awesome man I’m gonna try something like that out!Some shocks the spring can be removed by just backing off the preload all the way. I'm assuming that you tried this and it's not the case for this particular case. One idea I have is to take 2 pieces of plate steel(or aluminum), cut a slot to fit the center shaft in, 3 threaded rods with nuts and slide it in and tighten the nuts till the bottom spring retainer can be pulled out. You shouldn't need to compress too much, I'm guessing if you were to get the plate between 2-3 coils then it will be more than enough to get the retainer out. You might even run up to AutoZone and rent something like in the picture. I wouldnt compress any of the coils till they touch, I would grab a few more coils and compress them all a little as opposed to all the way down on 1-2 coils . Shouldnt be under alot of tension when the preload is fully backed off. View attachment 1873