Lowering ?
- Thread starter stangkid
- Start date
Once you pull the wheels off, it'll be easy to figure out. Do the rear first, jack the car up, jack stand it, jack up the rear axle, put coat hangers in the springs and tie them up with the springs loaded up... Drop the axle, pull the springs out, and install the smaller ones. Should fit nicely.
Fronts the same way, but you have to do one side at a time.... Hope it helps!
Fronts the same way, but you have to do one side at a time.... Hope it helps!
For the rears:
jack up the car and support the subframe on jackstands.
Remove the wheels.
support the gear housing with a jack and undo the shocks and lower control arms.
Lower the bell housing slowly and the springs will almost fall out. You might have to pivot the axle to oneside or the other to release the springs.
install is reverse procedure. Be sure to take not of the location of the pig tails so that u can install them the same way. (both sides face the front of the car)
For the front:
Open the hood and losen the the nut that holds the strut into the C/C plates. (If you do not have aftermarket struts that have an Allen wrench fitting in the top you will need to use an impact wrench to losen these bolts. If you dont have and impact wrench go down to the the Pep Boys and ask them if they can losen the bolts for you. Ive had to do that a couple of times and they did it no problem and no charge. Dont worry about the bolt being loose on the way home. The struts aint going nowhere.) Now that u got the strut bolts loose.
Loosen ur lugs then jack the front up and support the front subframe on jack stands. Remove the wheels and place a jack under the lower A-arm.
Remove the break caliper and support it with a coat hanger so it doesnt dangle from the break line.
Unbolt the front sway bar from the lower A-arm. Take note of the position of the spring in the lower perch as a reference for installing the new spring.
As a safety measure. I like to run a chain through the spring and the bottom of the A-arm then secure it with a lock to keep the spring from popping out and killing somebody. Namely me.
Now remove the strut bolt from the strut and S L O W L Y lower the the jack under the A-arm releasing the tension on the spring.
With the jack fully lowered u might need to use a pry bar to gently undo the spring from the bottom of the perch. Be careful because the spring still has a little tension in it.
remove the spring and install the isolaters on your new spring. Set the new spring in the perch. Top first. Align the pigtail into the groove in the lower perch in the same orientation that the stocker came out of. The shorter new spring goes in a lot easier than the stocker came out.
Repositon your jack under the A-arm and slowly raise the A-arm back into position while slowly compressing the spring. It helps to have a helper that can guide the strut back up through the C/C plate and sway bar bolt back into position.
With the strut up through the plate install the bushing and install the bolt back onto the top of the strut.
Use the reverse procedure for the rest of the install.
If you dont have them u will need. An impact wrench, pry bar, jack stands, 1-2 hydraulic jacks.
Somebody please chime in if i missed something.
jack up the car and support the subframe on jackstands.
Remove the wheels.
support the gear housing with a jack and undo the shocks and lower control arms.
Lower the bell housing slowly and the springs will almost fall out. You might have to pivot the axle to oneside or the other to release the springs.
install is reverse procedure. Be sure to take not of the location of the pig tails so that u can install them the same way. (both sides face the front of the car)
For the front:
Open the hood and losen the the nut that holds the strut into the C/C plates. (If you do not have aftermarket struts that have an Allen wrench fitting in the top you will need to use an impact wrench to losen these bolts. If you dont have and impact wrench go down to the the Pep Boys and ask them if they can losen the bolts for you. Ive had to do that a couple of times and they did it no problem and no charge. Dont worry about the bolt being loose on the way home. The struts aint going nowhere.) Now that u got the strut bolts loose.
Loosen ur lugs then jack the front up and support the front subframe on jack stands. Remove the wheels and place a jack under the lower A-arm.
Remove the break caliper and support it with a coat hanger so it doesnt dangle from the break line.
Unbolt the front sway bar from the lower A-arm. Take note of the position of the spring in the lower perch as a reference for installing the new spring.
As a safety measure. I like to run a chain through the spring and the bottom of the A-arm then secure it with a lock to keep the spring from popping out and killing somebody. Namely me.
Now remove the strut bolt from the strut and S L O W L Y lower the the jack under the A-arm releasing the tension on the spring.
With the jack fully lowered u might need to use a pry bar to gently undo the spring from the bottom of the perch. Be careful because the spring still has a little tension in it.
remove the spring and install the isolaters on your new spring. Set the new spring in the perch. Top first. Align the pigtail into the groove in the lower perch in the same orientation that the stocker came out of. The shorter new spring goes in a lot easier than the stocker came out.
Repositon your jack under the A-arm and slowly raise the A-arm back into position while slowly compressing the spring. It helps to have a helper that can guide the strut back up through the C/C plate and sway bar bolt back into position.
With the strut up through the plate install the bushing and install the bolt back onto the top of the strut.
Use the reverse procedure for the rest of the install.
If you dont have them u will need. An impact wrench, pry bar, jack stands, 1-2 hydraulic jacks.
Somebody please chime in if i missed something.
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