Another tip- place an old towel or rag in the space below the hinge to catch the spring when you drop it (and you will once or twice) to protect the paint.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Buy the tool. I bent the screwdriver and it was so soft that it wouldn't hold when I was using it to position the spring. IMO saving the 12 or 13 dollars was not worth the headache.

 

[Mr.Cool]

Doug
Bobchad might be right. I don't know how good the tool is but my cheap 10" screwdriver was begining to bend as I tried to manipulate the spring. I only had to do one spring.

Tom

 

[buckethead]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I will probably order the tool when I order the the springs. That way I'll be sure the size, angle of bend etc are correct for the job. I agree , that 10 or 12 dollars is cheap if it saves me a lot of aggravation and time.

Doug

 

[Scooter76]

I went ahead & forked over the $10 or so for the tool. It turned out to be stouter than I figured that it would be, & did the job real well. So another cool tool for the tool box.

 

[Willis76]

...... So another cool tool for the tool box.

.......... ever get the feeling that they've sold more of these tools than there are cars to use them on?

 

[21again]

Can someone give me a link or reference as to where to get the door springs, I need them too. TIA

 

[CS72Roadster]

I got mine from Eckler's. I made the tool from an old screwdriver like some of the other guys did. Just use a fairly heavy screw driver.

CS

 

[buckethead]

I ordered mine from Corvette Central... www.corvettecentral.com basically the same tool but their shipping was a little less and I was ordering some other stuff from them as well.

Doug