1G Koni Struts/GC coilovers

[Anthony Boni]

Hello all!

I'm trying to install my Koni suspension and Ground Control coilovers on my 92 eagle talon. The front Koni suspension is for a 1G, while the rear is for a 2G because the rear 1G Koni rear struts are discontinued.

The first picture is the instructions given to me from Ground Control. Provided is a spring isolator, and a red cup washer. At the very top of the page, above the spring isolator, there is supposed to be a steel ring. After calling Ground Control wondering where the ring was in the kit, they notified me it is a stock component that is transferred over to the Koni unit. Can anyone confirm this? I've no idea what steel ring they are talking about.

In the first image, you'll notice I installed the perch onto the strut and installed my bump stop. The instructions state to cut the stock bump stop in half and use the top portion, so that's what I did. It fits very loosely though, normal?

The second Image is the same as the first, now with the spring installed.

The third image is the same as the second, now with the spring isolator installed.

The fourth image is the same as the third, now with the supplied red cup installed. I had to drill out the center of the red cup to make it fit onto the Koni strut. The hole was maybe a 1/4". To make it fit, it needed to be around 7/16". My assumption is because I ordered GC coilovers for 1G front AND rear koni struts. When the reality is I have 1G front Konis and 2G rear Konis. Perhaps that red cup only fits 1G rear Konis, and I had to modify it to make it fit the 2G rear struts.

The fifth image is the rear upper mount. It is not the one I will be using, just an example of what is actually on my car right now.

The sixth image is just resting the top hat on the red cup washer seen in the fourth image. There is nothing in between the red cup washer and the upper mount, just as the instructions imply.

The seventh image is me installing it the way i think it is supposed to go? The instructions only say "stock upper mount", so I am unsure what bushings go here, or if I am missing something? It also says to discard the stock dust boot, but in the image shows a dust boot being employed. I AM CONFUSION!

And finally, the eighth image what it looks like with the rear strut/coilover completely installed.

I could really use someone to point me in the right direction. What am I missing? What steel ring is it talking about? Why did I have to drill the red cup washer to fit?

Thanks,
Anthony.

 

[GPLaserRS]

For starters I would definitely still run a dust boot, so either reuse your old one or buy a fresh set. Next, I just pulled my stock rear shocks apart to do some refreshing and I can assure you there was no steel ring between my spring and the mount so I don't know where they are getting that from. Even looking at your "fifth" image you can see the indentation from the rubber isolator on the oem spring so I think you're good to go.

When fully assembled and preloaded is there any slop? If not, I think you shouldn't have any issues.

 

[Dhan]

It's been a few years since I've had the Koni/GC setup on my car but I still have the parts for you to reference. Mine are the actual 1g rear shocks, but those 2g shocks look pretty similar. I included a photo of one of my old rear shocks assembled exactly how it was on the car, an exploded view of all the parts in order (minus the bump stop and dust boot cause they're on the car with a different setup right now), and a photo of the FSM page that shows the rear suspension in case you don't have the manual.

I'm not sure what metal washer is being referenced either. Maybe part number 3 on the diagram from the FSM I posted? I see you do have that part though. Do you have part number 7 and 8 (upper bushing B and collar)? I don't see them in the photo but I might have missed it cause I'm on my phone. If you have everything in the photo, you should be good to go. Mount it up!

I didn't have to drill out the red cup. It fit loosely on the shock. Maybe the 2g shock is a larger diameter than the 1g. If you have a caliper, you can take a quick measurement. The inner diameter of my red cup was .47" and the outer diameter of my 1g shock was .39"

I agree with GP about the dust boot too. I remember I had to shorten mine a bit to make it work with the GC/Koni setup. I'd have that included in the photos to show how it looks but it's like 25* and the Talon is buried in snow

 

[Anthony Boni]

Hey guys, so I found out what was wrong. So the “steel rings” GC is referring to is the stock spring retainer. I also accidentally threw away the lower rubber bushing that sits below the mounting plate. I found it in my trash . I’ll take pictures and measurements of the red cup when I get back home. I’ll be back on the 14th. Took leave to Virginia to visit family. Thanks for the help!! I’ll update this as soon as I get pics!

 

[Anthony Boni]

Sup guys,

Quick update until I get back on the car after work today. I’ve got it for the most part figured out. However, I don’t think those stock steel spring retainers are supposed to be installed on the rears like you see in the pictures here. Looking back at @dhan’s exploded image of the rear suspension, it doesn’t show a steel ring in the illustration. So I’m going to remove the steel ring and see how it looks/feels.

 

[Anthony Boni]

Last update if anyone is interested. I removed these steel plates you see in this picture and lowered the car on top of the struts. With the plates removed, the spring moved freely installed on the coil. Once weight was applied, the strut was lowered on top of the spring. Fits perfectly. Lowered the car about an inch or so. I’ll be re-removing the struts to install dust covers. Just making sure they fit correctly.

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