Success! Finished up today. What I did was to use what amounts to a giant cable tie for restrainin the shock once it was compressed. The ties are officially called "duct clamps" and are used in the HVAC business. Once the shocks were in place I cut the tie and pulled it out. Worked very well. Thanks to all.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I`ve figured out how to restrain it with nylon twine. I just need some free time and I`ll have another go. I don`t need much slack for clearance. Makes sense that the shock would have some "pre-load" in the fully extended suspension.

One thing that will help is to disconnect the sway bar links and jack the car
up so the wheels hang down. That way you won't have to compress the shock so far.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

CB;

You're not doing anything "wrong", it's just that nitrogen charged dampers just naturally extend to their fully expanded position when left to go to their "happy place". You will notice that when mounted on vehicle this force will even lift the corners slightly...

KYBs are delivered with trick leather ends and a cord with a quick release knot which holds them compressed and allows you to mount the top, then pull the cord and release them...after that, there's not much stopping them from expanding to their full length (including any appendages of yours which you might put in their way...be forewarned!)...so you kind of have to "pull the trigger", and immediately guide them into the proper position...it's a bit of a trick, for sure...I've also used a floorjack to push up on the bottom after mounting the tops...this is also tricky, because you only want to compress the damper and not lift that corner of vehicle...

I suggest you compress and wire them as Joe has also suggested, then mount tops, and cut wire, guide them to bottom hole using a paint stirrer stick, and not your tooties, which you might need in the future for counting and playing piano at family gatherings...finally, remove wire.

Cheers

Temprorarily binding the shock in the compressed position worked for me. I seem to recall using some 12 gauge insulated wire. A slip knot was incorporated to allow for controlled decompression.

Joe M in WV

i'd probably compress it and duct tape it, get it in real quick bolt it in and take the tape off. get everything preped and ready first though. it you can't duck it f**k it, as the saying goes.

Front suspension is so far, the one part of an amazon that I have not torn into. I dropped the front suspension as a single unit when I scrapped my 1800E and it is still sitting there... so I can only offer a couple "bystander" suggestions.

If you need to compress your shocks temporarily, you might try to use some heavy nylon strapping tied around the ends while you lean on the shock to compress it. Maybe some steel strapping would be safer.... You might even try some of that "Gorilla Tape" around the housing - if it just has to hold for a few minutes - just so that you can fit it into place... You might also try some pipe clamps, if you are a wood-worker...

I can't help but think that you should be able to use the suspension itself to do the compression for you... They do make spring compressors, but I seem to think that the spring is not directly attached to the shock...

At any rate, take care not to injury yourself and work efficiently and safely.