I have been wanting to redo the suspension on my car for some time now. I would like to replace the shock and struts along with put some new springs on the front of the car. I am considering getting KYB shock/struts along with maybe 200 lb. spring up front and maybe drop it an inch. Also I would like to maybe replace some bushings I don't know which ones maybe the control arms and what not. I have a set of stock swaybars front and back that are waiting to be put on. What would be some recommendations for this? I have a 87 924S. I am on a budget so maybe if someone could say where to get these parts from would be great also.

 

Bilstein HD shocks, Pick the springs you want, new control arms and bushings (this way you wont have to press the bushings in or out, the control arms are like $30 each with the front bushing installed) would be a good start. www.paragon-products.com has great service!

 

I am looking in to a similar set up neon driver. I am looking into the kyb shocks/struts with 250 lb weltmeisters on the front. My goal is to fix the old broken down oem suspension, but also improve the handling to maybe compete in some autox events. The worry I have is that the car will be so much stiffer in the front that the rear of the car will slide if turning too sharp. I also know that you can lower the rear by the ecentric bolts in the rear up to 3/4 inch or so, but also heard that lowering the rear too much may have a negative effect on turning as well. Anyone know how to fix this problem? Other ideas for cheap suspension? Danka schon!

 

I forgot to mention to get new ball joints. THey are cheap too like $13 each.

 

I looked at front control arms and it says bushings not included. Is there a place where I could get some where the bushings are already on them maybe along with the ball joints too. I figure I will need to replace the strut mounts as well? I just want to make sure I have the parts needed to swap out the front spring and do struts and shocks. I would like to be able to pull this off within a weekend at least more like a day.

 

Paragon sells the contorl arms with or without the front bushings installed. Call them and ask for the arms with the bushings installed. The ball joints are super easy, 3 nuts and bolts and some lock washers. If youve never done shocks/struts before you could do the front struts/control arms/bushings and the rear shocks in a day. Just take your time and use clarks garage as a guide. Air tools (or an electric impact wrench) will make things a little easier.

 

Let me reinforce one point. An impact wrench is basically essential due to two things. One is the removal of the top nut on struts. The strut shaft will spin as you try to turn the nut, so you need a way to get the nut loose. You can try to find a specially made open head socket and use an allen wrench, or you can get an air wrench. I took my struts out by unbolting them at the flange, and I brought them to a guy with an air wrench. Second, the rear shock bolts are going to be very hard to remove with hand tools -- especially the top one (lack of space). I busted a knuckle so bad it still hurts! I invested in an electric impact wrench and it's already my favorite tool. I highly recommend it. It sure beats the feeling of despair as you realize that your car is half taken apart and you don't have the tools or wisdom to finish the job.