Dubbin'

Your going to have to push pretty hard downwards on the a-arm to get the strut out if you are not removing the spindle. It's more of a precaution than a necessity...

Mark

Buddhamonk

Yeah I realized the the brake line would get stretched out. Got the caliper off. Now I'm stuck because the bolt that holds the bottom of the strut is just spinning (when I try to get the 18mm nut off) and it doesn't have a spot at the end to put a torx in to stabilize it. All my wrenches are too fat to fit on the other end to stabilize the bolt. Will have to wait until tomorrow to keep going...

Dubbin'

You will not get it off using a Torx. You need a thin open end 18mm wrench or just grind a regular one down like I did. The you will be able to fit it in between the hub and sway bar link.

Mark

Buddhamonk

Whoever decided to put that bolt there without a torx opening should get fired

Buddhamonk

I am officially stuck in this whole process. Took me forever to get the shock out because that bitch just would compress enough to come out without putting some serious pressure on the PASM wire. Anyway I finally got it out after many tries (by the way I'm doing the whole thing by myself)

Anyway, I just cannot get the strut nut off. I got my hacked 21mm socket, my impact wrench, and the strut rod just keeps spinning no matter what I try. That nut must be on tight. Just ran out of option. Only two options left are to take the front strut to a indy shop to have them take the nut off. Other option is to buy that fancy german tool...

Done lots of suspension job on japanese cars over the years but this has to be the most frustrating process ever...damn germans...

I ended buying this tool. It should be here on Friday. Hopefully it will make the whole process easier from now on but everytime I think I got to the hardest step, another one even harder comes along...

Dubbin'

Hey man,

It's too bad that you are having such a hard time. I might of been advantaged since most of the previous suspensions that I have done were on Volkswagen which funny enough resemble A LOT the Porsche setup. I did the suspension on a Mazdaspeed and a Civic and I do agree they were ‘easier’ although in some way this also justifies the way the german cars handle and are that much more solid on the road…

As for getting the front struts out, it is a PITA…. For the front left strut I had a helper to push down on the a-arm which made it a lot easier. For the front right I got it out on my own and it did require substantial force. I actually cut my spring compressors in order to get the spring as compressed as possible, the obvious constraint is that the shock does not compress with it and either way you will need to push the strut shaft in. Getting the 21MM nut off was not an issue for me. Are you using a plug in 120V impact? Those tend to be pretty weak and are not sufficient for this type of work. I have a cordless 18V dewalt ½’ impact that is rated at 350lb/tq and it does not always get the job done. I used my 200PSI ½’ air impact and it came off like butter…. I am sure you can easily wedge a flat head of a pry bar in there to get the strut nut loose. If not, you can take both front struts out and bring it to any garage, they will definetly have strong enough impacts to get it off. Total process took my no more that 6-7 hours. I ended up doing this in 2 days only because I snapped one of the studs on the front strut plates…. I never was even able to get anywhere near 24ft/lbs of torque before it snapped. The last person who aligned the car must of over torqued them and stretched the stud to the point where it would only hold minimal torque. I ended up changing both front top plates and bearing while I was at it….

If ever you need more assistance, PM me and I can give you my phone number and can help you over the phone if ever you need.

Thanks,

Buddhamonk

Thanks for all your help so far! You've been very helpful. I am determined to finish it all on my own. I've always been a true diy guy except for the help i get online . By the way i did coilovers on a mazdaspeed3 as well. Holy cow, i remember having to bang on the lower control arm for an hour to get the front strut out on that car. Still was a lot easier. Most japanese car i can do all four corners in under 3 hours.

Yes i am using a corded impact gun which has been great so far. Takes off lug nuts like butter. Took off the rear strut nut easily. Problem with the front is that the strut rod just spins with the torque of the impact gun.

That counterhold tool should do the trick.

I thought of cutting the spring compressor but i still needs to return them to autozone i wonder if they would notice...

Dubbin'

If the tool does not work, try holding the strut shaft with a pair of vice grips. Wrap the shaft with a leather or rubber belt not to damage the shaft too much. Either way even if you were to scratch the upper shaft, the suspension never gets compressed that far so there will be no impact....


What I used to do when i was using wired impacts is that once the strut was removed, i would remove the spring compressors from the strut. This way the spring would put pressure on the top plate and mobilize the strut shaft. You could then break it lose and put the spring compressors on very loosely so that the spring does not pop into your face once the strut nut is off completely... With an impact you don't necessarily need to completely mobilize the strut shaft. All you need is a bit of resistance to slow the shaft down (from spinning).

Thanks,
Mark

Buddhamonk

so I am all DONE!!! Hallelujah!!!!

The last corner (front) went so fast once I had all the right tool.

I had a stool (must have because you spend a lot of time on your knees otherwise)
I had a clamp to hold the strut compressed once the spring compressors are on. Along with wheel studs on the rotor it was a piece of cake to the strut out by pressing with your foot to depress the lower control arm and just slide the whole thing out.

Now to get the strut nut off I found THE BEST TOOL. Went to harbor freight and bought a bunch of tool and it turns out the $2 3" clamp was the best tool. It held that disk in place without budging. Did not even need my hacked socket, Just a 21mm wrench and it just came off. The counterhold tool from amazon that I bought for $50 works but it's a lot of work. Kept slipping off and I couldn't torque the nut back on.

Here are pictures to illustrate some of the tricks mentioned above

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP GUYS!!!

How to use a clamp to compress the strut




Wheel bolt guides


3" C clamp on the disk below the strut nut. This is a MAGIC TRICK


The cheapest tool worked the best =)


the car after the drop. I love it even if I scrape like crazy coming in and out of the driveway. I'm just going to buy a new lip anyway =)




This was the car before the drop

sandwedge

Awesome job. Nothing like the satisfaction of having pulled it off yourself. That's way above my pay grade though unless I was ready to have the car immobilized for 4 months (one month per corner). Could be the camera angle but it looks like it's asking for spacers to complete the job.

Buddhamonk

oh yeah - I'm just waiting for the alignment to figure out how big the spacers are going to be. Already got a quote from adaptec with BLACK lugs =) Probably going to end up getting something like 7mm and 15mm

Dubbin'

Good job brother! I am sure you are relieved to have it all buttoned up! Car looks great. It's amazing what only a drop does to the looks of the car.

Here is what mine looked like after dialing in the coils.

Chrono

Dubbin, I always enjoy pics of your car. The stance, color, and my fave P-wheels... All very classy.

On another note, what would a shop charge for a drop, if you hand them the springs?

Dubbin'

Thanks brother!

I was quoted 750$ for the coilover installation. I would imagine installing springs would be very similar.

Mark

Buddhamonk

I got a quote for $1000 locally