What did you pay for installation? Self install?

[BloodBlight]

I got a set of Bilstein a while ago and have been looking to install them. I don’t have a garage, and it rains here, a LOT. I have been looking at the sites that show you how to do it your self, and the rears look doable. But it looks like I have to take all of the plastic out of the side and rear of the car to be able to fold the carpet up far enough. This true? Or am I missing a trick? [img]smile.gif[/img] If so, where is the side panels that house the subs clipped/screwed on?

Should I choose to chicken out, what have other people paid to have them installed for them? I find it sad that is looks like the install will cost more than the shocks. :/

Links found so far:
http://www.freewebtown.com/Loochy88/...ockinstall.htm
http://www.freewebtown.com/Loochy88/...ockinstall.htm

[FunkZ]

I did them myself. The rears are a piece of cake. I did not swap the springs and shocks on the front individually. I bought springs/shocks already mounted and ready to go on. There's some pictures on my website.

[BobbyZ72]

The rear most anybody could do in 30 minutes. The drives side front took me about 5 hours to do and it took lots of coursing ;) . The passanger side front took me about one and a half hours to do. If you can find the strut and spring already put together as FUNKZ did, that would make every thing much easyer. It might have been easyer if i put my stock springs back on, but i put new z28 springs and they were much harder to compress. Also you might want to plan on replacing the rubber mount that is above the spring, they are about 60 dollars a pop. Mine was super dry rotted and sturt was rust on.

[BloodBlight]

Thanks guys!

[shenanigans]

if you do it yourself I have do the front first and the rear second... so it seems easy.

[kristen]

i did them myself. twice. frist i did the shocks. and then i decided to lower it later on. my advice to you is if your thinking about doing both but at different times, wait. do them both at the same time. the rears are supper easy.
the fronts are a b!tch. the biggest b!tch is getting the springs off. it's almost worth it to take the shocks off, take them to pep boys by them selfs and ask them to compress the springs and put the new ones on.

you will save alot of time that way. or you can go to autozone and rent the spring conpressor kit. beware it will take a while..

if you need step by step ins. buy a hanies manual. that is my car bible. you would be suprised how much you use it.

[articacid]

you can buy a spring compressor for like 20 bucks.

backs are easy.

fronts arent that bad you just have to get the hang of them. it can be done in a day.

[V6Bob]

There are two reasons to farm out the spring compressor deal.

1. It doesn't cost much (especially when you subtract the cost/rental fee for the tool) and it saves a lot of effort.

2. Using a spring compressor is dangerous. An accident is not unavoidable but if it happens it can be really bad.

[articacid]

Originally posted by V6Bob:

2. Using a spring compressor is dangerous. An accident is not unavoidable but if it happens it can be really bad.

this part is VERY true.

[BobbyZ72]

Originally posted by kristen:
i did them myself. twice. frist i did the shocks. and then i decided to lower it later on. my advice to you is if your thinking about doing both but at different times, wait. do them both at the same time. the rears are supper easy.
the fronts are a b!tch. the biggest b!tch is getting the springs off. it's almost worth it to take the shocks off, take them to pep boys by them selfs and ask them to compress the springs and put the new ones on.

you will save alot of time that way. or you can go to autozone and rent the spring conpressor kit. beware it will take a while..

if you need step by step ins. buy a hanies manual. that is my car bible. you would be suprised how much you use it.

Crap,,, i didnt even think about pepboys...thats what ill do next time.

[Camaro Dom]

i'd take it to pep boys or autozone or even better, a tire shop and let them do it with a wall mounted compressor and air tools. believe me, those things they rent/sell you to compress the springs are dangerous as hell. i had one slip off when i lowered my car and the spring shot off the top of the shock and put a small dent in the brick wall of his garage. not worth the risk. thats the only thing that i would have someone else do, the rest is not that bad.

[BobbyZ72]

Ok this sucks..i just got back from pepboys. My week old brand new strut which i did myself started poping really loud. I thought i didnt do someting right. Since i was not going to devote another full saturday to taking it apart and looking at it i went to pepboys. They took it off and said,,, ummm dude... ive never seen this happen before, but,,,the sturt is depressed and will not come back up. So when this happend it rippend a hole in the upper rubber strut mount. Basicly they put a new sturt and mount. I went back to oraly where i bought this stuff from and got my money back. Over all cost if you have everything pepboys charges you 100 each to install your strut.

[Camaro Dom]

wait, am i reading you correctly? 100 bucks per strut just to mount the spring on there? wow, way rip.

[BobbyZ72]

yes 100 per strut...and this is if you supply all the parts.

[dmw319]

did it myself. 3 hours [img]smile.gif[/img]