burnemup!

Hi everybody.
I've never gotten into doing a job on my car quite this intense before and personally, from stories I've heard, I have no idea why I decided to do it. I'm replacing my Bilstein shocks with the KYB AGX version and even though I purchased the car with the lowering springs already on the car, I'm just replacing them again with the new struts.

When I attempt to remove the spring and strut, while they are mounted on the car, should I compress the spring or am I just able to drop the LCA and unbolt the strut from the car? Just wasn't too sure that the damper bolt holding the spring insulator in place would be considered strong enough to hold the tention of the spring while I remove it.

Also, if I'm able to compress the spring and mount it back onto the new strut and after replacing the spring insulator, can I then remove the spring compressor in order to place the strut/spring assembly back into the car? Thanks in advance to anybody able to give advice.

Jason

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

i think you remove the whole upper control arm assembly with the strut intact........is that your question?

crimson_bird

iTrader: (4)

this should help: http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=6

i just pulled all that crap out yesterday to do my springs swap. you'll need to compress the springs once they're completely out of the car, so that you can change the strut.

I rented a spring compressor from Kragens/O'reilys and it'd didnt work out to well since i couldn't get the top coils into the compressor, which left a lot of tension on the top mount. I gave up on that and ended up taking the two spring/strut assemblies to pepboys and let them pull it apart and swap the springs for me since they have better equipment for it.

burnemup!

Thanks guys. Yes, that helped. I got it off. I'll tell you what. Had to have a shop remove the nut from the damper shaft because it was corroded as hell! I would have never gotten that off by myself!

xXxSilveradoxXx

iTrader: (5)

Removing and installing the front springs on my WS.6 was definitely the worst part of my whole suspension build. However, it would have been way easier to swap them with a proper spring compressor. By the time both of my front springs were swapped my POS compressor was shot. I think that you have the right idea crimson_bird, taking the assemblies to Kragens and having them do it.

burnemup!

crimson_bird, thanks for the ls1howto.com website! I'm new at daring to attempt to do things like this myself and this website you suggested is awesome! Thanks again!