lowering suspension=death...

[Boone.Msi]

I got a write up, read all the numerous post and atempted to lower my suspension via eibach today. I started in the rear everything was going pretty nice then when it came time to compress the spring and bolt it up satan came by and punched me in the face.

what really happend is i cant place my bottle jack directly under the strut which causes it to angle in the other direction. also i dont think i have stock shocks. theyre blue and have a (destroyed) bumpstop.

the second reason im having problems is becuase that stupid bumpstop gets stuck when it gets compressed enough to reach the spring compressor. can i just get rid of the bumpstop? i think i might be able to get everything together if i get rid of the bumpstop.

anyone have the problem with the jack tho? how did you guys get it compressed enough to be able to line it up and put the bolt in?

ive never failed in suspension, and im about to give up and call a handyman. please help.

i havent even looked at the front suspension i hope it isnt as bad as the rear, what can i expect from that...?

[genphreak]

You need to be clearer here. Can you start by telling us what parts you have- ie which stops and shocks would be nice. Sperately for front and rear.

NB. I would always, always (due to effort and danger involved) take my struts and shocks to a shop and pay them for the 10 mins it takes to do it all safely and smartly on a hydraulic strut compressor. No point fighting it and screwing up your spring pads or risking the chance of point blank shrapnel collection.

[Evan]

the rear is simple... some tock shocks are blue...

but anyway give us a clear step by step

[The Bigfella]

I bought some coil spring compressors the other day - they had two types at the tool shop - the best type cost me Oz$30. Why dice with death?

One thing the Bentley's didn't say about pulling the front struts was to crack (but not remove) the top shock nut before the compressor goes on the springs - and another was to remove the shock retaining cap with the strut on the car (grandpa's 24" Stillsons are still going strong).

Ian

[E34-520iSE]

when it came time to compress the spring and bolt it up satan came by and punched me in the face.
Did you lose any teeth/bones/an eyeball?

Cheers,

Shaun

[632 Regal]

heh, I used the floor jack and raised it under the bench vice to compress it the inch or so that it needed... the front is only about 3/4 inch away which I could simply press down and get the bolt on. Bumpstops? on the rears? I dont but thats another story.

[Boone.Msi]

well theres not much to tell you other than what i already have. I only did the rear, i used an eibach suspension with stock shocks(gonna buy konis when i have more money) at the top of the shock theres a busted bumpstop formed with a plastic cap. The spring compressor has arms that grabs one coil towards the middle the other arm towards the top.
i use a bottle jack to jack up the strut, when the strut gets compressed the bumpstop/plastic cap gets stuck on the spring compressor arm making the compressor useless. I dont know what type of shock it is(too dirty to read anything)

yea i wish i had takin it to a shop, theres not many shops around here that arent crooks, yet alone will even install suspension for you.

fortunately i havent lost any eyeballs or appendagaes;) i actually have some pictures since i was gonna do a pic by pic write up for guys here on the forum if you guys need to look at what im dealing with il upload the pics.

[liquidtiger720]

stock shocks are blue.

[genphreak]

stock shocks are blue.My rears were pink. Not sure about the fronts. On e34 I have seen blue, pink as factory. I think M5 came with the red ones, not sure there tho.

[genphreak]

Post some pics of your rear strut assembly/iesand these bumpstops. They are probably just the plastic dust caps but if you have any foam on there you should show us. Especially if it has a part number on it :). Normally there aren't any stops on the rear. Just take the struts out, clean them up and take them to your nearest shop to do, their machines will do it in no time.

Of course you will need to be careful not to bend the front disc guards when moving them around. :) nick

[632 Regal]

do you have a bench vice bolted to a bench? I spun mine upside down, opened it wide and used a floorjack to compress it enough to loosen the bolt, then lowered the jack. Relitivly painless.

[Boone.Msi]

thanks for the tips everyone, i got it done, the opposite side in the rear was easy, took about 15 minutes top to drop the strut and put in the new eibachs. i had my friend come over to help me get the other side. turns out e had to strap a dog leash around the bottom of the strut and he pulled while i kept it steady. took 2 tries and we had it. i dont know why,but it kept wanting to be jacked up crooked.
I gotta say with the new iebachs and the M Parallels on,it looks amazing. il take pictures tomorrow after im done with the front (3mm spring pads are expected to be delivered tomorrow:D )
the car looks 10 times more luxiurious with the M Pars. thanks again for the help.