Ok, I know that some of you will think that this is too big of a job or too hard or will take some special tools, but this is a fairly straightforward procedure and really only requires the purchase (or borrowing) of spring compressors. I will warn you, however, that putting your springs under tension is a rather dangerous proposition due to the fact that if they let go, there will be some heavy stuff moving very fast; and usually in the general direction of your head. I'm not trying to discourage you, I am just saying... be careful.

Ok, these are the shock towers inside the trunk under the carpet. Two 14mm's.


Now, get the wheel off the car and make sure you have the thing stable on jack stands. Get these two bolts out of there. Both have a stationary nut so it's just the bolt. These are also 14mm.


With those two out, wiggle the whole assembly out. Here you see the whole assembly just out of the car and with the spring compressors on it. I got mine from AutoZone for ~ 30 bucks and they even have little locking pins on them. They are pretty self-explanatory but, just put the chocks in the springs and tighten them down toward one another. This will compress the spring. You only need to compress it just enough to get the tension off of the mounting collar so don't think you have to squish them flat.


With the tension off of the collar you can get the one nut holding the spring down off. Guess what? It's 14mm too. You will need to hold the shock's piston, otherwise it will just spin along with the nut. My new one has a hex fitting in the top making it much easier than what you see pictured, becasue when you get it to the top you have nowhere to grip it, and you CANNOT touch with tools any of the piston travel (the smooth, shiny part).


Here is everything diassembled.


Cheap knock-off vs. new Tokicos. I'm not knocking the knock offs. Totally worth what I paid for them.


What you see here is the little "notch" where the end of the spring sits. It will tend to settle in that spot anyway, but make sure you have it in there correctly.


Next put your compressors on your new spring and tighten them down enough to get the collar on and the nut tightened down as far as it should be. If the nut isn't tight, your new springs will travel too far and rattle against the washer. It's just the reverse of the dissasembly part. Here is the new stuff assembled and ready to go in.


Wiggle the new stuff back in and line the 14mm's up and get it back together. You will probably need to get the jack under the end of the control arm to line it up like you see here. Tighten them bolts back down good.


Here you go. Finished product. Now go hit the twisties.


Tune in next week when I do the fronts.

 

I just put an H&R kit on my civic...VERY EASY. Both front and rear. If you don't go crazy taking the LCA bolts off, you'll be golden

 

Nice write up SS, how do you like them? I absolutely love mine. Between those, the strut bars, and 16x7 wheels, it holds the road pretty damn good.

 

Word. About how long did it take you?

I'll repost this in the DIY section later!

 

THANK GOD! Ive been waiting a long time to see something like this. Street this is pure gold.

 

Very nice write up, I'm hoping to have my RSR's and Tokico HPs(haven't bought yet) in before fall if possible, this will help greatly!!!!


THanks SS!

 

FREAKIN SWEET! im gena be using this in about a month or so. i assume its a similar process for the front strut and spring assembly? well either way it looks really simple and i feel more confident about doing them myself. thanks sniper!

 

u the man good write up very detailed and clear pics

thanks

 

whats the price on those Tokico's and what drop do u get from them?

 

for the front: Loosen(but do not undo) the nut on the top of the strut, undo the bolt that connects the fork to the LCA, undo the bolt on top of the fork that basically holds the strut to the fork. Undo the two nuts that hold the strut in the car under the hood. That's it. Than follow Sniper's steps with the compressor.