Looking at the Forum, I didn't spot any threads describing how to attach and detach the spring on the tilt column in my car. It actually took me several tries where I had to drop the column again in order to reattach the top of the spring. When I finally figured out this method and I thought I should document it for the next guy.
What finally worked was a piece of steel welding rod. I crossed the ends in my vise and twisted the ends together to make a loop. I know the manual says to reattach the spring after all brackets are in place but this way was more photogenic. Since I had my seat out, I had plenty of room for leverage.
I slipped the end of my wire loop over the spring eye and put a few wood shims under the brake pedal. By pressing down on the wood, I stretched the spring sufficiently to install it. The loop was then removed off the spring and I saved it for my next weld job.
I continue to work on the car; I was able to restore the solenoid in my clock and installed a quick release battery clamp so that won't happen again.
Regards,
Tom Miller