I see install pics of peeps putting spring compressor on when lowering their cars listen up YOU DONT NEED THEM! They are a waste of time I have lowered over 20 cars in my lifetime if your paranoid wrap the whole strut and spring cartridge in a old blanket kinda like when you wrap a baby. When you loosen the bolt lay it on the ground with 1 foot on the spring and your other foot on the top of the spring pearch ( the side that your unloosening) when you get the bolt off you will hear a little thumP and a slight jolt the blanket hold everything in place and keep the pearch from shooting off . just like hondas and others the 350 z springs are barely compressed , when installing the new spring just use your body weight to compress with one hand and thread the bolt with the next or if you uncoordinated have you wife , kid , or girlfriend thread it, now your done reinstall start assembly of assembly

Note use and old blanket. you will save 20 minutes and again YOU DONT NEED A SPRING COMPRESSOR!
Thanks-BIG ERN

 

are you gonna take the liability when someone follows your advice and has a spring fly off and hit them in the head? You can get a spring compressor from harbor freight tools for $10, or borrow from your local auto parts store for free. Besides, our nut that holds the strut in place on top won't come loose unless the spring is compressed, even with an impact wrench the shock just spins.

 

DO IT THE WAY I SAID AND YOU WILL BE FINE. OBVIOUSLY YOU DID NOT DO YOURS YOURSELF. The top thread has been designed for a closed end wrench or a crescent wrench wich enable you to hold it with out allowing thread to spin. obviously you didnt do yours otherwise you would have known. Im just trying to save time and you can do it safely. ok rookies go change your springs yourself and dont use a spring compressor on your 350z ..........its a waste of time

 

I agree with 2003z, using a spring compressor is the way to go. And yes, I did remove the springs myself (once to install Eibachs and a second time for the just-released Koni application for the 350Z). What bigern1970 is proposing is NOT RECOMMENDED by Nissan and is bound to get someone hurt. I don't care how many times he's done it with a haphazard method. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED TRYING IT and this board should promote a 'best practice" approach, rather than trying to save a few minutes with slipshod techniques...

It's simply not that difficult to use the right tool to do the job safely and correctly. Don't risk an accident if you don't have to...

 

It can be done that way but should only be done by someone who has done it before and a few times, it could be dangerous.

But you would need the compressor to put them back together at least to get the nut started.

The easiest if you don't want to get compressors take the assemblies to a local shop and they will do them for you for a small fee.

 

I took my WHOLE strut off, and had problems as well, and had to put the WHOLE freakin thing back together. The reason? The spring is putting just enough tension on the bolt to make it so it will NOT come lose and the inside just spins. I guess if I had a Bench vice, a friend to help me hold and compress things in place and air tools I maybe could have done it withOUT a compressor. As it is, I did the rears with NO problems, and will deal with the fronts next week.

 

If you look at the top of the strut threat that the nut bolts onto. The top thread alows (by design) for a closed end more perferably a crescent to stop it from spinning while you turn the 17mm nut with a closed end once you get it started, it should be easy im a strong guy , I guess most people in here arent as strong and I dont say that to be insulting or condescending but when working on cars you need to be strong when working on components that require strength to break them lose. -Thanks Bigern1970

 

I did it all by myself, no air tools or electric tools, no spring compressors, no vice and it was easy as all get out. You guys are making something out of nothing. To get that bolt of you simply use the right size wrench, open end or closed. You put a cresent wrench on the end of the spindle that is no longer round, the very end where it is flat on two sides. Hold the cresent wrench or let it hit the ground as you start to loosen the bolt with the open end wrench, if you use a close ended wrench make sure you slip it on over the spindle before putting the cresent wrench on it. The stock springs on my car barely moved at all and the aftermarket springs are not as tall so putting them back on was a piece of cake and you use the cresent wrench again when you tighten that same bolt back down.

 

i bought a spring compressor because i was told i needed it.. after realizing i didnt need it.. i took it back and did it without.

 

Thanks ZZZYA, I told them their making it harder by using compressor, glad to see we did it the same way,

 

Not obvious, I did both my Z and G35c myself. I just invest in tools to do the job right and safely, and am not a cheap bastard.

 

Didnt mean to hurt your feelings, do you wear goggles too? oh and never called you a cheap bastard either-

 

actually I am plenty strong thanx, could it just MAYBE be slightly different on each car?? (maybe part of the problem could have been that the small part on top that requires an 8mm, I actually used an 8mm wrench (trying to do it right, I HATE crescent wrenches), BUT that wrench is very short, allowing for much less leverage.

 

Wish I knew that trick to hold the spindle, oh well. I think I'd still use the spring compressors just to make sure. They don't add much time.

 

spring compressors???? I didn't use anything but wrenches to install my S-Tune. Maybe this doesn't apply to me.

 

your s-tunes came preassembled.

and bigern, you didn't hurt my feelings.

 

Hey frenzy gotta none z question. how much for a 4,000 square foot house in Atlanta in a nice neighborhood, i got 600,000.00$ to work with please let me know asap thanks- Ern

 

that will buy you a small 4 bedroom, under 2000 sq ft with no yard where I live. It sucks!!!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rodH
that will buy you a small 4 bedroom, under 2000 sq ft with no yard where I live. It sucks!!! [/QUOTE

Yeah I live in san deigo, but I need to buy another house or that capital gain tax will kick your ***, I might as well just keep the house im in thats why I posted the question to frenzy he lives in atlanta houses alot cheaper with bigger yards.]

 

depends on the part of town. In town, that will buy you about what it will in california.

in the burbs you get a lot more. I paid 205k for 3000 sq.ft. with 3.5 car garage on 2.5 acres.