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qa1 help please!

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Old Apr 5, 2008 | 03:28 PM
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Default qa1 help please!

i searched and couldnt find anything i need. i just put the qa1 r series on my car and the front is sitting like it is jacked up. how do i fix this? someone told me to compress the springs but i dont see how that would let the strut come down. what do i do? its beutiful weather and just finished the suspension and trans install so i wanna drive help!!! thanks guys
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Old Apr 5, 2008 | 04:47 PM
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It has adjustable spring perches. You use the spanner wrenches to lower them.
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Old Apr 5, 2008 | 05:09 PM
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i just put my qa1's on this weekend, i set the spring perch about 2/3rd the way up the body of the shock (there is a picture of the installed coilover a few posts down in suspension and brakes forum titled "qa1's are finnaly on" that shows the ride height and spring location. what spring rate are you using, i think this will affect how you need to set them up.
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Old Apr 5, 2008 | 05:32 PM
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unload the front suspension by jacking the front and the tires is off the ground.take tires off.use your spanner wrench to lower height by the spring perches if thats what they call it.
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Old Apr 5, 2008 | 08:53 PM
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i did this and now i am running into a problem when i am letting the jack down the car will either sit like it launching a wheelie or it sits on the tires and i cant figure out why at all..also when i have the fronts off am i supposed to be able to move the contol arm up and down without the shock going into the cylinder? when i do this is goes up and down through the rubber bushing up top where u screw them in. is it a possibilty that i didnt extend the strut fully? is there anyone local in the joliet area who knows what the hell their doing? i fixed the rears and now the fronts are a killer.
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 12:46 AM
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When you first let the car off the jack it will look funny cause the wheels are bowed inward. You need to drive it a few feet.
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 01:26 AM
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what he said.takes a few min. for it to settle.they might have messed up the install.
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 11:12 AM
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hmm i guess ill try this one more time today then it will be going to the suspension shop next week if i dont figure it out.
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 01:00 PM
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ok so i have the passenger side shock off..... where the shock goes into the rubber boot mount where the nuts go there is like a rocker bearing or something that i cant figure out. i had to grind the bolt and im wondering if there is supposed to be a spacer or some thing there. i put the shock through and when i put the bolt on there it does nothing because there is so much space between the threads abd the boot. also are the qa1s supposed to extend back out when u push them down with no spring? i am so lost please help!
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 04:26 PM
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this is worthless without some pictures of what your talking about. qa1 shocks are extreamly easy to put on, i dont see why your having so many problems. remove old shock/spring, reuse upper spring perch, compress springs 1/2 to 2/3rds the way up the shock for initial installation, then ajust spring lengh from there. threading the collar up farther on the shock body lifts the front, threading it down the shock body will make the car lower. no rocker bearings or grinding invalved. the only spacer is the thrust washer that goes between the spring and the threaded collar to ease adjustment. yes the shock will extend back out when compressed with no spring, although i dont know why you would be compressing the shock by itself?
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 06:31 PM
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the grinding that i am talking about is taking the old spring perch off. on top i have the dog biscuit and when i put the shock through it i have thread up top but there is a huge space betweet the threads on the strut and where it goes up top. i am working on it now and i will update it tonight with pictures to see what happens.also what is the ride height supposed to be in the rear? i am sitting at about 30" with 28"drag radials. what should i leave the fronts at?
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 09:21 PM
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ok, i got the grinding part (actually had to do that myself with the pass. side decarbon). your gonna have to describe the huge space problem alittle better though, not understanding what your talking about? the only thing i can think of is you are trying to use the rubber boot that covers the shaft of the shock (fits between the spring perch and the shock and covers the shaft). the shaft of the qa1 is thicker than the shaft on the decarbons, so the shaft of the qa1 dosent fit all the way through the rubber boot, so the threaded portion of the shaft dosent reach all the way through the upper spring perch and "dog bone" spacer that fits inside it. sount like your problem?
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Old Apr 6, 2008 | 09:34 PM
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my qa1s have the extensions on the top of the shock. i am only supposed to bring the shock to the silver hex nut corret? or am i supposed to take the extender off? i bought the kit from speed inc and it the strut came assmbled already and said nothing about this.i filled the space with washers.i am trying to get the ride height right, right now. now that i am close though i look at the rears and passenger side sits way lower in the rear than the driver side. i have had nothing but problems with these qa1s make me wish i just brought it to a shop. if i bring the car for alignment would they fix this all u think?
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 10:38 AM
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PICTURES! still not understanding what your talking about.
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Old Apr 7, 2008 | 11:22 AM
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Several of us have the QA1's so picures are worth a thousand words
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