I really appreciate your advice on the tools. You guys always come through. But I'm REALLY pissed at myself for not asking before I even started this.

I got the drivers front side in by using two of the regular spring compressors you can get at any automotive store (on the outside of the spring cuz one won't fit inside the spring like they normally do). And that was after hours of trying to keep them from sliding around on the spring. I've been working on this thing since 10:00am, and here it is, 5:40 in the afternoon.

And I finally got the passengers side so it's almost ready to come out, but because of the way the coil wraps around the "pad" on the lower A frame, it's a no go with these compressors. Absolutely, incredibly, freakin' beautiful.

So now I have to cancel my alignment appointment, and decide: Do I want to pay the ~$125 total to rent the tool and do this myself, or pay the dealer, and I don't trust anyone else to do this right, $300 to do it for me.

Lesson to be learned:

I thought was getting 4 new tires and rims @ $300.

Which has now turned into 4 new tires and rims @ $300, 4 new "shims" @ $35, and either the tool rental @ ~$125, or the dealer's labor @ $300, and 8 hours of my labor by the time I've cleaned up this mess .

So I've gone from what I anticipated to be $300 to way beyond that, and this is coming out of the pocket of someone who is freakin' UNEMPLOYED. AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

KIDS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!