Driveway spring installs suck...

Skoobie

Damn...Tyler65's hot!

May 25, 2003

655

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17

Vancouver, WA

Aug 9, 2004

#1

• Aug 9, 2004

• #1

As the subject says...they're even worse when you dont have a driveway to do it in so you do it on the street in 85 deg weather Actually the springs wernt so bad it was the struts that sucked. The center nut that holds the plates to the strut can only be removed with an impact wrench. I ended up taking them down to schucks twice before I was able to get them loose. Tried to use the big ass screw driver/open ended wrench method and only managed to snap the screwdriver and put a one inch gouge in my fender Oh well the front is almost done and the back should be no where near as much trouble. I'll get some pics after the projects over, wish me luck

 

Rootus

Officially Addicted

Feb 8, 2003

6,659

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Portland, Oregon

Aug 9, 2004

#2

• Aug 9, 2004

• #2

I hear ya. The first time I ever did springs, it turned out to be a two-day event. Easily the worst nightmare I've ever experienced working on a car .

85 degrees is nothing . It was 100 here today, and at least 10* warmer in my garage, when I was doing my Fox TB swap. I was literally dripping sweat.

Dave

 

YardSpecial

New Member

Mar 20, 2003

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MT

Aug 10, 2004

#3

• Aug 10, 2004

• #3

I did mine on the back patio......

Too cheap to pay someone.

 

281pony

Active Member

Aug 31, 2003

2,681

2

46

Oly, WA

Aug 10, 2004

#4

• Aug 10, 2004

• #4

yeah.. springs can be a real pain in the ass.

i did my own rear springs. ended up taking like 14 hours trying to figure out wtf the previous owner had done under there. the bolts that go through the lower control arm were not even all the way through! much less the nut on the other side.

i did mine laying on a cement floor, had bruises for 2 weeks. the end result though,

 

Scooby5.0Doo

That's the fastest $400 car out there

Jan 9, 2003

833

0

0

beaverton

Aug 10, 2004

#5

• Aug 10, 2004

• #5

i have taken out my backs and put the stock ones in 2 times now in my drive way for other mods and it got easyer the second time and i still got to do it again for my coil over swap in the back . right now im wising that i did all the mods at once.

 

Tylerb59

Banned

Mar 7, 2003

1,895

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Arlington, WA

Aug 10, 2004

#6

• Aug 10, 2004

• #6

I have some springs and LCAs to install. Was going to do it last weekend...and the weekend before that ... but I keep putting it off.

I'd much rather do another transmission drop / clutch install then one spring install.

 

YardSpecial

New Member

Mar 20, 2003

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Aug 10, 2004

#7

• Aug 10, 2004

• #7

Its all in the tools..............

 

T

tarch

My 8V > 4V > 2V

Founding Member

Aug 20, 2002

3,073

1

56

Redmond, WA

Aug 10, 2004

#8

• Aug 10, 2004

• #8

Cavallo said:

Its all in the tools..............

Click to expand...

i agree... my buddy and I can prolly do the spring on my car in 3-4 hours with LOTS of slacking off

 

TheRedBlur

Active Member

Jul 7, 2003

15

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38

seattle

Aug 10, 2004

#9

• Aug 10, 2004

• #9

I did a strut once, took me about a day, I wasn't very experienced, and I mangled the **** out of the strut top. yeah, I ended up going to the local shop about a block away and had them loosen it up, and I drove real slow home lol.

 

Skoobie

Damn...Tyler65's hot!

May 25, 2003

655

0

17

Vancouver, WA

Aug 10, 2004

#10

• Aug 10, 2004

• #10

Wow...Sportline's drop the ***** out of your car...I stood back after getting the front lowered and it looked like a dragster I just hope it wont rub on me, guess I'll find out soon enough. So I got the first rear spring off after work today and was wondering if you guys had any helpful hints on remounting the new rear spring. It dosent "pop" in like the fronts and the brake line really gets in the way. So any sagely advise would be well accepted

 

TheRedBlur

Active Member

Jul 7, 2003

15

0

38

seattle

Aug 11, 2004

#11

• Aug 11, 2004

• #11

well, you take out the old ones, then put the new ones in, that's how it's done

 

Tylerb59

Banned

Mar 7, 2003

1,895

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Arlington, WA

Aug 11, 2004

#12

• Aug 11, 2004

• #12

A spring compressor will make things a heck of a lot easier.

 

YardSpecial

New Member

Mar 20, 2003

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Aug 11, 2004

#13

• Aug 11, 2004

• #13

Spring compressors are for s.........

 

T

tarch

My 8V > 4V > 2V

Founding Member

Aug 20, 2002

3,073

1

56

Redmond, WA

Aug 11, 2004

#14

• Aug 11, 2004

• #14

Cavallo said:

Spring compressors are for s.........

Click to expand...

 

Tylerb59

Banned

Mar 7, 2003

1,895

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0

Arlington, WA

Aug 11, 2004

#15

• Aug 11, 2004

• #15

Cavallo said:

Spring compressors are for s.........

Click to expand...

LOL

Cavallo said:

Its all in the tools..............

Click to expand...

 

YardSpecial

New Member

Mar 20, 2003

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Aug 11, 2004

#16

• Aug 11, 2004

• #16

Guess I am OLD school, never used one.

Makes the job slower and harder.

Also the spring is shorter, hence easier to install !

Done over 50 cars and trucks this way........

 

Skoobie

Damn...Tyler65's hot!

May 25, 2003

655

0

17

Vancouver, WA

Aug 11, 2004

#17

• Aug 11, 2004

• #17

Ok so I got the spring in but of course nother is ever simple. I've got SSM lift bars on the car, so I go to jack the bars back into place so I can bolt everything back together, low and behold the holes no longer line up, the bars look like they shifted about 1/2 in twards the rear of the car. There is no way I can muscle it back into place while its under load. Has anyone had this problem?

 

YardSpecial

New Member

Mar 20, 2003

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Aug 11, 2004

#18

• Aug 11, 2004

• #18

no, somthing is wrong on your part.......

Is the springs in place, if so take them out.

You only change one side at a time, so I don't see how it can move.....

 

Skoobie

Damn...Tyler65's hot!

May 25, 2003

655

0

17

Vancouver, WA

Aug 11, 2004

#19

• Aug 11, 2004

• #19

I got it fixed, thank god for Gorilla Bars Had the neighbor pound in the bolt while I levered the lift bar into place...pain in the ass but after I did it once I was able to do the driver side on my own. Goes to show it always helps to have a second set of eyes/hands And with that the car is lowered, dropped it about 1 1/2 inches with the poly spring isolators. I was hoping it wouldnt lower it so much but it still looks good, Im just gonna have to watch out for speed bumps now Thanks for the input guys

-Marc

 

FiveO

Founding Member

Jan 28, 2001

1,146

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0

NJ

Aug 19, 2004

#20

• Aug 19, 2004

• #20

i feel your pain MSTANG and i did my spring install...was a @#%$^ nightmare. couldn't get the struts loose for the life of us. we had to unscrew the strut from the fenderwell (making markings to put it back into the correct alignment). and then we ran into the risk of breaking brake liines...still needing a spring compressor which he luckily had. we ended up bending the hell out of them.