Suspension Installation

[wasted3g]

Yes, I am a newb. Yes, I did search the other forums for help. I am buying a 97 GST with a rebuilt engine and transmission. The car has roughly 130,000 on the body and is in need of new suspension. I plan to buy a Eibach Pro-Kit Lowering Springs, KYB GR-2 Gas Shocks and Struts, and a Eibach Rear Alignment Kits. I intend to do the installation myself but after 10 years in the Army the only thing I have worked on is military vehicles so I only have only a small bit of knowledge. Can someone please give me a list of necessary tools and some direction? I appreciate the help.

 

[jtmcinder]

Metric sockets and wrenches and a spring compressor.

Oh, and about 3 cans of PB'laster.

Note: owning a ratcheting 14mm and a ratcheting 17mm wrench is almost a must for a DSM owner. Will save you hours in the end.

 

[goodbuds]

if the car has rust.. good luck, but don't give up.. go do it at your local military hobbie shop.
the rear takes about 10 minutes to un-install and the front will be about about 10 minutes also on a lift,
same time on install. the time consuming part will be compressing the new springs onto the new shocks, and if you don't get new top hats you will have to take apart the old one's.
even if your missing all the fingers on your left hand it should not take longer than 1 afternoon.

 

[wasted3g]

Thank you for the info

where do i find new "Top hats?" I wanna make the swap as seamless as possible

 

[chinexican]

+1 on the ratcheting wrenches. They're a godsend.

 

[jtmcinder]

Even if he buys new hats, he'll need a spring compressor to put the ProKits on the GR-2s, so what do the new hats get him? With a spring compressor, he can re-use the old hats.

The only reasons to get new hats are (a) the old ones are broken and (b) if he wants to take the springs, shocks, and hats to someone else to put together and then take the assembled coilovers home to put on the car. I suppose he might want to do that, but he hasn't said so.

To the OP: sorry about talking about you in the third person in your thread; I hate it when people do that to me at parties. "I'm standing right here, you idjits!" I am tempted to say to them. More often, however, since I'm passive-aggressive, I wait until they are deep in conversation and then put something nasty in their drinks.

 

[knochgoon24]

And you can save yourself some money and just get bolts and washers for a rear alignment kit.

You'll need:
(4) M10x1.25x30mm bolts. Try and find some 10.9 grade. 8.8 "should" be enough, but why not spend a couple extra bucks for the 10.9.
(24+) M10 washers I think I actually bought a box of 7/16" washers instead since the local store wanted 4x more for metric washers. SAE ones will be closer in thickness from one washer to the next, but I found combos that got me the same height stacks.

Then you just use the washers to space out the upper control arm.

Rear 2G Camber Kit Install

 

[jtmcinder]

Agreed. The only reason to buy an eccentric-bolt rear camber kit is that your local alignment place won't do it using washers.

Note: you must get an alignment after installing the new suspension. Try to find a place that will do an out-of-spec alignment on purpose. Ask for zero front toe and tell them not to worry about the extra negative camber (which they can't do anything about, anyway). Tell them you want only a small amount of rear toe-in and to put the rear camber at half the front camber.

Do a search and read up on flipping the compression-arm bushing to equalize the front caster. You might decide that this is worth; you might not. But it's another issue with these cars.

 

[wasted3g]

Thanks for all the information gentlemen.

 

[goodbuds]

yeah i know he did'int need the hats but i thoght maybe he was a baller, sence he sead he was doing everything new. if not i would have sent him to home depot fot the bolts and washers. thats what im running, you dont need new top hats most auto parts stores will lend you the spring compressors. you need to pay a deposit.