Should I Attempt Lowering Spring Install Myself?

GTP · Aug 17, 2017

I just did all this last weekend:

GT350 springs
GT350 front swaybar
GT350R rear swaybar
Steeda camber plates
Steeda adjustable dampers all round
Steeda rear shock mounts
BMR jacking rails
BMR cradle lockout
Steeda alignment sleeves

Only took me 4 hours. Plus two days. :lol:

My tips:

Have an impact wrench. A strong old-style air gun preferably.
Have a 18mm box-end or gear wrench. 18 is used a lot.
I got my car 16" off the ground on jack stands.
I bought a deep impact (lol) socket set for $20 from HF with sizes from 10 to 32mm. It covered everything. I even re-torqued my rear axle nuts with the 32mm socket, and long breaker bar from HF.
You literally need a sledgehammer for the front strut bolts. A dead blow hammer probably won't cover it. I reused my bolts, with blue threadlock.
Do as others said about the cradle for getting out your rear springs. One of us yanked out the spring while the other stood on the hub studs to get it to drop a little more. That person also had one foot on a stool for stability, and don't forget to set the hand brake first!
Don't forget blue threadlock. $2 at HF.
Yeah, CJ videos are great. You can't go wrong.

And BTW, I have a pair of BMR camber bolts for sale, if you're interested.

MaskedRacerX · Aug 17, 2017

I'm local in St. Aug and I will be of no help.

Just wanted to float that out there ...

:lol:

Mike K. · Aug 18, 2017

Grimace427 said:
Yep. This is the video I used to prepare for a spring install and I'm a professional tech. 'Twas super helpful.

That Vid was perfect for doing this :cheers:, it was funny so many people complain about getting the front strut bolts out as well as the rear springs and he did it like it was no problem.

Anyways it convinced me to do it myself

GTP · Aug 18, 2017

Mike K. said:
That Vid was perfect for doing this :cheers:, it was funny so many people complain about getting the front strut bolts out as well as the rear springs and he did it like it was no problem.

Anyways it convinced me to do it myself

That's bc he took them them out hard the first time, then put them back in to make the video. They were easier the second time. :lol:

I wonder what would go wrong if these videos were made without the rock background music?

d4rk_hrs · Aug 18, 2017

All this talk about pry bars and jumping up and down to get the rear springs out is not needed.

The whole reason people have issues with the rear springs is because they do not unhook the exhaust hangers( the ones in the middle of the car and the ones under the rear bumper).

Unhook those and remove the cradle main bolts(one side only at a time) while supporting the weight using a jack. Once the bolts are removed slowly lower the jack and the cradle will drop low enough for the spring to fall out.

If you don't remove the exhaust hangers. The cradle will only drop as low as the muffler allows and stop. All that jumping up and down and prying is putting undue stress on the exhaust.

BmacIL · Aug 18, 2017

d4rk_hrs said:
All this talk about pry bars and jumping up and down to get the rear springs out is not needed.

The whole reason people have issues with the rear springs is because they do not unhook the exhaust hangers( the ones in the middle of the car and the ones under the rear bumper).

Unhook those and remove the cradle main bolts(one side only at a time) while supporting the weight using a jack. Once the bolts are removed slowly lower the jack and the cradle will drop low enough for the spring to fall out.

If you don't remove the exhaust hangers. The cradle will only drop as low as the muffler allows and stop. All that jumping up and down and prying is putting undue stress on the exhaust.

All you have to do is have one side's main bolts fully out, and the other side's loose to get a couple mm of air between bushing and body and no prying/jumping on is necessary.

d4rk_hrs · Aug 18, 2017

BmacIL said:
All you have to do is have one side's main bolts fully out, and the other side's loose to get a couple mm of air between bushing and body and no prying/jumping on is necessary.

There are definitely different approaches to tackling a job.

Removing the exhaust hanger method will allow the one side you are working on to drop all the way down so you have plenty of room to remove and install the springs regardless of their overall length.

The biggest benefit doing this route is you eliminate the cradle from shifting and really messing up your rear alignment. Cracking the bolts on both sides is more of a risk of it shifting.

BmacIL · Aug 18, 2017

d4rk_hrs said:
There are definitely different approaches to tackling a job.

Removing the exhaust hanger method will allow the one side you are working on to drop all the way down so you have plenty of room to remove and install the springs regardless of their overall length.

The biggest benefit doing this route is you eliminate the cradle from shifting and really messing up your rear alignment. Cracking the bolts on both sides is more of a risk of it shifting.

Yeah, but if you already have something to center the cradle (alignment sleeves or cradle lockout kit or both), it'll be good.

GTP · Aug 18, 2017

d4rk_hrs said:
There are definitely different approaches to tackling a job.

Removing the exhaust hanger method will allow the one side you are working on to drop all the way down so you have plenty of room to remove and install the springs regardless of their overall length.

The biggest benefit doing this route is you eliminate the cradle from shifting and really messing up your rear alignment. Cracking the bolts on both sides is more of a risk of it shifting.

We removed the exhaust hangers and still had to stand on the rear hub. It got us that last inch to take out the full length OEM springs.

HISSMAN · Aug 18, 2017

I was going to toss my rear springs anyway. Once I unloaded them, I took an angle grinder with a metal cutting blade and sliced the springs. They came right out and the new ones went right in. Easy peasy.

d4rk_hrs · Aug 18, 2017

BmacIL said:
Yeah, but if you already have something to center the cradle (alignment sleeves or cradle lockout kit or both), it'll be good.

Absolutely, agree. Those items will definitely get things all back into place.

GTP said:
We removed the exhaust hangers and still had to stand on the rear hub. It got us that last inch to take out the full length OEM springs.

Interesting. I have done 2 air ride setups and 3 non-air setups and that method worked every time for me.

Just proves there is not one way always being the right way to do something. This is what makes this forum so great. Everyone is willing to help each other out and share their experiences. :thumbsup:

Strokerswild · Aug 18, 2017

Easy stuff if you have the tools, just time consuming.

I've done two now, mine and a buddy's.

BmacIL · Aug 18, 2017

Strokerswild said:
Easy stuff if you have the tools, just time consuming.

I've done two now, mine and a buddy's.

Same. Was much easier and faster the second time on [MENTION=17191]mindys[/MENTION] car.

JKL1031 · Aug 18, 2017

there are probably different rear spring lengths according to each trim level.

JKL1031 · Aug 18, 2017

You all r bloody liars!! This is almost a nightmare. The front spindle bolts are torqued and pressed..like wtf..and I used the sucky spring compressor. Two hours and 75% done with the front passenger side.

Should I Attempt Lowering Spring Install Myself?

GTP

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MaskedRacerX

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Mike K.

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