Okay so i called a local import tuning shop today to get an idea of how much it would cost to have a few things installed. The shop charges $80.00 per hour labor. They said 1.5 hours for the exhaust. $25 dollars for my new tires and wheel install (per wheel). None of that sounded too bad but for them to install lowering springs he said 5 hours! Then another hour for the alignment. WTF?

Are lowering springs that hard to do? Basically he said for all that i want done i need to plan on leaving the car for a full day of labor. I dont know...the labor for the springs just sounds really high. I should probably just go to freaking Midas or Meineke or something.

 

read springs are probly an hr together, fronts .75 to 1 hr each side tops, go somewhere else.

 

op, if you are kind of handy, it's not hard to do at all. the exhaust is easy also... very easy.

the only things you cannot do is install the tires and alignment. alignment prices seems a little high. tire is ok...

if you were in socal i would do it for you and you won't even pay that price. seriously, go to the diy section for the springs and it's pretty simple. might take you a little bit if you're not used to working on cars. exhaust is pretty much a straight bolt off, bolt on kinda deal. unless you have to move something.

check out the diy, if you do it yourself i can canswer your questions. i did my springs a bunch of times, and some other guys' cars here in socal as well.

good luck buddy.

 

Thanks bro-im gonna give this a shot!

 

without seeing nissans labor time guide, i don't see 5 hours being out of line at all.

$80 for an alignment is decent also.

 

You are fortunate. Some shops add a surcharge for bring-your-own parts.

 

honestly for my spring install it took SOOOOO Long but that was bc i didnt soak bolts or anything. SO it was just a PITA but it finally got done. Rears literally took less than an hr.

 

rears i can do in 20 minutes....front spring install with a good spring compressor tool can be done in an hour.

a spring compressor like this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=43753 makes the job easy.

some shops have this style..and its super easy! I have been thinking of fabing up my own design.....

http://image.sporttruck.com/f/930921...compressor.jpg
-J

 

compressing the springs is going to take you the loooongest... rears are easy like ^he said.

the trick is, take off the nut holding the upper front a-arm, don't forget the pin, and also the nut/bolt, for the sway bar. it makes taking off the spring/shock assembly so much easier. oh and a breaker bar helps with the bolt holding the shock to the lower arm, just make sure you are turning the nut the right way.

another trick is to put your stock jack, or any jack, under the lower arm when reinstalling the shock/sping assembly, it helps you line up the bolt that connect the shock to the lower arm.

hope this helps. i found it much easier with these things done. probably everything in an hour, but to compressed the spring will make it about 2 hours. lol.

 

1.5 hours tops for springs if they have the impact gun.. rears are so easy it can be down in less than 30 mins...

 

i was referring to not having air tools, all hand tools with the shietty spring compressors. you just want to cut your arms off after using those piece of crap. but hey, they are free to use from the local Auto Zone stores.

 

400$ for installing springs, 100$ for putting on tires, 80$ for an alignment, 580$ just to lower the car and put on new tires and to get an alignment sounds outrageous. Go to your local region and find somebody who could help you out. You could save 40$ just by going to discount tire and having them put on your tires for 15$ a tire.

 

Any shop that has a lift, air tools, and has done this before, shouldn't take more than two hours to do the install. It probably took me 4 hours to do my own, (80% on the front springs) but it was the first time I had attempted, I was working in a cramped apartment garage with my car on jack stands, and I was triple checking everything as I went along.

I would look at another shop.

 

exactly what i did

 

Do it yourself. Go to Autozone or any auto parts store and rent a Spring, (**** I forget the name) I'll just call it a spring decompresser. Rears will be swift, and self explanatory. The front is what you need the "Spring decompresser" to get that spring off and on the front shock. Easy, now you can say you had a part in modding your Z. next step: Self install of a turbo/SC kit.

 

The problem is the breakdown into hours. If you walked in there and they told you the charge is $400 without mentioning the hourly rate, there probably would not be this thread. A tuner shop here told me they charge $375 to install springs. I did not have any problem with that. But now thinking in terms of ours, I am like what? There is always smart ways of doing business. Try doing it yourself as suggested by those that have done it. Take your time and do it right so you don't end up back into the shop.

 

you guys are missing the point here. when taking stuff to a shop, it doesn't matter how fast you can get it done--it matters what the book time is.

i can assure you the guy doing the install can do it just as fast(or faster) than most on here, but that makes no difference in the price at all.

 

^^ thats true. thats how much my father charges lol.

 

They were very specific in hourly rate and total cost. He said we charge 80/hr and it will take 5 hrs for the install and 1 hr for the alignment. Which leads to my next issue...this is a WELL known tuner shop in the area and we all know that an alignment shouldnt be done until AFTER the car settles on the new springs-not immediately after the install.

 

There is no way on god's green earth the book time for springs is 5 hours...there is NO WAY.