DIY: Spring Installation #2 revised by YUSOSLO

[yusoslo]

Hello all,
I wanted to take the time and write a DIY on lowering spring installation and the tricks I used to make this go smoothly. I completed this project in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I did use the sticky thread up top as my guide but there are much much quicker ways to do this. Still refer to the first post for pictures. I hope this is helpfull to everyone and a bit more Complete

*- Indicates where I added tricks/tips to make this go easier

First and foremost here are some REQUIRED tools:
White Lithium Grease
PB Blaster
Impact Gun Electric/Air (rent one...it will save your 1 to 1.5 hours easy)
Spring Compressors (rent if you must)

Step 1:
-Two days before starting your job turn your wheels full lock left and right and soak everything in PB blaster

Step 2: Rear Suspension (my time......30min)
-Jack up the rear by the rear diff
-Support the car with jackstands
*Put a support jack under the lower control arm and lift it by 1/4" of its lowest resting place
-Remove the single bolt (17mm) holding the lower control arm to the rear hub.
*I always like to use my open ended 17mm wrench to pry against the head of the bolt while I back it out...this makes it much easier to remove those long bolts
-Slowly lower the jack and remove the spring from the bottom FIRST, then guide it out of the upper "Ice Cream Cone" rubber support.
-Install the spring with the writting NORMAL side up so you can read it.
*Spray white lithium grease on both rubber mounts where the spring will be touching
-Install the spring first in the upper Ice Cream Cone and then the lower perch
-Bolt everything back up
*Don't forget to scrub and clean your wheel wells while you are there!!!!!!!!

Step two: The Front Suspension (my time........1 hr 15min)
-You MUST jack up both sides to relieve sway bar tension
-You MUST remove the strut bar
*Next loosen the brake line bolt (12mm DEEP WELL or you will strip the bolt) and speed sensor lines FIRST, you do not want to be wrenching on that bolt AFTER you unbolted the front strut.
*Unbolt the Swaybar bolt (17mm), and then either A. lift up on the sway bar with your brute strenght, or B. lighly lift the sway bar with a jack. The bolt will just slide out. DO NOT jack the lower controll arm, this will not releive pressure like the other write up reccomends, and you can lift the car off the jack stands (very bad!!!)
-Unbolt lower shock mount (17mm)
-Remove cotter pin and nut (17mm) on A-arm
*Use your hand to squeeze the hub and A-arm together, this relieves the pressure and makes the bolt easier to come off, plus there is no supprise falling suspension parts to worry about
-Pull the suspension towards you and cover in a towel....don't risk chipping your fender.
-Unbolt the top 3 strut bolts (12mm)
*Push down on the lower control arm and get the upper strut housing out of the holes...there is a lot more room to work inside the fender, once the strut top is free push down on the control arm and slide the strut out going towards the front of the car
-Use that impact gun to quickly compress the springs and spin that strut bolt (17mm) off
*Use lithium grease again on rubber mounts
*Install spring with letters being RIGHT SIDE UP
*Install assembled spring/strut up top first with one bolt, Install the lower shock bolt first **(DON'T forget to make sure your brake lines and speed sensor lines are on the proper side of the strut)** it is much easier to line up this way
-Bolt everything back together
*Don't forget scrubbing those wheel wells!!!!!!!!!!
*Retighten the upper strut (12mm) bolts once the car is on the ground, you can normally get 3/4 to 1 more turn since the weight of the car is now on them
*Install strut bar but remember to add tension back into it or you will get a knock/rattle. Trust me!!

Now go enjoy your new suspension, allow it a week or two to settle and then once at the lowest settling point, go get that Z an alignment!!

Also let me know if this was more helpfull and how Quickly/and Safely you performed your Suspension install

[jtabraham]

Nice Write-Up. The advice on spraying down everything with PB Blaster is key.

[10 TIL 4]

Awesome! I'll use this when I install my GF210's I just got.

[MR_X]

If you have an impact gun, no need for spring compressor. I have done over 30 spring install and I never used a spring compressor.

[TheBlackPearlZ]

mr x is right...no spring compressor needed

[yusoslo]

well i didnt want to risk the shock perch flying around my garage and hitting the new paint job on the Z. So it doesnt shoot off then?

Most cars have the spring under load.....very interesting.

[MR_X]

Well it does have some tension. There are 2 ways I do it. I will loosen up the top nut before I take any suspension components out. I do this just in case it wants to be a PITA. Once the shock is out, I place the shock/strut on the floor. I put one foot on the shock/strut body and the other on the spring while aiming it to a box or a corner, just away from anything and a place where it would be easy to find the part in case they do fly out (usually they end staying with the socket). I then take the impact gun and take it off. Another way you can do it is take it apart while it is mounted in the car and take it apart while you remove the shock/strut, but I only recommend this to the more experience people.

[supchaka]

Originally Posted by MR_X

Well it does have some tension. There are 2 ways I do it. I will loosen up the top nut before I take any suspension components out. I do this just in case it wants to be a PITA. Once the shock is out, I place the shock/strut on the floor. I put one foot on the shock/strut body and the other on the spring while aiming it to a box or a corner, just away from anything and a place where it would be easy to find the part in case they do fly out (usually they end staying with the socket). I then take the impact gun and take it off. Another way you can do it is take it apart while it is mounted in the car and take it apart while you remove the shock/strut, but I only recommend this to the more experience people.

So how do you get the new springs back in?

[mw9]

Thanks for the write up, I was just looking for a DIY for this.

[Skidfive805]

I ran into an interesting issue while I tried the rears today.

My dual exhaust got in the way of the rear control arm going down all the way on both sides therefore not giving me enough room to get the spring out.

now I have to take out my exhaust first. bah

[sk26dett]

Originally Posted by Skidfive805

I ran into an interesting issue while I tried the rears today.

My dual exhaust got in the way of the rear control arm going down all the way on both sides therefore not giving me enough room to get the spring out.

now I have to take out my exhaust first. bah

Do you have a borla exhaust? If so you dont have to uninstall it, or at least i didn't. I just unbolted the rear mount and then pulled the control arm down with a pry bar, but not with too much force, with a little tension pulling the control arm down they came right out, Just have someone else hold the down while you get the springs out.

[Skidfive805]

Originally Posted by sk26dett

Do you have a borla exhaust? If so you dont have to uninstall it, or at least i didn't. I just unbolted the rear mount and then pulled the control arm down with a pry bar, but not with too much force, with a little tension pulling the control arm down they came right out, Just have someone else hold the down while you get the springs out.

I do I do. i will have to try that. maybe when I get home tonight. Thanks

[MR_X]

Originally Posted by supchaka

So how do you get the new springs back in?

You have to remember that most lowering springs are shorter than the OEM. What I usually do is, I will put every thing together. Press down on the upper mount so you can get the nut on there. screw the nut in a little, just enough to hold the upper mount but with enough play that you can rotate it so when you mount it in the car you can line up everything. Once every thing is mounted on the car, right before you put the strut bar on, you go ahead and tighten the nut on the upped mount via the shock tower.

[creationv2]

this diy guide is IMO the best one out there, pics wouldve been helpful, but nonetheless the guide was helpful.

i installed coilovers and it took me about 4 hours. an hour or so going to the damned endlink bolt on the drivers side, that thing would not come out. the warning in the diy about jacking up the aarm being dangerous made it take longer cuz i disregarded jacking up both the arm and the sway, and when i just said f*** it and did it, whatdya know, it finally came out.


thanks for the write up!

[yusoslo]

hey I am glad it was helpful. I took the time to save others time! glad you got it done quickly too!!

[tmounk]

So where do you use the spring compressor?

I'm trying to take of my rears to adjust the height since I the ice cream cone thing does not allow me to go higher.

I was just wondering if I could do the rears with the ease of the DYI without an impact gun or spring compressor.

[yusoslo]

no need to do the rears with a spring compressor. Just apply pressure to the lower control arm with a jack when unbolting the main bolt, slowly lower it to releive the pressure then push down to remove the spring.

You can do the rear in about 45min easy

[tmounk]

Thanks yusoslo, I have the greddy type s and the fronts are pretty easy to adjust but the rears will not go up. right now the fronts are a finger gap which is good for my area but the rears are pretty much no finger gap. It look good at the beginning when I had the fronts lower but I was scrapping on inclines that was not normal for my daily driving.

[Spoiled Z]

Originally Posted by jtabraham

Nice Write-Up. The advice on spraying down everything with PB Blaster is key.

Only if you're not using power tools. I thought I had to spray them down but since I was using power tools I didnt have to.

[Spoiled Z]

I just finished installing my front springs. The hardest part was putting the new springs and strut together. I didnt use compressor to get the oem strut/spring out. Though I decided to unbolt the A arm instead and that made it easier and game me more room to play. So i pulled down on it then you will see that the fender has this pocket you then pull it towards you and push it down and tada the strut/spring are off the car.