Any tips for installing suspension?

[Incantation]

Hey guys,

I am going to be installing my SACH kit this week.. first time doing anything suspension related. Are there any things to be careful of? Any tips? I will have the alignment done at a shop.. but I would really enjoy (i think) doing the suspension myself..

[mholbrook]

Nothng to worry about. Just go slow and steady. hopefully, you have looked at some of the websites on how to do it. I jack it up on stands, pull the front wheels, undo the caliper and hang it, release all the hoses from the strut, unclip the sensor from the brake if you are on that side, allen wrench to remove the abs sensor. Three bolts on bottom of the steering knuckle then the three on top of the strut tower. The strut will pull out now with the disk attached. Compress the spring and take it apart being careful to lay out everything exactly as it comes out. Use a couple pipe wrenches to get the collar nut off and pull the old strut. Insert new strut and replace collar nut (I had to reuse the old collar nuts because the Sachs kit ones did not fit). Put it back together with the new Sachs bump stop. Re install the strut and double check all the nuts and hoses to be sure everything is tight. Use locktight. Clean everything you can as you go. Start early and pace yourself. Do the other side. All finished with front in about 3-4 hours.

Rear, remove seat bottom, couple screws to loosen seat back which pushes up. Pull seat back back toward front seats. There is a cover which is just below the parcel shelf on either side. Remove that and remove the strut nuts. Underneath, there is just the one bolt to remove and it comes right out. Same deal with taking it apart. Good to use new strut bearings in rear....fronts almost never wear out.

Put it back together in about 2 hours. Drink six pack of beer and vow never to do this again!

Good luck. Hard day but worth it. Don't drive the car after the six pack!

[Unregistered]

1. After you compress the springs on the front strut tower, very carefully take the top nut off and identify the washer order ( if they fall out, all diagrams showing the order they go in make the washers look alike). If you rush and let them fall you will need to look at the other strut tower.

2. Take your time on decompressing the new springs evenly and make sure your spring pads are seated properly.

3. If you are doing the job yourself (no assistant) if it were me I'd take the rotor off the strut tower - really nasty trying to line up the tower with one hand and hand tighten the strut mount nuts with the other. Dropping the weight of the rotor would have made the job alot less painfull.

4. Make sure you have new shock mounts for the rear, along with the upper and lower pad (in case yours are wasted). Good time to wire brush the centering washer (re-useable but highly corroded - probably a waste of time but the thought of the rust on new components bugged me).

5. The nut that goes on the top of the strut/shock that holds it to the mounts is a self locking nut. Since you cannot re-use them, have spares on hand incase you have to re-align the springs with the pads or do what I did...reversed the order on the rear upper/lower spring pads.

6. When you put the rear shocks together you will have to install the cap that mounts over the top of the shock. Use a long pipe to fit over the shock insert (or shop-vac extension pipe) to pound it over the shock body evenly.

Good luck.

[Incantation]

Nothng to worry about. Just go slow and steady. Good luck. Hard day but worth it. Don't drive the car after the six pack!

nice.. thanks for the tips :)

what is locktight?

[Incantation]

great.. i appreciate your tips
:)