steven88

iTrader: (28)

Alright so I've been riding on ksports..and now I'm parting out my car...so I proceed to remove my ksports and all is going well...until I get to the REARS...

everything goes smoothly when I remove both REAR ksports...then I proceed to install the STOCK suspension (already assembled and ready to go)...when i install the drivers side REAR...it goes in fine...but I noticed, the stock assembly is very tall compared to aftermarket...and the holes wouldn't line up becuz of that...well, what I did was, I pushed down the rear beam, and it flexed...that allowed me to quickly put the bolt through and tighten it down...

I go over to the passenger side...everything lines up...again, i have the same problem as the drivers side...the stock suspension is very tall...so in order to line up, I pushed down on the rear beam...I noticed it still wasn't enough to get the bolt through....I kept on trying and trying until I finally gave up...

I noticed when I push down on my PASSENGER side beam, it doesn't flex as much as the DRIVERS side...i'm wondering why it doesn't flex so much? if i can get it to flex a little more slack, I can get the bolt go to through!! I removed the drivers side shock, just to see if that is causing the beam to rise so much...then I go back to the passengers side, and it barely made a difference...still too far

I seriously have to get this project done by Monday night...its on jack stands right now...argh!!! my last resort is to put back my ksport coilover only on the passenger side...just becuz its the only thing that can fit!! somebody please help!

steven88

iTrader: (28)

here is a picture of the stock assembly...its real tall compared to aftermarket springs or coilovers...



sorry for the crappy picture...but the red is what it looks like if I put the stock assembly in place...and the black is where the bolt is suppose to go through...notice the assembly goes too far...i tried pushing down on the beam to line up the holes...but its still not enough...argh

is there any hope!?!?!

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

ummm...do you have the top hat on??? The spring doesn't look compressed and i can't really tell in the pic, but i don't see the top hat..

steven88

iTrader: (28)

yeah i do...the picutre is just for reference...just to show you how large the assembly is...dont worry, i ain't that stupid

my main problem is...what can i do to get the HOLES TO LINE UP? man i just needa insert this bolt and i'm done!! but the assembly is just too freakin tall...wtf

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

Try using spring compressors to shorten the height on the OEM parts, then the angle should line up correctly and you should be able to get everyting re-installed.

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

ok just checking! lol...well if it were me, i would try to stand on top of the rotor on the passenger side before installing the driver's side strut assembly to see if the holes lined up...there's not much you can do besides put enough force on the lower mount to try and get the holes lined up...I think the reason it doesn't flex as much as the driver's side is because the trailing arm on the rear beam (I think that's what it's called!!) is off center toward the passenger side, which gives you less leverage over there...i could be totally wrong but that's my guess....

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

i don't think that would matter, because it's the actual strut that determines the length when the entire assembly is together...when you compress the spring, the top hat doesn't move

EDIT: oh yeah, i just thought about it more, and when the spring compresses you can compress the strut, too...DUH!! The only problem is getting the bulky spring compressors on those tiny springs...

steven88

iTrader: (28)

i thought of this idea as well...and actually tried it out earlier...the thing is, i can only fit one spring compressor cuz theres not enough room to fit another one on the other side...i compressed away anyway...it actually got pretty short (pretty close to lining up)...but i still failed to put the bolt through

Tim, I did have my ksports set pretty low compared to stock...do you think the suspension geometry became "adapted" to my low settings of the ksports? then all of a sudden when I try to change to stock springs, it makes it difficult (and in my case, nearly impossible) to put them on? cuz it SEEMS like this is the case...

right now, my mindset for tomorrow is to slap on the rear passenger ksport...and raising it up real high (equivalent to stock)...and just riding like that to see if everything balances out...what do you guys think?

steven88

iTrader: (28)

agreed about the trailing arm thingy (i noticed its off center towards the passenger side)...but as far as installation...I took both assemblies out...and try installing the passenger side FIRST...still no go...then before that, I had the drivers side in already...then I go to the passenger side, its still the same amount of flex and distance...I don't think it matters which side I work on first, the passenger side just won't go in damnit!!

the problem is, it won't flex enough...if i can just get it to flex like half an inch more, i'm SET!! but freakin how!?!?

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

are you working on this by yourself? if so, I think you should try to get another person to help out...someone needs to stand on top of the rotor with all of their weight while another person inserts the bolt....if you've tried that, I really have no clue...maybe try doing what you said before and riding really high to see if it helps any...maybe somethings binded (bushings?) and won't allow it to flex anymore...the only thing i can think of that would adjust on the rear beam would be the bushings...man, i hope you can get this sorted out by tomorrow...good luck!

steven88

iTrader: (28)

i will try to get someone to help...that whole weight on the rotor thing sounds good...as I'm doing this all by myself (left hand pushing on rotor, right hand putting bolt through)

if all else fails...i'mma be busting the ghetto way...3 OEM, 1 ksport....

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, I remember it was the same way when i was installing my htechs...i was doing it by myself, and it was a real PITA trying to step on that thing and insert the bolt at the same time...Mine wasn't quite as far away as yours was either, so I really think that with another person you could get the job done in a matter of mintues. Good luck, and keep us posted

EDIT: and it's funny you mention the 3 OEM 1 Ksport, because I was riding on 3 htechs and 1 OEM for two days until I could get ahold of an impact wrench to get my last strut off of the car (and it happened to be the rear passenger)

illlojik

iTrader: (2)

It's funny that I've heard mention of the rears being 100x easier to install than the fronts.... B.S if you ask me. Fronts are a piece of cake. This is the main reason I'm sticking with stock rears for my drop. The rears are a reeaal PITA. I used a long metal pipe that was laying about as a lever to "sit" on while I lined up the hole. I had a problem with that smae side too, I soon discovered my problems stemed from putting the jack/jackstands on the suspention beam itself rather than a solid location.

MaxBoost925

iTrader: (33)

That's trippy cuhs. if you had both shocks out, the trailing arm should hang freely.

steven88

iTrader: (28)

it does hang freely...but u have to remember, it still won't line up with my STOCK suspension...i compare the two, and the stock springs are real tall...anybody in here have problems switching from aftermarket, to stock? i mean, does our suspension adapt to the lowered car...then if you wanna go back to stock, u might have a hard team messing with the beam?

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

AFAIK, your coilovers don't/shouldn't affect anything. I'm pretty sure its normal that you need to press the beam down at least a few inches to get the strut assembly on. So if you're doing this alone:

Put the upper studs of the strut assembly through their respective holes first, wedge it in place with something, then get in your trunk and fasten those nuts to hold the strut in place. That way you don't have to worry about keeping that in place while pushing your trailing arm down.

The next thing to do would be to put the lower strut mount bolt into the hole a little so that once you line everything up you don't have to fumble around to pick the bolt up and put it through. Now you just need to figure out the best way to push the trailing arm down and getting a hand free to slide that bolt in when the holes line up.

I've done the rears alone too and this is probably one of the hardest things, but you should be able to figure it out.

illlojik

iTrader: (2)

If possible, try using a jack underneath the shock to help compress and hold it some. I recall doing this, it helped alot.

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

Good luck Steven. Let us know how it turns out. Some good suggestions here.

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

I know this may sound stupid, but how is the car jacked up and from where? Where are the jack stands placed? Is the jack removed completely from the bottom of the car?

Kevlo911

iTrader: (36)

I had to get someone to step on the rotor/stud for it to go low enough. And this was with Stech/Illuminas.

steven88

iTrader: (28)

its jacked up from the sides....the two rear sides...

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

Make sure to torque down the top nut to FSM specs. The overall length of the rear assembly should fit in with a slight nudge downwards on the rear beam.

Its it off by alot, try measuring how far off it is

steven88

iTrader: (28)

i actually did what puppetmaster told me to...by inserting the assembly through the top...then using a jack to hold it in place...and crawling into the trunk to tighten those nuts...this is always how i've done my suspension...but its still no luck

the nuts are pretty much torqued to spec...i maxed out how much thread can go through the trunk by jacking it up...i'm sure it can't get any shorter than this..

i would say...i need about half an inch more to get the holes to line up...this is with me pushing down the rotor...if i don't push down...and just line it up, then its about 1 inch?

jeepik

iTrader: (2)

trick i used to put shocks on my jeep


get a tie down strap (with a heavy duty clicker mechanism

tie it around the beam and sub frame assemby, then tighten to where you need the beam to be and put shock int

i hope that makes sense

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

That doesn't sound off specs in anyway.

This should help hopefully:
1. torque down to FSM specs
2. puppetmaster technique: insert assembly into top, tighten down the two flanged nuts
3. Insert the bottom bolt into shock and align to the welded nut
4. place a cloth at the bottom of the strut and place the jack there.
5. pump slowly a few times to compress the assembly
6. press down with one hand on the beam while the other holding the bolt
7. slide in and hand tighten
8. torque to FSM specs

It will work everytime because you don't need to compress it much. I usually use the stock OEM jack to do this.

steven88

iTrader: (28)

thanks for the tip...unfortunately, i assembled everything back together using my ksports...i couldn't take any chances....i HAD to get my car up and running by this evening...but anyway, I'll save this thread and use it for future reference...thanks ya'll..

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

you de-modded and sold everything off the car?

steven88

iTrader: (28)

pretty much....only thing left is the SSRs and these ksports...if i could've gotten these bishes off in one try...then the ksports would be sold by now

oh larry, i wanted to ask you about the first step in the list of procedures that you showed me...i didn't fully understand

1. torque down to FSM specs

are you talking about the top hat?

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

I would help, but since you only asked for drklop and puppetmaster, I guess you don't want me to
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anyhow, it's likely the bushing in the trailing arm. If it's an OEM bushing, it's rubber and has probably shifted with the car lowered. They DON'T shift easily, as a poly bushing would.

IMO it's going to simply take sheer strength/weight to shift the bushing back around. You might want to think about loosening the trailing arm bolts to allow the bushing to "unwind" so to say....

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

Nut for the top hat and the 2 flanged nuts per side. Yep!

steven88

iTrader: (28)

LOL...naw if you check the suspension brakes forum..you'll find i made a thread specifically for you

you know, i agree with you on the first paragraph...it SEEMS as though the suspension has "shifted" to a LOWERED maxima...most rear aftermarket springs would lower 1-1.5 inch...i was over 2 inches....possibly 2.5....thats quite a big drop compared to a stock spring assembly...

good idea about the loosening the bolts to the bushing...i'll keep that in mind next time...hopefully loosening the bushing would allow more play in the beam...that way i can line it up easier

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

so wait, you put the car back together already?? man you could have this done by now! I would do what irish said and loosen the bolts for the bushings, then have someone else step on the rotor to apply enough force for you to lign it up and insert the bolt...you might not even have to loosen the bushings if you have another person, but it would be a good thing to get them untwisted...

steven88

iTrader: (28)

haha i know i know...but honestly, i didn't wanna take any chances...theres actually more drama that i didn't mention in this thread...and i was fed up so it's not as easy for me, just to go and do it...

SuperStasiu

iTrader: (3)

Just get some fat kid to stand on that sshhh for you

steven88

iTrader: (28)

LOL, i'll get someone to help me next time...hopefully someone fat...so they can step on my rotor to flex the beam...hopefully they won't accidently bend the dust shield....scrapping noise FTL!

The Law

iTrader: (39)

ask grant to help you andrew lol.....the beam wont flex at all, it prob wouldnt even move if grant stepped on it lol

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

on the just-weigh-it-down-until-it-fits suggestion. It's just being a biotch.

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

like i said, no need to find a fat kid to step on the beam. The stock jack can move the suspension to where you like it and then you can easily insert the bolt by hand

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

the only thing i would be worried about is if the jack were to slip off, the spring might depress really quickly and it could result in injury....I'm telling you all you need is an extra person...It makes it much easier because they can acutally put all of their strength (or weight) into it rather than trying to multitask ligning up the holes and putting a bolt through it....

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

You are not compressing the spring.

The only need to move the entire assembly 0.5"-1" at most. Nothing is going to come shooting off, there is enough slack in the suspension assembly. I do this on all customer's cars with no problem. If you use another person that they are exerting too much force and slip, that's more likely to hurt you than anything else. And you don't want to mess up that one bolt at the bottom also