Reassembling trunk hinge springs

[RICH MUISE]

Anybody got any neat tricks for reassembling the trunk hinge springs back in place after disassembly for cleaning and painting? I was thinking of bolting the hinge to a long 2x4 using the threaded mounting holes, then fabricating a pivoting pipe handle to the 2x4 that would give me some leverage.Then all I have to figure out is how to grab the spring end, and still be able to get it over the mounting point of the hinge. Maybe there's a simpler way.    Rich

[Ford Blue blood]

Rich read some place (manual?) to use the bumper jack.  Just the jack portion and a small loop of cable or chain.  I made a spring "stretcher" for hood hinges and it should work for the trunk as well.  I used all thread, welded a nut on one end, short piece of pipe with a slot cut in one end, welded a plug in it, made a hook to catch the othe end of the spring with a couple of nuts welded on it.  I"ll shoot a picture of it and post later today.

[RICH MUISE]

great ideas...now if I can find my old Jack..lol.  I had made an allthread setup to stretch them out when I was painting them..but I had used big eyebolts to grab the spring ends, and I knew that would be a problem with the eye bolts being so big. The cable should work though, in place of the eyebolts...I'll give that a try also...Thanks Bill.   Rich

[Zapato]

Rich, the 54 chevy crowd uses all thread a couple nuts and some oversized washers.everything goes on the inside of the springs and cranking on the nuts spreads it till its apart enough to hook on the reverse it all to set them in place.

Zap-

[Ford Blue blood]

Rich life has happened and I was unable to get to the "tool", will try tomorrow with the pics.

[RICH MUISE]

Got 'em done. I'll have to do a little paint touch up, but they are together. Used the threaded rod inside with nuts, a steel bar and some high strength picture hanging wire to loop from the spring to the bar. Rich