I just installed my Eibach's last night and here are some of the things I came across.
FRONTS:
You'll to remove the four 10mm bolts holding the speed cable sensor in order to allow the bottom of the shock to clear the lower mount. While pushing down with your chest (use a towel for padding) on the rotor force the shock upward a little, pull toward you, and then swing shock toward rear of vehicle until it hangs freely. TIP. Leave one of the upper mounting nuts attached (loose) to prevent the strut assembly from falling down in case you let go of the shock. Once free just reach up and remove the nut while holding the shock and you're home free.
REARS:
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO REMOVE THE FOUR UPPER CONTROL ARM BOLTS.
It will help to completely remove the sway bar. It's one less thing to get in your way and it takes less than 5 minutes to do.
There is a lot more force applied to the rear assembly and it will help to have a buddy for this part. While a buddy is standing on the rotor you will have to slide the shock assembly towards the rear of the vehicle and it will now hang freely. Fortunately I did not have to use the prying method to lift the shock out of the lower mount. I was UNABLE to get a spring compressor to mount properly on the coil while it was still installed on the vehicle but I realized that it could be removed without the use of it. Since I did all of this WITHOUT a buddy I had to position a flat pry bar between the shock and the upper control arm and while standing on the rotor (I held on to the lip of the engine compartment) leaned back and with one good bounce on the rotor was able to pry the shock out towards the rear of the vehicle with the other hand. This is where that one nut left attached on top will pay off to keep the shock from hitting the floor.
I rented a spring compressor at a local parts shop for $40.00 and when I returned the compressors I got my deposit back. So it's like renting them for free and I highly recommend using them to remove the old springs. You will not need to use the compressors to install the new springs since they are shorter. All I had to do was stand the shock assembly upright on the ground and push down from the top until there was enough thread showing to attach the center nut. (One person job) Hardly any pressure was needed to do this.
Istalling the springs back on the vehicle was a piece of cake since, of course, the springs are now shorter. The only tough part is lining up the lower mounting hole of the shock to the bracket that holds the lower part of the shock in place, but not a difficult task. Just push down on the rotor a little until the bolt pushes through. I made sure to use RED Loctite on all mounting nuts to make sure they won't come loose.
I can't believe how much smoother my car rides with these new springs. Less vibration over the bumps and much less body roll around the corners. (Maybe I don't need those sway bars after all.) I would highly recommend the Eibach Pro-Kit to anyone considering this modification. Looks are incredible. No more unsightly wheel gap.
Hope this helps. Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you have any further questions.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 08 February 2001).]
