Lowering the fronts

[slimothy]

Already lowered the rear - but tonight was planning to do the fronts...

Having read various threads there seems to be a few ways to do this, but the one which intrigues me is this:

*jack up car
*take off wheel
*Jack up axle / brake area
*clamp up the springs
*use swan neck spanner (& adjustable spanner / mole grips) to remove the piston bolt on the shock in the engine bay
*take off the two top mount nuts with 10mm spanner
*drop the jack holding the axle

....it all gets a bit vague from there on - I'm assuming doing it this way would allow me enough space to take the old spring off and put the new one on?

Anyone done it this way? or am I better off taking the shock off completely?

Bearing in mind I've got from now until it goes dark / chucks it down to get this done...

 

[Robb]

That way seems a little more complicated fwn

 

[frank]

i always take the leg out first (2 nuts on the top, 2 nuts and bolts at the bottom and a hose clip)
and you can do it without compressors if you take the 1 nut off the top, then jack the car up to release the spring, then take the 2 bolts out the bottom (and clip)

 

[slimothy]

so bottoms off then...

 

[Robb]

You also dont need compressors if you get impatient and just undo the top nut but i wouldnt recommend it, took me half an hour to find it after it popped off, not clever.

 

[micraboy2k]

how much would a rough price be on doing this ?

 

[Stani1029]

i got my car lowered years ago for £50

 

[slimothy]

You also dont need compressors if you get impatient and just undo the top nut but i wouldnt recommend it, took me half an hour to find it after it popped off, not clever.

Well tbh I've already got compressors - came in very handy when I did the back springs :grinning:

Please someone tell me I'm right in thinking I can simply undo the top mount bolts without undoing the piston bolt, then undo the bottom bolts and slide the shock and spring as one???:wasntme:

 

[Stani1029]

just take the shock out then compress the spring and undo the top mount nut, being realistic here to change the front springs it should only take an hour or so

 

[frank]

Please someone tell me I'm right in thinking I can simply undo the top mount bolts without undoing the piston bolt, then undo the bottom bolts and slide the shock and spring as one???:wasntme:

did you read my post ? (#3)

 

[slimothy]

just take the shock out then compress the spring and undo the top mount nut, being realistic here to change the front springs it should only take an hour or so

(Y)

did you read my post ? (#3)

Lol - apparently not.... I fail...

Cheers for the help guys - beginning to think I'm going to wait until next week now, since I've got some new front shocks coming in the post (hopefully tomorrow), and gonna get some new bolts sorted for the axle end of the strut - may aswell do a proper job of it.


EDIT:
well the shocks came, but I can't get the bolts loose on the bottom of the dogleg :-(
Also discovered that the passenger side boot has split on the cv joint :-(