installing lowering spirngs - how difficult?

[90lxfoxbody]

title says it all. will i need any special tools or equipment? i am sure i will need to pick up a spring compressor. and while i'm thinking about it - what are the pro's and cons of a 1.5" drop on a fox body?

 

[rd]

The rears are easy, just remove the lower shock bolt and rear swaybar. Then take the rear lower arm bolt out, and let the arm down with a jack. Installation is the opposite.

The fronts are a pita. Same basic deal. I leave the pivots bolts in place and take the lower ball joint and tie rod end loose. Also remove the sway bar. Lower the arm with jack carefully. You can usually remove the stock springs at that point. The stock springs have to be compressed to go back in. Lowering springs can usually be shoved back in. A compressor makes it much easier. I use a homemade inside compressor. Some compressors will not come out the lower hole in the control arm. Go slow and be careful.

 

[criticman]

It is fairly easy. Yes, the rear is far easier than the front. A pointer/tip for the front: Use a pipe/bar from up under the A-Arm through the spring to help keep it from popping off track while using a floor jack to push up the a-arm and spring into place up top. It seemed to help.

 

[1SLO306]

did mine and i dont want to half to do it again. The back was real easy but the front is what got me. Good luck!

 

[Shakerhood]

The Rear is easy as you do not even need to remove the bolts from the Lower Control Arms. The by far safest way to do the fronts is with a Ford internal spring compressor, its expensive but you cant put a price on safety IMHO.

 

[blackstangt]

i did the fromt with a friend, we didn't need a spring compressor, just a jack. but we are smart enough to do this safely.

 

[ram360]

The rears are easy, just remove the lower shock bolt and rear swaybar. Then take the rear lower arm bolt out, and let the arm down with a jack. Installation is the opposite.

Just disconnect the rear shocks and lower the axle. No need to do anything with the swaybar or control arms. That's just unnecessary work

 

[DeadLifter]

Will be a good idea to get caster/camber plates. I bought mine with springs already installed too tight to buy caster/camber plates. Alignment shop had to drill rivets and stuff out in shock towers to align front tires cost bout $80.

 

[FordGuy88]

What I did for the front and this was soooo easy was put a jack under the a-arm (touching it). Unbolt it from the k-member and let it down. Before hand un bolt the sway bar. You will be able to pull out the spring and put the new one in. Jack it back up and bolt the a-arm back in.