user 783003

I completed the fronts this morning, Bilstien HD and H&R Reds.

Have the rears out right now and need to know if I need dust boot covers. The fronts came with them, the rears did not. The dust covers from my 20+ year old Boge are toast.

I've read that I don't need bump stops and I found somewhere that I don't need the dust boot covers, but before I put the rears in, I wanted to get a bit of advice from the experts.

Thanks in advance.

Rocket Rob

I tried to reuse my dust boots but they were too old. I installed without. So far it seems fine. Its been 10 years.

user 783003

Sweet. Thanks Rob. Just what I was hoping to hear.

GazC2

I am waiting for my HD`s to arrive so are you fitting the bump stops ? also think I seen mentioned somewhere about cutting a bit off the bump stops if you fit them ?

user 783003

No, everything I read on here said the HD's had internal bump stops. Plus, my old ones were long gone.

This is a long job. Just got the right rear in. Left rear should be a chore.

Observations so far:

Front:
I had no idea how the clips (brake wear, ABS, etc.) came off of the front shock housing. There is a piston through the clip. You can back it out and the remove the clip. Never read that in any DIY.
When reinstalling the tops, they can go in two ways, with the top of the strut closer to the inside or the outside. Installed the left one fine, the right one backwards. Luckily I noticed before I torqued anything down on that side. Again, never saw this in a DIY.

Rears
The bolt into the trailing arm is a bear. Ended up using a 4 foot pipe to get each side broken.
I had to cut the top bolt/nut off of one of the rear shocks as I couldn't get it free for anything.
How in the heck are you to get a torque wrench onto the 3 nuts on each top? I guessed at 27 fp.
Torquing the bottom bolt to 147 fp when the car's a foot off the ground? Not a chance. Got it to about 130. I'll ask the local shop to get them to 147 when it's aligned/corner balanced on Wednesday.

Also, for front and back, every DIY I read showed a 21 mm socket was needed. On mine, 21 was too small, front and back. I used a 22mm.

user 783003

All done. Tires on the ground. What do I tell the alignment guys about height. I'm at 25 3/4 and 26 1/16 in the front and 25 3/8 (ground to top of wheel arch) in the backs.

It's not quite as low as I'd hoped for.

altarchsa

It's more accurate to measure to the suspension points described by Porsche. I remember the rear point is the boss in the bottom of the trailing arm. Can't remember where the front point is, and will have to search for a post that I read some time back that described this when I install my Greens.

Try a search for the alignment measurement points.

Nader Fotouhi

If you have threads left, you could lower more. There is no room left on the rear on my wife's 93 and it seems fine for street use.

Alignment depends on tire chioice and driving style. If you plan to do DEs, more aggressive than stock, otherwise, stock is likely good. Take it to an indy shop that has experience with both track and street cars for ride height and alignment.

user 783003

Dumb question; if I lower the bottom spring perch, does the car get lower or higher?

Richard Curtis

My experience with Bilstein HD & HR Greens was so similar to Alfred_hybrid's that I thought I had written it... 22mm on the bottom bolt on rears, not 21mm ... difficulty in removing the bottom rear bolts (I, too, used a 4-foot pipe) and found red Loctite on the bolt threads after I finally got them off ... right rear was easy to reinstall; took about 10 minutes; left rear took, like, forever (an hour? more?). We had a great deal of difficulty in getting the left rear top nuts loose; that shock also took an hour or more to remove as opposed the right rear, which came off zippy-zip (after, of course, getting the lower bolts out). We had no problems with the fronts, either removing or reinstalling. A note for other DIYers... you don't need a spring compressor either to remove or install fronts or rear springs.

One note: After the reinstall, I noticed a very slight "clunk" from the right front every time I hit a bump in the road. At first, I thought something was loose in the glove compartment or door pocket. Finally, on the advice of my mechanic, I measured the visible bolts from the top of the shocks and found that the right front was slighter longer. I tightened the big nut, oh, maybe an 1/8th turn (while holding the shaft with an Allen key). Presto! No more bump.

My ride heights measured the same as yours are fronts: 25.75 inches, rears 25.125 inches.

user 783003

Alignment is still 36 hours away, so I won't be able to drive it (spirited) for a couple of days, but another thing worth noting...

I was able to, with great ease, push the Boge shock and strut shafts all the way in and they didn't bounce back (at all). So I've been driving around. For almost 3 years on springs alone. As this is the only sports car I've ever driven or owned, I thought it handled great. Two autocrosses this weekend. I can't wait to see what it feels like now!

I agree, no spring compressors needed, but the one DIY I was going by had me nervous as hell, so I used them anyway.

Still need to know how I lower the right front so it matches the left front.

Richard Curtis

You turn the spring adjuster on the bottom of the shock/spring. I'm not sure I remember which way you turn it to lower the car, but it should be a simple matter of turning one way or the other, then measure the distance. If the distance is greater than you started, you went -- here it comes! -- the wrong way. Seems like I've read somewhere that which way you turn the adjusters is counterintuitive, i.e., you raise the adjusters (counterclockwise turning) to lower the car, but I could be wrong.

Be sure to roll the car back and forth to settle the suspension after you adjust it, though; otherwise, you'll get an erroneous measurement.

FWIW, the fellow who did my alignment adjusted the spring adjusters to get the ride height equal. He made just one very small adjustment as I remember.

Earlydays

Lowering the spring adjusters on the shock body lowers the car....

user 783003

No adjustments so far and alignment is scheduled for tomorrow. I drove to the gas station and back and they're lower already. I guess they "settled?"

Now the fronts are 25 1/4 or so in the front and 25" in the back. I don't want it any lower than this.

For reference, on the backs, I put the bottom spring perch right in the middle of the threads. On the fronts, there are no threads showing on the bottom.

c didy

Very interesting. I'm looking forward to this. My shocks and springs are ready to go. Could you please elucidate with regards to both of the following?
And, in addition to the shocks/struts/springs, were there other parts needed?

"Front:
I had no idea how the clips (brake wear, ABS, etc.) came off of the front shock housing. There is a piston through the clip. You can back it out and the remove the clip. Never read that in any DIY.
When reinstalling the tops, they can go in two ways, with the top of the strut closer to the inside or the outside. Installed the left one fine, the right one backwards. Luckily I noticed before I torqued anything down on that side. Again, never saw this in a DIY."