Spring installation

[AZv6camaro]

Who here has installed there springs them self? how hard is it to do and is there a sigh out there with detailed instruction? I know you have to have an alignment done afterwards but i would like to save 150 dollars and do the intall my self. thanks for any info
peace.

[MississippiMaro]

Just my 2 cents...do not attempt this install unless you can be without your car for up to a few days and have a friend that can help you. I just finished my first front shock install and it was a PITA. It was one thing after another. Some people have a lot of success their first time with this install and others like me have to spend 3 days on it. If your shocks are shot and have been on the car for a while it will be a pain because there are key parts of the assembly that rust very easily and are impossible to disassemble without a hacksaw. The GM spring compressors will help a lot. I used the strut compressor loaned out by autozone. They are not designed for camaro springs, and are really hard to use compared to the GM counterpart. I hope this helps, and i'm not trying to discourage you, because doing your own mechanic work is the most gratifying feeling in the world when you get your car back together. However if you read on a website that it's only a couple of hours per side, that's if you've done it before. Plan on at least a day if you haven't done it before. Hope this helps...sorry about the long post

[AZv6camaro]

kool man, well when i attempt it ill prolly make a weekend of it and have a friend or two help me out. im just wondering if theres certain tools like the spring compressor u where talking about that i need and where i could get them at. i think i could do but it would take some time. Is there a place that instructions for doing this?

[Dominic]

www.ls1info.com has a spring install guide thats really good. However for springs I would at least have the fronts done professionally, the rears are cake but also are cheap to have done... You won't save much by just having the fronts done, but you might can save a little [img]smile.gif[/img] .

[V6Bob]

Another possibilty for farming out part of the work is to pull the spring/shock units and let a pro swap the springs. You don't have to rent a spring compressor, it should be cheap (if the shop doesn't have a minimum charge), and this bit, in my opinion, is the most dangerous part of the job.

As others have indicated, even pulling and reinstalling the front units is not easy, especially if you haven't done front end work before.

[MississippiMaro]

If you don't have the cash to get the GM Spring compressors, AutoZone will loan out a strut compressor...don't get the SPRING comressor as this is for another type of spring and not as safe as the strut compressor. The strut compressor will have two threded rods with two clamp looking devices per rod. These have safety pins which make it easier to compress the spring without fear of it popping out. These can be laoned out for a $40 dollar deposit from autozone. when you bring the tool back, they give you all your cash back. So the too is free to use, you just have to front the 40 bucks to loan it out. These can be used for the camaro/firbird, however it is worth the $$$ if you have it to get the GM compressors. Email me if you have questions, i will be happy to help....this is fresh in my mind because I just did this 3 weeks ago. one more thing, if you use the strut compressors from autozone, the threaed rod will bend inward when you compress the spring, when i first did this i was worried as hell, but then i found out that it's normal, so expect that when you compress your springs. and only turn the compression nut 2 turns per side alternating sides when compressing and uncompressing. hope this helps

[Predator Bird]

my friend and i did mine, it took about 5 hours total. he knew what he was doing so i trusted him to do it for me. we got my front springs installed w/o a compressor. if you have new shocks to go w/ your springs it will be pretty easy. have 2 really heavy people stand on a strong table, put your spring on the strut like it should and put it on a car jack. jack it up into the table untill your able to thread the bolts to tighten them down. we also took off the old springs from the old struts w/o a compressor, if you need to know how to do that, let me know.

[Red V6 Raider]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Predator Bird:
have 2 really heavy people stand on a strong table, put your spring on the strut like it should and put it on a car jack. jack it up into the table untill your able to thread the bolts to tighten them down. we also took off the old springs from the old struts w/o a compressor, if you need to know how to do that, let me know.<hr></blockquote>

I would not suggest this. That deosn't sound like the smartest thing to do.

[MississippiMaro]

Agreed...I would not go through that much trouble when a tool designed for that job is free to use and available at an auto parts store.

Besides it's murphy's law that if that shock comes flying out from under that table, it will inevitably hit you in the one place you don't want to be hit...and i'll leave it at that. :cool:

[Backfire]

I have posted this before, but would add it again. For the price it will cost you to have someone do the work to remove and replace your shocks/springs, you can buy a decent set of tools and jack/stands. If you take the time to learn, you will be able to do many things in the future with your tools. I purchased mine when I needed to replace the shocks. The tools have already paid for themselves two or three time over in less than a year and half. Just my experience.

If your car is old, or you live in an area where alot of salt is used, be prepared for a nasty mess on the upper shock bolt. I couldn't tell where the nut stopped and the isolater began. Just a rusty mess. Had to soak it in PB Blaster over night and have a shop use an impact gun to get it off. When I replaced them, I covered that area with grease to hopefully keep the water away. We will see in a few years I guess.

Always take caution when using spring compressors. I have used the autozone piece a number of times without any trouble, but I am always careful of where the spring is pointing, etc. You are talking about alot of energy stored when they are compressed. Serious injuries can happen. A guy at the shop I had the upper nuts broken loose, said a friend of his pretty much had his face taken off when a spring slipped out of one of the wall mounted compressors that shops have. Not something to take lightly, or jump on a table to remove [img]graemlins/thumbsdown.gif[/img] .

And as far as the alignment, are you lowering? If you are simply replacing originals, I don't think an alignment is necessary. The way the upper arm and shock are mounted to the car, there isn't any play to change the mounting position. So the alignment shouldn't change. If you lower it, then obviously you need to have it checked.

[ August 15, 2002: Message edited by: Backfire ]</p>

[93v6firebird]

if you want to do springs yourself, dont stand on a table, dont rent an elephant to sit down on a lever...just go to autozone and borrow a spring compressor, its cheap