Re: suspension picture show extravaganza
On to the fronts..
The top shock nut needs to be removed while the car is still on the ground, those are the black caps under the hood. Crack the lug bolts loose on the ground.
Jack the car up, and remove the plastic belly pan and front wheels.
position a jack under the lower control arm (in a spot where it won't slip!) and compress the spring a little. Remove the two 22mm bolts (with the torx bit on the othe side.. you don't need a torx bit though) and let the jack out slowly. You may need to use a pry bar to guide the Lower control arm out of its mounts. *NOTE: I would not recommend removing the sway bar from its mount. I did on the passenger side, and nothing lined up. It ended up taking over 4 hours to get everything back in line. The driver's side took 30-45 minutes total. *
With the control arm unbolted and the stress off of the spring, the shock can be easily removed. The front shocks must go through the same procedure as the rear, minus trimming the bump stops. The control arm can be pulled down and the spring can be guided out.
Last edited by downwardspiral; Jun 2, 2009 at 10:13 PM.