im getting ready to install new bilstein struts and shocks and moog iroc style springs


anyone who has done something like this please share your experience and what you had to do to get this job done.



this will help me know what to expect besides what my haynes and other manuals say

 

i changed my shocks and struts a couple weeks ago ..

pretty sure mine were the originals on my 91 camaro z28 vert ..

the fronts are fairly strait forward, just make sure you have a impact wrench for the two big bolts at the bottom ..

the rears are more tricky ... the tops of them need some way of holding them while loosening the nut .. i used a pair of channel lock pliers, but it took two of us, one holding the pliers, and another turning the wrench till the nut broke loose

basically the hardest part is getting the rear shocks top mounts loose ..
the rest is straight forward ..

as for changing the springs .. i have no clue .. i think the fronts, you just change .. but the rear need a compresser .. idk ..

hope that helps a little


adrian

 

thx for your input, anyone else please explain what you had to do and pictures are a major plus.

 

struts are pretty straight forward.

for the rear, unbolt then from the axle. pull up the carpet behind the rear seats to access the upper mounts and take off the nut. there should be a flat spot on the top of the stud where you can put another wrench to hold the shaft from spinning when you loosen the nut.

the fronts, raise and support the front a-arms. remove the 2 big bolts holding the strut to the spindle, then remove the nut under the hood on the strut tower, again it has a flat part for another wrench.
keep in mind, the strut kinda holds the front suspension together. If you jack up the car and let the a-arm drop, then remove the strut without supporting the a-arm in a compressed manor, the spring will push the a-arm down in a rather violent manor that could cause injury. Be sure to support the a-arm.

as for the rear springs, while you have the shocks out, lower the rear as far as it will go, keep an eye on the brake line to the t-block on the dif, dont ant to break it. You should be able to remove the springs without a compressor and reinstall them the same way.

the front springs, you need a spring compressor, the kind that does inside the spring.
do this as you are performing the strut change. with the strut removed, and the a-arm supported in a fashion as to not interfere with getting the spring compressor into the bottom of the spring through the a-arm remove the spindle, sway bar link, steering link form the a-arm first. then compress the spring as far as you can. then lower the a-arm as far as it will go and if you compressed the spring enough, it will fall out, or it will come out with a swift kick. If its still stuck, prying on it will work, though is not really the best idea, the spring hold a lot of energy and it will hurt you.

with the spring out, compress the new one and reverse the process.

A impact gun in almost a must for this project, for removing the strut bolts and compressing the spring

does this help?

 

thats a pretty darn good explanation of what you go threw ..

only thing to ad is i remember seeing on a previous post that the flat spot on the rear shocks accepts a 7mm (or somewhere around there) wrench ...

but i didnt have one at the time ..

my front struts had a allen key slot to stop it from turning whilst loosening the big nut ..

 

while you have it all apart it isnt a bad idea to replace your a arm and LCA bushings...they will make almost as much difference as the new springs.

 

anybody know wheree to get one of those spring compressors.


probably best to rent one any ideas?

 

http://www.autozone.com/in_our_store...compressor.htm

from our "friends" at autozone

 

that doesnt look like the safest tool

so you get that in the spring and tighten it with the spring compressed by the weight of the car?


then lower the car and shake it/knock it/pull it out?

 

well you could put it in with suspension loaded up and tighten it then unload the suspension and the spring would be ready to fall out.

or with the suspension hanging put it in and tighten it to compress the spring.

just work slowly, and so if the tool starts to slip you can be in control and back off the tension, adjust and continue.

 

Well, I just installed some new goodies from spohn.net including their bump steer kit, wonder bar, new bushings for the sway bar and their fabricated spherical strut mounts. HOWEVER, when i was trying to undo the strut on the drivers side using a 11mm socket and 7/8 wrench on the big nut, it was on there so tight that the smaller 11mm stud on my Koni yellow strut decided to round itself off pretty much. Now, I dont know what Im going to do to get it off...there are basically no corners left or they are very small and the nut is not even close to loose. I guess Ill have to see if the shop I use has some tools for this kinda thing, it must happen often.

Anyone got any ideas? Do you guys think this will ruin my koni yellow strut which is in perfect working condition? I guess you really only need to get it off once and then you can use some vice grips to get the nut back on once the new strut mount is installed....right?

 

Intresting stuff, Im doing the same thing in about a month when I get my car back Im going with Tokico HP shocks and struts, with Tenzo springs. Ill throw up some pics when I do it.

 

Front springs are loaded and ready to knock your freakin head off. Make sure you protect yourself. A chain through the spring and a-arm may save you a trip to the emergency room. Jack the car up high enough so the a-arm has plenty of room to drop.

JamesC

 

Here's some pics of what I did for the front. I took the strut out first, while supporting the A-arm with a jack.


Wrap a chain around the spring to keep it from taking your head off should it come flying out.


I'll use 2 spring compressors on the other one to keep it from bending like this one did. The pry bar is to pry the spring out.

 

The internal type (with a four-inch pipe extension) would probably be a better choice.

JamesC

 

i dont have to remove the whole rotor/lower ball joint assembly to repalce the springs do i?

 

No.

JamesC

 

Can anyone answer me plz?

 

get a nut breaker. go to home depot or autozone to find one. put it on and go to town. should not hurt the threads as long as you pay attention.

 

Alot of you guys will probably not think this is a good idea...and Ill agree, its not as safe as a compressor. But Ill tell ya how I do it anyway. Just with this disclaimer...

Copy what I do at your own risk. The spring does pop a tiny bit, but its near the end of its power potential. So its nothing more than a quick little *pop*.

I use a chain or heavy strap or both and go around the back of the spring to the a-arm. Then I just lower the a-arm until the spring is close to coming off. Its usually loose enough to wiggle at this point, so I just grab a piece of wood and give it a bump to get it off the perch. Usually pops out, and the chain/strap keeps it from hitting anything...not that it comes out that hard.

To install, I just sort of do the opposite. I can get the spring on the seat by hand. Then I just jack the arm back up. With the spring secured again with the chain/strap.

I never have much luck with spring compressors. I dont really see how to get them into the f-body springs, and the last time I tried to use one of those from the zone, the threads got goofed up...even with antiseize on them.

Just my method... Rears are as someone else mentioned, drop the axle til they fall out.

J.

 

so is this how its done guys?

have the car on jack stands and have a jack under the a-arm

remove the front strut and then lower the jack to lower the a arm and put a inner vice grip into the spring compress it and then pop it out while lowering the a-arm some more?


is that basically the gist of it?

 

you want to compress the spring as much as you can before you lower the a-arm.

 

re-hashing this cause i need to do springs in the next month and have never done them before

rears are not an issue but the fronts scare me a bit. I more or less understand everything (in theory).

Like ghetto cruiser mentioned im not entirely sure how youd get that spring compressor in there especially with the spring compressed.

Also when putting the new spring in do you just use the compressor and an impact wrench on it? i guess thatd be enough force to squeeze it down.

 

the compressor I got said to NEVER use an impact wrench. I've read air tools but I just used my own power to compress them enough to get'm in. breaker bar/extender bar should give you all the torque you need to squeeze them.