Guyver

I tried insalled the Apexi N1 Pro coilover suspension on my 3rd gen the other day. Spent about 10 hours on it and its finally in, and what a pain in the *** it was.

Main problem was the front suspension.

Firstly getting the stock suspension out from the lower mount was a problem, it got stuck in the mount and I spent hours trying to get it out.

Then, putting it in the front right shock went relativelly well, but the left one gave me so much headache. It was really hard to push the bottom of the shock into the lower mount. Its like it wouldn't fit properly and when it finally went in, it was even harder to get the holes to align so that I could put the bolt through.

I might have to take the front suspension out again and I don't want to go through the same problems. I've read all the 3rd gen suspension installation guides on the net and they make it seem so easy. So where did I go wrong?

rfreeman27

iTrader: (5)

When I put my koni's in, i filed down the bushing some so it would go in easier. I dont know of you could have done that, but as long as it is still snug it wolnt hurn anything.

reza

Make sure the swaybar is disconnected off lower arm.
Then mount the coilover to the top, then use a jack to raise the lower arm into coilover bottom bushing.
This way, you don't waste any energy lifting or pushing the coilover/lower arm. You would spent most of your time aligning the bushing so it fits. Once you can see thru the bushing hole, use small screwdriver to line it up.

I use a small 2-ton bottle jack.

Guyver

reza, I pretty much did what you suggested, except I did not disconnect the sway bar when doing the front suspension (I did that for the rear only).

When I jacked up the lower arm, the coilover was nowhere near the mounting holes. It took considerable force to get the coilover bushing to touch the top of the mounting holes. Then I had to jack up the lower arm some more in an attempt to get the bushing to slide in between the mounting holes. This took many attempts, as it is a very tight fit and the bushing would just pop out of the mounting holes most of the time.

Once the bushing was in, it was still very difficult to get the holes to line up because of the tight fit and because the coilover bushing seem to be on a slight angle. When it did line up I had to hold onto the screwdriver in there to keep it lined up and the bolt would not go trough very easily. I had to tap the bolt a little bit at a time until it reached the other end

Note that none of these problems appeared when I was doing the right coilover, only the left.

Could disconnecting the swaybar be what I was missing all along? Do you think it would have made much difference if I disconnected it?

DamonB

No need to file the lower shock mount bushing in the a-arm! There is a steel sleeve pressed into the arm that can be pushed back to gain clearance! No need to file or force things together, just tap the sleeve back with a hammer!

Also, if you don't have the swaybar disconnected you are going to have to fight it when you move the control arm. The swaybar is basically a spring that connects the left and right sides of the suspension.

Guyver

Aaaahhh.... i see now. Makes perfect sense. Next time I will disconnect the swaybar. Also had no clue about the steel sleeves, will try that too.

Thanks heaps.