I have my suspension in my hands...

[kpro]

I need your advice since I've never taken apart the suspension on my car other than the front LCAB's. Is there anything I will need in addition to the struts and springs when I replace them? Should I get shock mounts or swaybar end links? Are these things that get damaged in taking things apart? Im trying to do this this weekend.

I got H & R race springs and Bilstein sport struts. I didn't feel the need for coilovers and I think for the price I paid I couldn't get better quality for the moneys.

[danewilson77]

Get new RSM's/FSM's at a minimum. Sway bar end links and tie rods would be cool, if you wanna throw some extra money at it.

[kpro]

I really don't want to throw extra $$ at it but I will do the strut mounts :) I have 5 cars to keep up with so I try not to replace things that are not 100% necessary.

[danewilson77]

Yeah....I mean...you could theoretically get by with your old mounts.....but it will suck if you have to re-do suspension to swap out if they go bad. How many miles on the mounts now?

[kpro]

Heres the skinny, lol. I promised my friend Gina that I would do her rear struts on the 92 integra rust bucket. I lover her. It has over 200k on it and I know things will break and need to be cut on and drilled out. I also work til 1500 Saturday. So I hope we get to mine sometime around 1900 Saturday because we need to have a beer and brats. My pump on the lift died last week and I haven't had the time to get it looked at. So we're doing this old school on the shop floor. Gina can babysit :)

My car Stella, she has 82k on her. The previous owner was old and never really pushed her, so most everything is still in pretty good shape. Im replacing the rears only because they tend to be crappy. My parts store can get Moog fronts expedited at the last minute saturday for sunday afternoon if I need them :)

I'm going to feel dead come Monday. Wish me luck!

[kayger12]

Good luck, kpro.

Let us know how it goes.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[billschusteriv]

Good luck kpro! When you recover, let us know how it went with both the integra and stella.

[kpro]

I hate hate hate my bentley manual more than anyother inanimate object right now. Im half tempted to sell it when I get done lowering my car. It told me to disconnect the rear axles...so I did and it took me hours get those bolts out of each side and crawling out to release the e-brake, rotate, e-brake again. WTF?!?! I didn't need to do that at all to get the rear springs out. The rear is like a 30 minute job to change out the springs and struts....buy I had to take all those bolts on both sides out by hand and totally could have dealt with not doing that, but it said it was necessary, and I don't know these cars that well yet to not trust that damn book. The integra was HELL!!!! 4 seized bolts, a torch, and not enough bolts to fill all the ones we drilled out after snapping the heads off. I think I hate 200k mile, 20 year old rear suspension just as much right now. end rant/

I will get up in the morning and go back to my shop to finish my fronts, and hopefully things will go much easier :) Good Night Mafia, Kpro out.

[danewilson77]

Yes....everything you said is true. We are smarter than Bentley in some regards. Sorry Kpro...

[kayger12]

With you on the Bentley, Kpro. Sometimes they give you the procedure that gives you the best access to something, not necessarily the easiest way to go about it.

In any event, great job adapting and overcoming.

[billschusteriv]

Sorry to hear about the integra Kpro.

I always hated dealing with snapping bolts and needing proprietary parts for my 93 toyota 4runner (front hubs on the 4wd and brakes sucked).

I'm surprised the Bentley would lead you down that path! I keep that in mind for when I change out the rear springs...

[MisterMotorist]

4 seized bolts, a torch, and not enough bolts to fill all the ones we drilled out after snapping the heads off. I think I hate 200k mile, 20 year old rear suspension just as much right now. end rant/

Ah, yes - this triggers many ancient memories of lying on the barn floor under frozen, greasy, salty, rusted has-been cars, changing transmissions, motors,springs, etc. in the dead of the dreaded Ohio winter! I grew up in Greene County (about 50 miles from Kpro). I learned a lot about wrenching and how best to apply band aids so that i could keep on working after the inevitable knuckle busting. I moved to California at age 19 and noticed after the first six months there that I had not used my nut buster even once! I never went back and I gave my nut buster to my brother and never used one again.....

[kpro]

^^LOL!!! I wish I could leave Ohio and never look back. At least I have a shop to work in, but my lift is broke and everything under that integra IS rusted.

My car: I put it all back together and there is a very un-nerving noise over bumps. it almost sounds like something metal is moving up and down on the drivers side. It wont do it over cracks and small imperfections but anthing that makes the strut move really it is a metal on metal clang. I put the thing back together, left my shop heard the noise and turned right around. I took the wheel off and NOTHING is loose. Nothing is out of place. I was even able to get the sway bar endlinks on pretty easy. Once Im at work tomorrow and can put it on a lift Im lost as to whats wrong.

I know there is a little nubby thing that goes into a hole right next to one of the upper shock bolts when installing the strut, the one on my drivers side is missing, do you think that has to do with anything? Im so lost as to what it is. I hope its safe to drive 10 miles, lol. I really love the drop, much better than the h&r sports I had on there for a day or two last summer. I put my 18's on just to see if they would rub or not with the 255's on there. It sits really flush actually, even with a 250 lb. dude sitting in the trunk :) I dont think I will rub.

Do you think I may have busted one of the endlinks internally? Is that common? Do I need shorter ones?

[ZSP-Mafia]

If you can get the car back on a lift, try grabbing the sway bar right in the middle and give it a good shake and see if it makes any noise. I had a similar problem on mine and it was a loose endlink which I could have sworn was tightened.

[kpro]

okay. Thanks. we used the 16mm on the back end too, I just wonder if I busted something inside of it but somehow it remains attached and noisey. Tomorrow will tell :) ...hopefully good news.

[kpro]

oh, btw... Looks SOOOOOOOOO Good :D

[billschusteriv]

Sorry, I haven't done enough with suspension to give any suggestions... I'll defer to the others...good luck troubleshooting tomorrow.


oh, btw... Looks SOOOOOOOOO Good :D

Yay! Pictures please!