Hi All

I have a removed rear subframe from which I wanted to take out the suspension cylinders. I had disconnected it before I realised that I should have started unscrewing the spheres with the system pressurised. It has taken me a long time to come up with a way of holding the cylinders safely in place while I bang away at the sphere with a hammer and cold chisel. (Anyone know how much steel can you afford to peel off the sphere and still reuse it?).
To lock the cylinder in place I used 2 jubilee clips and a spring compressor. I fitted a large jubilee clip round the cylinder close to the sphere but did not tighten it fully until I had threaded a second small jubilee clip under it. The spring compressor had a long bolt and 2 claws (1 threaded, 1 loose). I put the loose claw on the bolt then threaded the bolt throught the small jubilee clip then screwed the other claw onto the bolt. It was then possible to tighten the spring compressor bolt until the claws were tight on the flanges of the bit of the subframe that holds the cylinder. I had cut slots in the claws by the bolt so that it fitted tight against the subframe flanges. Once the small jubilee clip was tightened then the cylinder was fixed rigid in the subframe and I could belt the sphere until it came loose and unscrewed. I would have used the Pliades Trol but I could not find it. I peeled about a half inch long shard of steel off the sphere seam before it shifted.
I will post a photo of the setup when my own computer gets back on the internet.

Regards

XMexc