Advice on Changing Suspension

Shaun

Shaun

***StaGGeRed***
After Being Quoted £155-£190 to replace my suspension for me i'm thinking i might have to tackle this myself!

any tips on changing the suspension as i know a few of you have done it.
i am still yet to get the spring compressors :down:

Cheers Guys/Gals
 
get onto matt humphris he quoted a much higher price but for that he supplies fits and aligns the axles for you

the quote he gave me was £275 but for the work involved i think is worth it
 
probaly need deep set spanners to get the nuts of the top mounts. make sure you have a good set of sockets and a breaker bar and just general tools such as pliers, a hammer...... possibly a grinder or a saw as many bolts under the car do get nice and stiff over time, i had to cut two off and replace them. dont realy need spring compressors for the k10 suspension, its not tensioned to much, just take do it slowly.
n bring a few mates to help you out. also should be a how to guide somewhere in he k10 section. if not send me your email n il send it to you
 
fronts arent really a problem, its the backs which are a pain the bols gets rusted in the bottom of the shock.

if you have the correct tools, and the bolts all come off you can do it in a couple of hours.

are you putting "sports" suspension on? are you getting springs and shocks? if so you dont need a spring compressor.
 
danny i would love to use matt but unfortunately im already poor lol the suspension is coming on friday so will have a bash over the weekend :)
and thanks alex have looked in the haynes manual but as usual its a bit vague! lol although it does recommend spring compressors!
 
superls said:
fronts arent really a problem, its the backs which are a pain the bols gets rusted in the bottom of the shock.

if you have the correct tools, and the bolts all come off you can do it in a couple of hours.

are you putting "sports" suspension on? are you getting springs and shocks? if so you dont need a spring compressor.
Click to expand...

sports lol they are just KYB gas ones with -35mm lowering springs i wont need compressors?!
 
sed5000 said:
sports lol they are just KYB gas ones with -35mm lowering springs i wont need compressors?!
Click to expand...

no you wont need them.

a quick guide.

id personally start at the back, and get the swearing and frustration out of the way early doors.

firstly, wd40 all the suspension bolts you need to remove.

after that has soaked start as follows.

lay under the back of the car and clean up the threads and start to undo the 2 bottom bolts that go throught the bottom of the shocks (1 in each), i seem to remember that there 14mm, ensure you get a good fitting socket, half inch drive hexagon sided is ideal. you will also need a spaner on the other end as the nuts aren't caged.once you have the nuts off, support the car body on a jack and or axel stands so that the wheels are just about to come off the floor, then you can attempt the drift the bolts out, they will need a little persuation from a hammer and punch. once you have got them out, go in the boot and undo the single bolt on the top of the shocker, not sure of size as it varies on shock manufacturer. the best way ive found for this is a ratchet spanner the correct size and a pair of mole grips, but use the tools you have to hand. when they are undone, the shock will come out (or fall if your not holding it).

refit the new suspension in the reverse order.

lower car down and admire your new rear end stance.

move to front, i tend to do 1 side at a time, pick a side, slacken wheel, raise and support car remove wheel.

the 2 bolts that are joining the wheel hub to the shock need to come out, both i think are 14mm. these are quite tight so be sure not to pull the car on to you. once the nuts are off support the wheel hub with a jack or similar and drift the 2 bolts out, in all likely hood the shock wil need to be prised of the hub with a crow bar or similar tool. once this is off, remove the 2 12mm bolts off the top of the strut, it will now fall out.

right this is what to do next, you need to remove the nut from the centre of the shocket at the top so you can remove the top mount as you will need this on your new suspension, i find it easier to put mole grips around the piston right near the top and then use a socket on the nut.

this is where you would use spring compressors if you had them. 2 ways ive done it before, get a mate to hold down on it to compress the spring a little of if your on your own, get some rope (fairly thick) and pass it throught a coil right at the bottom and back out near the top and tie it off, so in essance you have a loop of wire throught most of the coils of the spring, then get your crow bar and pass it through the string and wind it up, as you wind it up it will compress the spring, your are then safe to remove the top.

before anyone pipes up, yes the best way to do it is with compressors, but if your on a budget then needs must.

you will find that when putting the new suspension together the spring isnt under as much tension so you wont even need to compress the spring with anything you will be able to hold it down with your hand.

once its back together with the top mount, refit to car in reversal of removal.

do other side. then stand back and admire your totally transformed ride.

a few days later when everythings bedded, i usually take it to get the alignment checked. but this is optional.

scott
 
awesome and detailed guide! thankyou, i need to get tracking done anyways so will do it all afterwards and plenty of pictures will come once the shocks etc. turn up! (Y) thanks again!
 
what ive seen done before is, you can remove the top bolt with the car still sat on the ground, that way when you jack it up it just allows it to expand slowly and wont spring out.
 
well i think ill get one of my mates or even my dad to do this if they get damaged i can repay them with a pint :) seriously though might have to drag myself towards compressors :( ah well i'll try one and see if not to halfies it is...
 
If you don't do what supers said about jacking up the car then you will need compressors. My mate took my old ones off, tried to undo it without the compressor on and when it released, it shot off bits and pieces everywhere.
 
so you think it would be wise to undo the rears at the top first then jack it up "should" just loosen the tention and all will be ok? well as things never goto plan with my car i will allow myself a few (6) extra hours to do this over the weekend! with any luck the car will be sitting pretty besides the rusty steelies
 
its a doddle releasing them the way that super ls said, re-fitting the springs that way can be awkward tho, depending on how long the lowered springs are (my matiz ones did,nt need compressors, just 3 hands lol to squash the spring enough to start the nut ) :)
 
the springs are just -35mm nothing extreme, just been looking at the exploded diagram in the haynes manual... so am i right in saying if i mess this up i lose all these bits:
DSCF1038.jpg

DSCF1039.jpg

DSCF1040.jpg
 
yes, they will fly off at great speed shaun :eek: (the stock spring is "pre-loaded" about 3")
ie, you have to compress the spring 3"+ in order to assemble the parts and fit the nut
 
frank said:
yes, they will fly off at great speed shaun :eek: (the stock spring is "pre-loaded" about 3")
ie, you have to compress the spring 3"+ in order to assemble the parts and fit the nut
Click to expand...

hmmm spring compressors it is then no way am i gonna find or even risk losing a spring rubber seat no bigger than a 2 pence piece :laugh:

ah well will just take my time and hope for the best with any luck itll be sorted by monday should be fine as i only have 13" wheels on it will be after the wheels next month then ill be making yet more posts no doubt lol :glare:
 
Do you need new springs? because i have a standard set laying about if you want them - make an offer :) they'v only covered about 10,000 miles, so basically brand new.

Guy
 
thanks frank...
cheers guy but have already bought a new set of -35mm ones to go with the new shocks...
should be fine as frank said its me versus the bolts round one saturday!
 
halfords

just a thought why dont you buy the compressors and cover them in electrical tape. use them, remove the tape and clean them up like new, stick em back in the box and take em back. im sorry but halfords rips us off every day with over priced parts, why dont we rip them of every once and a while you have a 28 day no questions refund policy
just a thought:laugh:
Rick
 
adamsricky said:
just a thought why dont you buy the compressors and cover them in electrical tape. use them remove the tape clean them up like new stick em back in the box and take em back im sorry but halfords rips us off every day with over priced parts why dont we rip them of every once and a while you have a 28 day no questions refund policy
just a thought:laugh:
Rick
Click to expand...

You Know im quite an honest guy :devil: good idea... not that i would do that sort of thing... :p
 

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