Suspension and Chassis Questions about your suspension? Need chassis advice?

front spring removal/installation tips ?

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Old May 8, 2004 | 06:14 PM
  #1  
treeohfive's Avatar
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front spring removal/installation tips ?

so everyone in the world has me scared to do this......eve nthough ive replaced everything on the car other than the front suspension......so..

tips??? insite?? how did you do it?
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Old May 8, 2004 | 06:49 PM
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From: Fontana, ca & saint clair shores, MI
Car: 1991 camaro Z28
Engine: LS1
Transmission: T56
on removing them i just stock a jack under it, unbolted everything and lowerd the jack slowly then pulled it out. Dont worry if you unjack it all the way down and it is still a little wedged in there just pull on it, it wont have that much stress on it where it will shoot out and kill you. On installing them you will need to compress them some how and you can do that a few ways. Either get spring compressors or just wrap a chain around the spring and stick a bolt threw it before you take them out and that should keep them compressed enough to get them back in. Installation is the oppesite, stick a jack under it put it in and jack it up.
P.S. make sure you line up the coil in there the right way(cover the 2 drain holes but not the third.)
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Old May 8, 2004 | 07:07 PM
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well see i plan on cutting 1/2 a coil off ....so putting them back in wont be a huge problem.

are you talking about placing a back between the two back pivot bolts.....putting a slight about of pressure on them with the jack, then pull the pivot bolts out......Then slowly lower the jack preparing to run and duck like hell?
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Old May 8, 2004 | 08:14 PM
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From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
Car: '88 Iroc, '91 RS, and a '70 RS
Engine: 5.7 TPI; 5.0 TBI; ZZ4/T56 on the ag
Transmission: A4, A4, slated to be a T56
Click the link in my sig, I walk you right through it, it's in my rebuild album..

Ed
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Old May 9, 2004 | 03:05 AM
  #5  
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From: Fontana, ca & saint clair shores, MI
Car: 1991 camaro Z28
Engine: LS1
Transmission: T56
just put the jack under the a-arm and slowly let it down, you'll be fine.
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Old May 9, 2004 | 07:42 AM
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hey you are in fort mill sc?? i used to stay there ALL the time...i live in columbia.,...sorry thought id point that out lol...

anyways yeah...ill just drop the a arm slowly all the wgile ready to duck.
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Old May 9, 2004 | 08:50 AM
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From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
Car: '88 Iroc, '91 RS, and a '70 RS
Engine: 5.7 TPI; 5.0 TBI; ZZ4/T56 on the ag
Transmission: A4, A4, slated to be a T56
Yep...Ft Mill. Good luck!!

Ed
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Old May 9, 2004 | 01:56 PM
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From: Roscoe, IL
Car: 1991 Trans Am
Engine: LQ4
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: 3.70
go to autozone and borrow the spring compressor, itll make things much easier when putting them back in
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Old May 9, 2004 | 02:03 PM
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ebmiller88's Avatar
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From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
Car: '88 Iroc, '91 RS, and a '70 RS
Engine: 5.7 TPI; 5.0 TBI; ZZ4/T56 on the ag
Transmission: A4, A4, slated to be a T56
Reinstalling the stock height front springs IS NOT FUN!! Trust me on that one...a friend will help a lot.


Ed
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Old May 10, 2004 | 12:01 AM
  #10  
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From: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Car: 1991 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.23
Hey Ed, those pics helped a lot! I'm planning on rebuilding my entire suspension because it's really not feeling like it used to. Just a question... did you have air tools when you were taking out the old suspension and putting in the new one or did you just use hand tools?
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Old May 10, 2004 | 08:32 AM
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From: Roscoe, IL
Car: 1991 Trans Am
Engine: LQ4
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: 3.70
i used an impact gun to take everything apart, but it didnt work for one of the back lca bolts. i ended up cutting both end of the bolt off that were outside the bracket, bent the bracket enough to get it out. nothing would move that damn thing because it was rusted to the sleeve inside the bushing. also, make good friends with pb blaster or similar product several days before you try to remove stuff
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Old May 10, 2004 | 08:35 AM
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From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
Car: '88 Iroc, '91 RS, and a '70 RS
Engine: 5.7 TPI; 5.0 TBI; ZZ4/T56 on the ag
Transmission: A4, A4, slated to be a T56
I just used hand tools. The biggest thing I used was a 1/2" Craftsman breaker bar to bust the strut bolts loose, those are 24mm and are torqued to 200 ft-lbs. Everything else is 13-19mm in size. I recommend soaking all bolts and nuts in penetrant for 2 days, twice a day, before you tear into it. That will help a LOT, like KAG stated.

Ed
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