Coilover install

Installing coilovers or lowering springs: I know this info is out there but maybe someone who stumbles upon this hasn't found it just yet.

The rear is pretty straight forward, while the front can be a bit tricky depending on the method you use. I tried disconnecting the LCA/ball joint as seen on other threads/vids, then found a method for the UPPER control arm, called the long bolt method.
Basically removing the long bolt on the front uppers from the frame end, to allow the whole hub assy to droop lower.
It's actually really simple with the right wrenches, ratchets, swivel thingies, adapters, breaker bars, impact, pb blaster maybe(probably), and some vice grips.
What I did:
Loosen lugs and shock tower top hat nuts. I completely removed the nuts then finger tightened the bottom one back on to keep the shock from falling when I don't want it to.
Jack up one side, place two stands under the chassis, NOT CONTROL ARMS. YOU NEED THESE TO BE MOVABLE. One front one rear obviously. You can do both rear or front coils at the same time if you'd like but my tools/lights were all on one side so that's how I did mine.
Remove wheels
Have the jack handy to compress the hub/A-arm assembly when needed. Some bolts require you to lift the assy. in order to relieve the tension.
For the rears:
Again have all four top hats loosened already
Start with the lower shock eyelet bolt. Pretty straightforward, unless your bolt is completely seized like mine were and you have to use an impact. No biggie. Just finger tighten the bolt back on to keep it from popping out. You'll want to be able to compress the shock so it's gotta stay in place for now, but trying to break the bolt free can be hard once everything else is all wobbly.
Then go to the sway bar end links. This allows a lot more droop. Remove the nut, then jack up the hub so the stud of the link is level with the mounting point and you can slide it out and swivel the link out of the way. Doesn't matter if you remove the top or bottom ends of the end link.
Next remove the lower control arm/hub bolt. It's long, but not the reason for the name "long bolt method". We'll get to that in the front.
Work a pry bar under the shock from some stupid angles and such to unstick the eyelet bushing and maybe pop it out completely. Always be careful because things can just spring into any direction at any time. But also don't be afraid to manhandle it. Just watch that your fingers don't get pinched and your teeth don't get knocked by a rotor.
This part might also take a second set of hands (or feet) to push down or step on the LCA while you pry the shock eyelet up and out. Once that's done, and the bottom is free, remove the top hat bolt, then reverse for install. Get the new coilover/shock shaft up through the chassis, finger tighten it with top hat on, and wedge it back down into the lower. Again, maybe with some help to hold the lower down while wedging it in. If you can't get the eyelet to line up with the mounts on the LCA, use a screwdriver the pull the shock so the eyelet is flush all around for the bolt to slide through. Then the control arm/hub bolt, same thing if necessary. Jack up the assy and reconnect the sway bar, and move to the top hat. Pretty straight-forward there. Just remember to recheck EVERYTHING before dropped the car, and once on the ground check AGAIN the top hats because once compressed, the shock shaft moves up more. So retighten. You'll probably have to do this again later also.

Now for the front, one way to do this is by repeating what we did for the rear. But you'll notice the upper control arm in the rear is more of a "J" arm, where the shock is never inside the arm. Up front, it's an actual "A" shape where the shock is in the whole of the letter A. The legs of the "A" being the mounts on the frame. Some people have luck with imitating the rear, except you also have to remove the LCA's ball joint by removing the castle nut and splitting the joint. Sounds simple right? Not for me and many others I'm sure unless you have recently serviced the front end and/or have a BJ Splitter.
Thus, the long bolt method.
Make sure top hats are lose before the wheels are off the ground.
Remove the underbody tray first. I only removed the bolts from the side I was working on, down to the center then it hung down enough to not be in the way(since I was doing one side at a time, not both fronts at same time).
Then, again, disconnect the lower shock bolt and sway bar end links like before. But this time make sure to unbolt that tab for the brake line I believe it was.
So, you're pretty much done right? But how do you maneuver the shock out??
That very long bolt holding the A Arm to the frame. Break it free, and push the bolt as far to the front of the car as you can. I let mine rest there out of the way.
Pull on the a-arm/uca until the hub is able to tilt towards you (like positive camber) but be careful of the brake lines. I was able to move mine without worry.
Push down on the assembly like you did before until the top of the shock is free from the coil bucket and you can pull it towards you. Then find the right angle and pull that baby out. Again, just rinse and repeat in reverse for installing the new ones.
Now you're ready to drop her, finish tightening the top hats, and take it for an easy drive to seat everything properly. I found 25mph around the lock a few times, but hard corners was the best way once I knew everything was secure. Once I got back, I had to retighten all of the top hats because everything seats itself where the cars weight wants it to.
This method was hard for me to find but so easy that I'm surprised I saw most people going with the lower ball joint method instead. Even my friends with trucks and the truck I used to have, it was either the upper or lower ball joint that needed to be split for arm suspension. But hey it works! Sorry for not having pics, it was late, I was tired, and I didn't realize the op. For a write up was there. But my dad got one of me sleeping on the garage floor while waiting for daylight to use the impact (my neighbors like me for now). The only seized bolt I had, and it was the very last one I needed to remove to finish up.
ONE LAST TIP: if the top hats are being a pain to tighten like mine were, set the car on jack stands for whichever corner is the issue, remove the wheel, jack up the control arm so the shock is compressed as close to ride height at possible (without teetering the car) and, in the wheel well, place vice grips AS HIGH UP on the shock shaft as you can while tightening the nut on the top hat. If you're tightening that nut and it's not going down, it's because you aren't holding the shock shaft in place (the reason for two nuts on some setups, others have a squared tip on the shaft to hold with vice grips while wrenching the nut down). Any scoring on the shaft can ruin be bad for shock body and also void warranties. so if you're high enough up, you'll be within the bumpstop or above it, meaning that this part of the shaft never enters the shock body, and if you don't care about warranty, you're fine. But I found it to be easier this way for the drivers rear because of the gas tank fill hose being in the way. Luckily mine did not scratch so I'll be alright but hopefully never have to use warranty.


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<---- = BMFH and air tools.

But thanks for your write-up for those in the driveway and home garage. :drinkto:

OF COURSE HOW COULD I FORGET THE BMFH. I used 3 variants of it myself


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My comment was props and not to berate. I'm cursed / lucky to be a wrench-turner. So sacrificial vacation days are a must in Noir's build.I have lifts and huge compressors. Yet, I cannot write up the task as well as you.

Props fellow nut! :cheers:

Oh I didn't think it was critical at all. I actually forgot the hammer in the tools list [emoji23] but it's a crucial piece for most.
Thank you though! Appreciate the compliment. I'm going down the same path though, so hopefully I'll be lucky enough to have those resources at my disposal as well. Right now I'm working with a half equipped garage, (the SAE half)


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We love updates. Power-on Nut!:popcorn:

Long bolt method is the only way to go on the front. Anything else is a waste of time and effort.

I've encountered ball joints more troublesome than any bolt/nut on a suspension job several times over. Which I can't recomend a decent set of ball joint separator tools enough. I now only pull out a pickle fork on the most stubborn of ball joints... and only then when there's already damage to the ball joint boot, or when in an absolute pinch, or when knowing the ball joint is bejng replaced with a new boot.

See that's weird because I've seen a few videos of people pulling the lower bj for the front and when I tried it made about no sense after reading the long bolt method. But thanks for the heads up, and yeah just about any tool would be a good addition to my garage since I'm barely starting my collection.
Stanley rolling double decker with a 60pc 1/4 socket set for $75 at Walmart[emoji41] along with other misc.'s acquired as needed. Full sets soon to come


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