need quick response please

Joined
26 June 2000
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Lauderdale by the Sea, FL, USA
I am about to lower the car..... we have done a couple already..... the question is... When installing the rears, we have removed the four bolts that attach the upper control arm to allow room for the shock assembly to be removed and replaced. However, we were told, not so confidently, by Mark Basch at NSXPO that you did not have to remove these and that the control arm could just swing well out of the way while still bolted.... This would be great considering that these four bolts are the biggest pain in the ass to reinstall of the whole job. Has anyone done this without removing these bolts?.... please help as we would love to know if it can be done. Need to know so we can determine if we have the time to install tonight... as this will most certainly cut an hour or more off the job time.

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Todd Arnold
http://www.geocities.com/nsxcessive/index.html
 
Todd,
I found a great source from someone who has done a few lowerings himself. From what he says you do not have to remove the bolts at all.
FRONTS:
He recommends putting a towel between your chest and the rotor and use your weight to exert enough force to allow the shock to clear the assembly. You will have to push upward on the shock to attain the necessary clearance.

REARS:
More force is necessary to force rotor downward and recommends having a buddy stand on the rotor or use a pry bar to force the control arms downward while you lift out the shock assembly. A tip he gave was to use a spring compressor to take pressure completely off the shock while spring is still on vehicle to make it easier to force shock upward to allow removal.

Attached is a link to his detailed description of the installation procedure.

http://www.nsxsc.com/ubb/Forum17/HTML/000002.html

I just received my Eibach's from Dali Racing and will be doing mine in a week or so. Hope this helps.
Good Luck.
Chris W
 
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.
smile.gif


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).]
 
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