Me and a buddy started my spring job yesterday. Here's how far we got.

Rears - Done in 30 minutes.

Fronts - Jacked up strut until pressure came off car jack and put on spring compressor. We did not compress more just hand tightened and let jack down. Removed the strut nut and bolt.

Now we tried all kinds of ways to get the sway bar bolt out to the point of banging and having to grind off the bolt to even get the nut back on. How high should we have to jack the strut back up to get the tension off this thing? It almost seems like jacking it up at all is making it worse. We tried the wood block method and still no go. Any tips before we start again would help.

We were following these directions.

http://www.*********.com/zwiki/Spring_Installation

 

So youre just trying to get the strut/spring assembly out of the front?

-make sure both front wheels are up in the air
-Drop the spindle from the upper control arm and there will be no need to remove the strut bolt. The spindle is only attached to the UCA by 1 castle nut, use a 17mm iirc and a breaker bar.
-Drop the spindle down
-remove the lower bolt from the strut that connects it to the LCA and the 3 nuts that hold the strut to the body at the top of the strut
-push down on the spindle to push the LCA down ( youre fighting the sway bar) and remove the strut assembly.

install in reverse

 

Ok thanks I'll try that way this time.

 

and if you still want to drop the sway bar out to do it

-put the car up on jack stands so atleast the whole front is up
- you can put a jack under the Lower control arm and put a load on the spring until the load on the sway bar is 0. and you will be able to turn it by hand after you break it.

 

Ah that had to be the problem, I didn't jack the whole car just the one side. Too much pressure from the other side being down. Jacking up the side even more was making it worse. I'm going to try again in a few. Thanks

 

Yea jacking up the car will help since there wil not be pressure on just one side.

Also what spring compressor are your using? Cause the way i read this it sounds like you can compress the spring while the shock is still in the car?

You should be able to remove the entires shock and spring assembly as one and then compress the spring once its off man. That is how i have done it several times.


Post pics once done with your new drop -D

 

this may help..

https://my350z.com/forum/8294307-post30.html

-J

 

Well I got it done today using Cux350z's method which was much easier than the other way I was trying and we didn't need to compress the spring on the car that way which was nice. I put on Hotchkis springs that I bought used off a member here so they are already broken in and dropped it more than I thought which is cool.

Here is a quick blurry cell pic for you guys. I Guess the lens was dirty. I'm going to take some real shots after I get my spacers Tuesday (20mm F 25mm R).