Don't suppose someone wants to scan the FSM for the exploded view?

 

Put it together? Just put it back the same way as the stock suspension is when you take that out. =P Pretty straight forward to take out the stock suspension. Undo the strut tower bolts. The front as two bolts that hold the strut to the brake assembly. The back has one bolt at the bottom that bolts it to the beam. Get a spring compressor.

ZuM

 

If you have to ask maybe you should have someone help you, or have it done at a shop. It's pretty straight forward, and just by looking at the bolt and the size of it, and what it is securing, you should have a good idea of how much torque to apply, if you have been working on cars enough. If not, you'll atleast need torque values. The install itself is pretty easy.

Try getting your hands on a Haynes manual. Pretty cheap. I got mine for like $15 Canadian.

 

Ummm... maybe I should have added a sarcasm smiley.

I guess it wasn't that obvious.

You know, exploded view... parts everywhere. Get it?

Yeah, it was lame, I know...

I was just excited cause I finally got all the damn parts I needed.

Does seem like a lot of parts just for a spring/strut install... and it sure was fricking expensive (the Nissan parts cost more than the struts and springs )

I am searching for the actual stuff I need (like how much to cut off the bumpstops).

 

OK, I read a few posts about cutting these... and most people said to remove the bumpstop (as it is supposed to be a seperately molded piece of poly) and cut it in half.

Maybe I am just retarded, but:

a. If this piece is removable then my eye doctor lied to me about having 20/15 vision.

b. Half is dead in the middle of one of those ridges... would it be better to do it on the left or right side (when looking at this picture)? I am assuming the right = green line.

Am I totally missing something?

Edit: I actually measured it... it looks like it might be better to do it on the left side.

 

Aww come on guys... someone has to know?

I want to do this tomorrow, and this is really all I need.

 

mine has 50% cut off. The smaller part was cut off.

 

when you remove the stock stuff, take that apart and observe the order of the parts and how they go on.

 

Nismo is right. It's really very straight forward. Just watch closely how the stock stuff comes apart. I'll give you a few tips.

Front -
Make sure the word OUT which is stamped on the upper spring perch faces out and lines up with the lower flang on the struts. Also take not of the letter F stamped on the top of the strut mount. Make the F face forward so the bolt pattern lines up with the hole up top. Just makes it easier to put the strut back in the car. Be carefull with the strut bearing. It's lubed internally, do not coat the thing with grease!!!!! Also be sure to put it back correctly. If you put it back upside down, kiss it goodbye.

Rear -
Line up the two bolts on the upper mount with the lower bolt hole on the shock. Take note of the alignment when you pull the old stuff out. You'll see....

Good luck!

 

Do it @ a profesianal if you dont know how, no shame, just a couple more dollars waisted, O also if you do osmething wrong your screwed, ut if a pro does it usually they give somekind of warranty

 

I don't many people are even reading this thread.

I was being sarcastic. I have done engine swaps, brake upgrades, custom fab work, axle rebuilds, engine rebuilds, machine work, tuning... you name it. My knowledge goes beyond the bolt on world.

Since no one really answered the one question I asked, I will answer it, so that people searching in the future will know what worked for me.

On the OEM Bumpstop... if you cut the piece off that normally connects to the upper spring seat - you can get the next ridge in the bumpstop to fit snugly in the spot that the part you just cut off fits into. This gives you roughly 3/4" of extra travel, which is about right. This won't work for the back, so I didn't cut that one... I will test it out and see if I need to come up with some solution for that.

Also, I did take the suggestion of using 5/8" Poly hose... and it worked well for me, and seems much sturdier than the OEM stuff I got. When you put it on the spring, spray some WD40 or something similar into the hose and it slides on more easily.

All in all it took me three hours to do the front and the back... and that was with wire wheeling all of the semi-rusty parts.

So far, no noise, and I like the way the car sits... I was developing a sag and this eliminated that as well (Maxspeeds and GR2s). The ride is great and there is a noticeable improvement in handling crispness. Two thumbs up from me!

 

I've got my Maxspeeds and GR2's sitting in the garage.
I'm waiting for my spring compressor (harborfreight) and dustboots/bumpstops (Tirerack) to arrive.

Did you inspect the rest of the parts before you did the install? Is that why you replaced all the other parts (mounts, bearings etc.) or did you just decide to replace it all?

 

I have 140K on my car. I just assumed everything would be trashed.

The irony is, everything was pretty serviceable.

The passenger rear strut was the only one that was really bad... the rest were just worn... for obvious reasons. All the rubber was in good shape except the factory tubing for the springs and the dustboots.

The struts didn't really surprise me... if they had been bad, I would have changed them earlier. What finally got me going on this was the sag I was developing in the back.

I swear if I had taken the upper strut mounts in the front and whiped them off real well, you wouldn't be able to tell they were used by looking at them... I couldn't believe it, especially since I am in the midwest.

 

Hey Entropy, how much did you end up spending the the OEM parts?