Took about 4 hrs to do the installation, would have been 3 or less had I not gotten crappy spring compressors from auto-zone. Lets look at the results, and I will do an installation write-up below the pics. the "After" pics were taken after driving once around the block.


-                                          ---   BEFORE FRONT   ---                                                                                                 ---   AFTER FRONT   ---






-                                          ---   BEFORE REAR     ---                                                                                                 ---   AFTER REAR     ---



---   Impressions   ---
Looks is obviously improved. You can see form the tape-measure pics that the front was dropped close to an inch and a half, rear about an inch. After the springs settle I'll see how the measurements change. The handling is definitely improved, and the ride didn't feel any rougher. body-roll was decreased which you can feel on the road.

---   The Installation   ---
Tools Needed:
- Hydraulic Jack
- 2+ Jack-stands
- strut-spring compressor
- various ratchets and sockets
- hammer (to lightly tap out bolts that are tight)
- Flathead screwdriver
- impact wrench

Steps:
1) take before pictures, people like to see them =P
2) pop the hood and start removing the windshield wipers and wiper cowl
   a) there are going to be 2 nuts you remove from the windshield wipers, the wipers are not easy to remove, so just be careful with them
   b) there are numerous clips you need to remove with the flathead along the cowl
   c) the cowl comes off in 2 pieces. once you have them off, just lay them on the engine
3) jack up the front of the car and put it on jack-stands for safety
4) remove the wheels to gain access to the struts
5) remove the bottom end of the struts
   a) first, remove the sensor wiring clips on each side of the strut. they just slide off
   b) remove the brake-line clip, this will probably require a flathead screwdriver and hammer tapping to break loose
   c) remove the stabilizer bar bolt, I believe it is an 18mm nut
   d) remove the 2 main bolts holding the spindle to the strut, I suggest having something to set the spindle on
6) remove the top end of the struts
   a) remove the harder bolts first, so the last one you remove is the easy one
   b) you will need a box-wrench for the one hiding against the firewall, and a swivel extension for your ratchet for the wiper cowl bolt
   c) before removing the last bolt, get a friend to hold the strut while you pull it off, so it doesn't just drop
7) get out the spring compressor, this is the part that makes your arms tired
   a) get as many coils as you can on the compressor, it makes it a little easier to compress
   b) compress the stock springs until you can feel a little play in the assembly
   c) use the impact wrench to remove the nut from the top end of the strut
   d) remove the spring from the strut and slowly decompress the spring
   e) now use the spring compressor on the new springs. test fit with the compressor on and check clearances
   f) compress the spring enough to get the threads through the top spring collar
   g) use the impact wrench to get the nut back on, make sure you get it on enough to see the threads come through the nut
   h) slowly decompress the spring until you can remove the spring compressor
   i) use the impact wrench to tighten the top nut, it shouldn't need much more effort at this point
8) yay, they hard part is done, now do the previous steps in reverse to put the front back together!

rears:
if you thought the fronts were a pain in the ass, wait til you get here (sarcasm, if this takes you more than 30 mins you drank too much doing the fronts)
1) jack up the rear, use jack stands so you can free up the jack to compress the suspension
2) remove the wheels, you should see the bottom shock mount along with the spring very close to it
3) Use the jack to compress one side of the suspension
4) remove the bottom shock mount
   a) break loose the nut and remove it.
   b) if you can't get the bolt out, use the jack to adjust the tension on the suspension until it slides out easily
5) remove the jack from the suspension and use it to jack up the other side and repeat step 4
6) on the second side, just drop the jack down far enough to get the springs out on both sides
7) replace both springs with the new ones and jack the suspension up enough to get the shock bolt on
8) put your wheels back on and drop it down from the jacks
9) make sure your lugs are tight and take your first spin around the block before you take your after pics

if I missed anything, let me know, but that should be everything.

Last edited by Caravanshaka (2008-09-21 20:13:06)