Let me start by saying that working on the front suspension sucks! I just broke an anti-lock brake sensor(pulled the wires out) and now I can't get the damn bottom of the front shock to fit into the bottom A-Arm. I know it's a tight fit, but damn, this one just doesn't want to go in.

Does anyone have any helpful tips for me?

 

damonb showed me this trick.

One of the fittings is actually a metal sleave. Take the bolt put the nut on and use it thru the other side (with the bolt in the middle) and tap the sleave. If moves to give you clearance.

Saves tons of bloody knuckles.

 

Hmm, I'm not sure I understand you. But I'll go out and try this and report back.

Thanks,

John

 

Yep - there's a few places in the suspension with those sliding sleeves. VERY handy trick to know!

Here's my writeup on spring installation, may give you some pointers -

http://www.clubrx.org/default.asp?id...ntent=36&mnu=5

Dale

 

Nice write up Dale.

jpandes, I just got done awhile ago removing my Konis and installing my coilovers - what a PITA! I ended up greasing the ends; took a bit of wiggling, but got them in that way. Wish I had known about the sleeve trick though - DOH! Didn't even think to check to see if that part is seperate from the arm.

 

Dale,

did I mention I love your website! good stuff. I still have the writeup for the oil pressure sender replacement with part number booked mark for a future weekend project.

 

Ok, that worked! Thanks for the tip. You made my day. My suspension arms were so dirty that I would have never known that there were sling sleaves.

I think I may have put the suspension back together wrong, though. I am now hearing a clunk.

 

glad to be of help...just passing along some info Damonb gave me.

About the clunk....what did you replace?

 

Were you just putting in new shocks or did you change anything else out? The upper nuts/bolts holding the arm on are a pita to get tight if you don't have a impact wrench with a universal swivel. Did you get them on tight? What about the upper shock mounts, did you get them all tight?

 

 

I orginally started working on the suspension because I have been hearing a creaking noise coming from the front passenger side. I thought it was my bushings gone bad. I was working on replacing the A-arms with a set that I bought from Audiobot7 that had some good, low-mileage bushings.

My bushings aren't bad. It turns out the Tokico strut had a bad rubber bushing at the bottom. So I installed a spare Tokico strut that I had. I think the clunking is coming from the top of the strut piston. I'm not sure I reassembled the Strut/Ground Control coil-over kit the right way. The piston sticks out a bit higher in the strut tower than before.

 

i did this a few weeks ago with hand tools only LOL. i was on my back stomping and kicking the wrench trying to get a TON of these nuts and bolts loose and i must have compressed and decompressed the 8 springs (4 stock 4 new) about 10 times EACH. yes it took me a long time. dale.. 3 hours, u're my hero? lol try 30 <----

btw don't know if this was mentioned by taking off the end mounts of the front sway bar helps a lot.