I received the El Paso Tools spring compressor today delivered by the BBT. Bought it off Ebay for $219. Upon inspection its pretty well made and quite heavy-duty. The spring "plates" are almost a 1/2" thick and the screw unit is sectioned and captive to keep things from rotating and binding. For the DIY guy this is the real deal and no way would I bother spending the extra $300+ for the other brands. Comes in a nice plastic case too. I will give a full report after I have used it. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Thanks for the update. I looked at the ebay auction for this tool and it did not say that it would work on my 115's.
Any reason it wouldn't?
Any interest in renting, sharing or selling yours after you finish?
I don't mind buying one but I can't image using it often after I finish the front end on these two and I can always spend the money on other parts.
No pressure but email if interested.
cofish@newrivernets.com

Thanks again

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Ncnetman
1959 Chev 3100 Fleetside
1965 Mustang
1968 Torino GT fastback
1969 Ranchero
1974 240d 4-speed -for sale
1976 240d fresh paint- on hold
1978 300cd fresh paint and new rearwindshield rubber
1990 6.2 Suburban 194k-getting a 6.5 turbo
2008 Duramax Silverado
2015 VW Passat TDI

I am co-purchasing this tool with another member. We are planning to rent it out after we are done using it. This will be posted on the board in the near future. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Smart move.
Any idea of a time line when it might be available?

__________________
Ncnetman
1959 Chev 3100 Fleetside
1965 Mustang
1968 Torino GT fastback
1969 Ranchero
1974 240d 4-speed -for sale
1976 240d fresh paint- on hold
1978 300cd fresh paint and new rearwindshield rubber
1990 6.2 Suburban 194k-getting a 6.5 turbo
2008 Duramax Silverado
2015 VW Passat TDI

Dunno, maybe a month or so? RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

That will probably work for me, if I get in a hurry I'll just buy one and resell it when I finish.
Email a few days before it is available and I'll send a UPS label.

Thanks

__________________
Ncnetman
1959 Chev 3100 Fleetside
1965 Mustang
1968 Torino GT fastback
1969 Ranchero
1974 240d 4-speed -for sale
1976 240d fresh paint- on hold
1978 300cd fresh paint and new rearwindshield rubber
1990 6.2 Suburban 194k-getting a 6.5 turbo
2008 Duramax Silverado
2015 VW Passat TDI

Is there some reason why the one you can rent for free at Autozone won’t work?

I used it while helping my friend upgrade the springs on his TJ Jeep when installing a 5 ½ inch lift.

Have not tried it personally, but, in all likelihood, the coils on a M/B are way too close together for the hooks on the typical compressor from AutoZone.
Also, the travel in those compressors is probably insufficient to release the spring on the M/B.

It's a dangerous task and you don't want to be screwing around with the wrong equipment. If the spring comes out of the compressor, it will likely kill you if you happen to be in its path.

I'm taking a little break right now from rebuilding the rear suspension in my '84 300D. The passenger side is done, new subframe mount, control arm bushings, and reassembled. As soon as I finish my CocaCola I'm going back down to tackle the driver side and finish it up with a new diff mount. The El Paso spring compressor works very well. It takes very little effort to turn the jackscrew and compress the spring so I think its a pretty good design. No way for the thing to slip/slide out of position like other compressors so its very safe. Suspension work sucks but this makes it tolerable. Now back to the task. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

rwthomas1,

How does the tool fit the front springs??

I also just received my El Paso tool from Baum Tools last week and was somewhat dissapointed when I test fit it on my '84 300D and my wife's '83 300D. I spoke with Baum Tools, and it seems that the access holes for the front springs (under the hood) must be widened on the W116, W123, and W201 cars. The largest section of the strut is about 1-2mm too wide to fit through the hole .

I think I'm going to just grind out the holes anyway though, since I saved almost $1000 off buying the real Klann tool! I just hope it fits W126 cars without modification in the junkyard, since I've planned to do a spring swap and cut from a SEL car (without self-leveling) to increase my spring rate .

Yes, you are correct. The Baum tool requires about 1/16" more clearance in the tower holes for satisfactory clearance. Most folks have easily accomplished this with a file. It's not more than .030" per side.

Did Baum confirm the requirement to widen the holes on the W116 and W201 vehicles, in addition to the W123? I was not aware of this and it's good info, if correct.

The W126 does not have the problem.

I am confused. Is this "El Paso Tool" a southeast Asian import similar/identical to the "JTC" 1801?

Like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Coil-Spring-Compressor-For-Mercedes-1801_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35625QQitemZ4612336274QQrdZ1

I was under the impression that there were 3 tools out there:

1. Klann
2. SirTools
3. JTC - asian clone

Is this another real player?

And if it is different than #3, where is it made?

Rick

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

The El Paso compressor is made by Baum tools. It's slightly different than the photo but the philosophy is identical. Can't tell where it's made but it's proven to be a rugged set of tools.

Without having seen any of these I am sure they work MORE OR LESS the same way.

If the El Paso is made or backed by a reputable firm, that would get my interest. At $200 , I would be interested in having one.

But I would like to have some assurance that my future widow would be able to collect from someone in the event of my untimely demise.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I will tell you that the SirTools compressor is a gin-yoo-wine POS.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.