changing shocks and springs
 

what do i need to do this ?? i knoe the shocks and springs itself i mean what tools thanks!!!:confused:

You will need a spring compressor Im sure. You can rent one from an auto parts store. And then of course the various ratchets, sockets, wrenches, etc, plus a torque wrench to get it all back right agian :). Im sure theres other stuff you'll need, this is just all that pops into my mind right now.

~T.J.

im remeber replying to a post like this a lil while back.. and i think u posted it rotormotor

the hardest part of the rear is taking the plastic part out of your boot to get to the top of the shock. the botom of the shock just unbolts from the bootom.
the rear spring just needs to be compressed with a spring compresser and should be able to slide out (with the car jacked up so the diff is lowered)

the front spring and shock come out as one piece.. there are 2 bolts on the botom of the shock casting (which are tricky to get) 1 bolt on the tie rod and 4 bolts under the bonnet on ur shock tower..
and then it should some how slide all out

and remeber to loosen the center bolt on the top of the shock on the front. other wise ur gona have a fun time getting it undone when its all out..

and just read this backwards to see how to put it all back in :D

and one last thing.... if your reading the haynes manual on how to get the shock out.. it says to remove the disc brake first befor pulling it out.. you dont have to do this! it can be done with the disc still on the shock. all u need to take off is the caliper.

do i need spring compressors for the front and rear or only rear, i had experience checning my friends springs and shocks on his integra i needed a compressor for just the rear

the front can come out with out being compressed but i would compress em, iven if u do it after they are out because when u take off the top nut, the spring will open up and push everything off the end. and if u didnt see how it all came of ur not gona know how to put it all back on properly..

Well if you have the compressor already, what difference would it make which springs you use it on? Its not like its a different tool from the front to the rear.

~T.J.

I'm going to compress my springs with a torch! Don't plan on using them again anyway.

um WHAT??

im actually doing this when the snow goes away (tokico blues and eibach springs :D )

in the haynes manual, it says something about marking the strut tower (dont have it in front of me and i read it awhile back) what exactly are they talking about?

also, do you take the 2 bolts off under the shock tower? can someone post some pictures?

i will try and find a pic for u of what they mean by marking it..

and yeah i undid the to bolts on the bottom of the casting..

got the pic..

on the top of the shock (undert he bonnet) there is a tinny little arrow pointing towards one of the bolts..
when they say mark it, it means reamber which wat the shock goes back in..

herers the best pic i could find..
i marked out where the arrow is and where is points to..

http://www.foxall.com.au/users/timber/michael/shock.jpg

and..
if u wana see some pics of someone changing springs u can check out my bro's site, but it aint for an rx7, so its pretty usless even posting this click here

Its semi-common to use a gas torch (not a flashlight ;)) to heat springs on vehicles up. The heat softens the metal and allows it to compress from the weight of the car. People do this to lower their cars sometimes. You can actually get a car really low like this, but it screws the springs for life.

So, Im assuming he means hes just gonna heat them enough that the suspension just bottoms out and then jack the car up and hope theyre compressed enough :).

~T.J.

The reason I am using a torch is. I bought the Ground Control coil-over kit to go back in, I will never use the original springs again, therefore I am going to snip them with a torch to ease the removal process and to eliminate the need of renting a spring compressor.

The springs are under a lot of pressure - you could seriously hurt yourself cutting them off with a torch (without compressing) - get a compressor, they're cheap to rent and some shops only want a deposit for the loan of the tool. Also, When I did the springs/shocks on my last car, I needed air tools to get the nut off the top of the shock inserts - it's tough to keep the shock rod from spinning in the shock when you try to torque it off (unless you are replacing the complete strut assembly). Finally, make sure you get all the spacers and bearings back on in the same order you took them off - I learned this the hard way. Good Luck

The rear springs should not need to be compressed. You take the shocks out first and the rear end will drop down. Then just pull the old springs out and slip your new ones in.

The easiest way to take the fronts off is to pull the whole strut/spindle assembly. You start by pulling the caliper, then removing the two bolts that are under the strut housing, then disconnect the two bolts connecting the strut rod to the control arm. After that, you take out the four nuts at the top of the strut tower and the whole assembly drops out, careful though - it's heavier than you might think. Then do the normal compressing and swaping parts routine.

see, i was just about to post about what all this compressing of rear springs on a live rear axle setup was... :p: just take the shocks out, and the axle will drop more, then you should be able to slide the springs out. That's how it was on my Chevelle, and every other Live Rear car i've worked on/seen worked on. The only thing that might be in the way is the Watts linkage, but who knows.

:cool: