So. Just lowered my gti about 2 inches. (Just springs stock struts and shocks) I started tuesday night at 11:30 and worked until about 6 am (cuz I didn't have to work wednesday n I was excited to put them on. Anyway I finished the installation at 4:15 thursday morning. I slept from 6am to about 1pm on wednesday.. But other than that I was pretty much in the garage with the exception of a few trips to the store to pick up rediculous tools. The rear springs were cake. Raise the car, take the lower shock bolt out on both sides and the whole rear axel drops and the springs fall out. No compression needed. The new springs fit right in and we raised the axel back up n bolted it in (only to later realize we put the front springs in the rear... so we had to repeat that step.) Next was the front struts.... not quite as simple. It took about 12 hours to get the front passenger strut off. Partly because of corosion.. But mostly because I'm a moron. Every diy and thread that I read in every forum said the same thing. 'Once the lower pinch bolt and sway bar are unbolted.. The LCA should drop down and your strut will be free to remove.' Eventually we figured it out and got the LCA dropped down which only left the '3 bolts in the engine bay' that everyone talked about... ill have pictures up later to explain... but there was only 1... and veedub made it damn near impossible to remove. The bolt itself is recessed about an inch or so. And inside of it is a 7mm allen. 7mm allens are just aout impossible to find (at least when I was looking for them) so the only 1 I could find was for a 1/4" drive ratchet and the allen part of it was only about an inch long.. Rendering it far too short to fit through the socket to hold the allen while loosening the bolt. I eventually found a rachet and wrench set that worked.. Ill show you guys that too when I get home n can get some pics up. So I eventually got the strut off and it was pretty much cake from there. The drivers side strut took about 45 minutes. It was definitely an adventure I did not know I was embarking on when I started... but its one that I'm glad I went on. Because now at least I have a general knowlege of how suspsension works and it should be way easier the next time around.

Lessons Learned:
Shocks = rear
Struts = front
Spring compressors are a pain in the azz.
Ratchet sets are way too expensive.
To figure out the time it will take me to complete a job... I should multiply the estimated installation time by 12.. Then add 3. Haha. (Every job takes me forever.. Cuz I learn it as I go)
When working on a car.. Slipping wrenches and bloody knuckles are inevitable.
Compress the spring on the strut BEFORE trying to remove it from the knuckle.
*****And most importantly.. Have another car lined up to drive to the store to get the tools and parts you never thought you'd need in a million years.*****

Pics tonight. = )

By the way feel free to laugh at my stupidity. Lol

 

i feel that. im the same way

 

haha, LMFAO, LOL, etc.

 

^^ +1


i was seriously going to make fun of you for taking 28 hours to change your shocks and springs..but since you admitted your own mistake i'll let you off easy .

 

dang thats a long time but i bet i have that much time in mine over about a week.....get some pics up. and i agree, spring compressors SUCK!!!! i was soo happy to take mine back to advanced auto parts and get my $$ back!!

 

haha. thanks for cutting me some slack. keep in mind. i knew NOTHING about suspension prior to starting this project. and about 8 hours of that time was sleeping.. and i had to make about 3 or 4 trips to the store to get some tools i needed. so the actual install time was about 12 hours. and i was figuring itout step by step.

pix as promised. = D

the equipment


front wheel pre-drop


front wheel post-drop


less wheel gap makes me happy. = D


sittin pretty. = )


more to come when the springs settle in.

 

i had the same problem with my 98 escort zx2. WHAT A PIECE OF ****. thats why i bought my civic well what happend was it was really icy, and i went to turn but just went straight into a curb haha. the whole lower control arm was bent right in half, the wheel was cracked to hell, the sway bar was bent, ouch it was horrible. took about 3 weeks to finish, waiting for parts and everything. removal and installation only took about 6 hours, but wow that car was a pile of scrap. now i own my civic, and havnt had 1 problem

 

haha sorry, a little off topic

 

hey man sounds like you learned a little lesson. everything you do the first time is always a pain in the ***. i learned that with my turbo project, i didnt realize all of the little stuff i had to go out and buy. but anyway, fyi shocks are in both the front and the rear and your struts is what the shocks sit on. you have shocks and struts on the rear and front.

 

oh thanks aryiman. i was told that shocks are rear and struts are front. lol. that makes sense tho. thanks. = )

and yes. every project hte first time is a PITA. but i like the learning experience. i love that i know how to do it in case i need to change it later. instead of dropping 200 bux into someone else's pocket every time i want to change something.