Installing Your New Suspension .
Tools needed:
-A jack
-Two Jack Stands
-a few wrenches including a 17mm, 15mm, 14mm
-Allen Wrenches (for top of shock piston)
-Spring compressor (front and rear springs, or take them separately to a shop to do.
-Anti-seize to apply to bolts/nuts for easy removal next time.
Here are what the shock assemblies look like off the car. The rear shock is the longer shock.
Here are my instructions on how to install your spring and strut suspension.
Let's go to the rear since it's easier.
. REAR SUSPENSION .
1.) Go inside your car where the back seat is, or go to the trunk area. Basically find where the top of the strut is. For my accord, it was behind the back seat.
2.) Take off the plastic cover and there you will see the top of the strut assembly.
3.) Loosen and remove the TWO bolts per side (circled in red)
4.) Next, get out of the car and lift the car up.
5.) Take off the wheel
6.) Support the car with jack stands for extra safty.
7.) Use a 17mm wrench and remove the one single bolt that holds the bottom of the strut to place. You will need two 17mm wrenches, one on each side. You'll need two because if you turn just one side, the other will move along with it. You will need to hold the other end still in order to remove it. You also may need a plastic/rubber hammer to hit the loosen bolt out of place.
8.) Now the entire strut assembly should come off your car.
9.) Get a spring compressor and follow the instructions given in the kit to compress the springs.
10.) Next take your 17mm wrench and loosen the top nut that holds the springs and spring "cap" to place.
11.) You may need another wrench to hold the strut rod to place. There is a strong wrench that I do now know what it is called, but there is a part where you can adjust it by turning a knob. That makes the wrench open or close to a certain degree. It's nice because it makes a TIGHT fit and will not strip your strut rod.
12.) Once the single nut is remove, everything will fall out, which will include the strut "cap" (not sure of the offical name) the bushings, washers, bumpstop, and of course the springs. NOTE: make sure you notice which washer or bushings goes on first and last.
13.) Get your new aftermarket struts and put on the lowering springs. And then put on all the old bushings, washers, and bumpstop in the order that they should be in.
14.) Use your springs compessor and compress the springs and then put the strut cap back on.
(NOTE: you might not need this step, it depends on your new springs and struts)
15.) Put on the single nut on the strut rod to tighten everything down.
16.) Now get to the car agian and put the new strut assembly back on.
17.) Get a friend or another jack to lift it to place of the two holes inside towards the top of the fenders.
18.) Get inside the car (make sure those t-stands and jack are secure and safe) and bolt on the TWO bolts to hold the struts to place.
19.) Get back down out of the car and line up the last bolt into place. You may need to use that second jack again to push it to place in order to line up the holes.
20.) Check all bolts and make sure everything is safe.
21.) Put wheel back on and you're done.
. FRONT .
The front is like the rear, but a little bit harder.
1.) Open up the hood
2.) Find where the top of the strut assembly is and remove the THREE bolts that hold the strut to place (circled in red)
3.) Lift up the car and support it correctly with jack stands
4.) Remove the wheel
5.) Remove the small bolts that hold the brake lines to the struts. After the bolts are remove, just push the lines out of the way. There is no need to disconnect them.
6.) Under the car, you will see a large fork that holds the struts to place. Towards the back end, you will see the upper fork bolt that holds the strut to place. Remove that bolt.
7.) Then look at the bottom of the fork and see where it's held to the car, remove that bolt as well. (Lower Fork Bolt)
8.) Now the folk should come off and then push it downward to knock it out of place. This will give you a little more room. You will need this extra room to be able to take the strut off of the car.
9.) Now the entire strut assembly will come off the car.
10.) Next just use directions (9.) through (15.) of the rear suspension intructions to put the new springs and struts together.
11.) Now that the strut assembly is installed, it time to put it back on the car. Just put it on the car and use the second jack or a friend to push it up into the car.
12.) Go into the engine bay and tighten the THREE bolts to hold the strut to place.
13.) Put the folk back on the car using that single bottom bolt. You can just use the same method as the rear suspension by using that second jack to line up the holes.
14.) Now put the bottom of the strut into the top opening of the fork.
15.) Make sure the holes line up..and put the bolt back on to hold the strut on to the folk.
(NOTE: If you look at the bottom of the strut, you will see a little "nick" that is there to line up where the bolt is. Make sure that is lined up when you put on the bolt.)
16.) Double check all bolts to make sure everything is safe.
17.) Put the wheel back on and lower the car to the ground.
AND YOU ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tools needed:
-A jack
-Two Jack Stands
-a few wrenches including a 17mm, 15mm, 14mm
-Allen Wrenches (for top of shock piston)
-Spring compressor (front and rear springs, or take them separately to a shop to do.
-Anti-seize to apply to bolts/nuts for easy removal next time.
Here are what the shock assemblies look like off the car. The rear shock is the longer shock.
Here are my instructions on how to install your spring and strut suspension.
Let's go to the rear since it's easier.
. REAR SUSPENSION .
1.) Go inside your car where the back seat is, or go to the trunk area. Basically find where the top of the strut is. For my accord, it was behind the back seat.
2.) Take off the plastic cover and there you will see the top of the strut assembly.
3.) Loosen and remove the TWO bolts per side (circled in red)
4.) Next, get out of the car and lift the car up.
5.) Take off the wheel
6.) Support the car with jack stands for extra safty.
7.) Use a 17mm wrench and remove the one single bolt that holds the bottom of the strut to place. You will need two 17mm wrenches, one on each side. You'll need two because if you turn just one side, the other will move along with it. You will need to hold the other end still in order to remove it. You also may need a plastic/rubber hammer to hit the loosen bolt out of place.
8.) Now the entire strut assembly should come off your car.
9.) Get a spring compressor and follow the instructions given in the kit to compress the springs.
10.) Next take your 17mm wrench and loosen the top nut that holds the springs and spring "cap" to place.
11.) You may need another wrench to hold the strut rod to place. There is a strong wrench that I do now know what it is called, but there is a part where you can adjust it by turning a knob. That makes the wrench open or close to a certain degree. It's nice because it makes a TIGHT fit and will not strip your strut rod.
12.) Once the single nut is remove, everything will fall out, which will include the strut "cap" (not sure of the offical name) the bushings, washers, bumpstop, and of course the springs. NOTE: make sure you notice which washer or bushings goes on first and last.
13.) Get your new aftermarket struts and put on the lowering springs. And then put on all the old bushings, washers, and bumpstop in the order that they should be in.
14.) Use your springs compessor and compress the springs and then put the strut cap back on.
(NOTE: you might not need this step, it depends on your new springs and struts)
15.) Put on the single nut on the strut rod to tighten everything down.
16.) Now get to the car agian and put the new strut assembly back on.
17.) Get a friend or another jack to lift it to place of the two holes inside towards the top of the fenders.
18.) Get inside the car (make sure those t-stands and jack are secure and safe) and bolt on the TWO bolts to hold the struts to place.
19.) Get back down out of the car and line up the last bolt into place. You may need to use that second jack again to push it to place in order to line up the holes.
20.) Check all bolts and make sure everything is safe.
21.) Put wheel back on and you're done.
. FRONT .
The front is like the rear, but a little bit harder.
1.) Open up the hood
2.) Find where the top of the strut assembly is and remove the THREE bolts that hold the strut to place (circled in red)
3.) Lift up the car and support it correctly with jack stands
4.) Remove the wheel
5.) Remove the small bolts that hold the brake lines to the struts. After the bolts are remove, just push the lines out of the way. There is no need to disconnect them.
6.) Under the car, you will see a large fork that holds the struts to place. Towards the back end, you will see the upper fork bolt that holds the strut to place. Remove that bolt.
7.) Then look at the bottom of the fork and see where it's held to the car, remove that bolt as well. (Lower Fork Bolt)
8.) Now the folk should come off and then push it downward to knock it out of place. This will give you a little more room. You will need this extra room to be able to take the strut off of the car.
9.) Now the entire strut assembly will come off the car.
10.) Next just use directions (9.) through (15.) of the rear suspension intructions to put the new springs and struts together.
11.) Now that the strut assembly is installed, it time to put it back on the car. Just put it on the car and use the second jack or a friend to push it up into the car.
12.) Go into the engine bay and tighten the THREE bolts to hold the strut to place.
13.) Put the folk back on the car using that single bottom bolt. You can just use the same method as the rear suspension by using that second jack to line up the holes.
14.) Now put the bottom of the strut into the top opening of the fork.
15.) Make sure the holes line up..and put the bolt back on to hold the strut on to the folk.
(NOTE: If you look at the bottom of the strut, you will see a little "nick" that is there to line up where the bolt is. Make sure that is lined up when you put on the bolt.)
16.) Double check all bolts to make sure everything is safe.
17.) Put the wheel back on and lower the car to the ground.
AND YOU ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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