Installing shocks and lowering springs

[vtec wht]

For all you Techs on here! how hard is it to do? I haven't researched anything yet on the other site. On a scale of 1 through 10 how difficult is this? Thanks guys!! BTW it's IRS in the rear...:aaron:

[grumps91GT]

how will the scale work? 1 being easy and 10 being hard?? Or vise-versa??


Some basic shop tools and a air compressor should put you towards the midpoint since you are a novice at this.

[vtec wht]

1 being easiest 10 being the hardest. My buddy said it took him like 5 hours to do the whole spring install on his 03 cobra!

[grumps91GT]

Shouldn't be too hard if you know what you are doing. I've done both my previous SRA stangs before and planning on doing bilsteins/H&R's on the mach soon. Not sure how the IRS set up would be, but it doesnt look too bad.

the only pain in the arse would be the top nuts for the struts/shocks. Those would be best zapped out with an impact gun. Or unless you had Nick's arms!!! LOL

[vtec wht]

Thats the exact step up I will be having 03 blisten shocks and H&R sport spings! I will be looking this up on SVTP also but if anyone has personal experience with this let me know! if not I guess GTR is just a phone call away! But I would love to work on my own car better!

[Nicksbluestang]

I would help you swap them out as soon as i do Alexis mach juan. Just need to find the time tho since i am very busy. =/

[dmark101]

Shouldn't be too hard if you know what you are doing. I've done both my previous SRA stangs before and planning on doing bilsteins/H&R's on the mach soon. Not sure how the IRS set up would be, but it doesnt look too bad.

the only pain in the arse would be the top nuts for the struts/shocks. Those would be best zapped out with an impact gun. Or unless you had Nick's arms!!! LOL
did mine with hand tools TYVM. :steve:


it wasn't that difficult, but doing the rear was more of a PITA with all the stuff back there. it helps if you have the right spring compressor too. trying to do this with a macpherson spring compressor [aka the outside one] doesn't leave much, if any room to get in there.

[reivaxtorres]

really? i found the fronts to be the harder ones than the rear ones. i did the IRS swap and then installed the h&r sport springs on my car

how i did the front:

remove wheel, remove caliper, unbolt strut, remove tie rod, remove swaybar link. have a jack to support the control arm while you unbolt everything. once everything is unbolted, slowly lower the jack as far as it will go, and then move the jack. with your foot, push the control arm as far as it will go, and you should be able to pull the stock spring out. to put the new one in, you step on the control arm again, and it should just slide in.

for the rear, the way i did it was that i unbolted the driveshaft from the diff, and then just lowered the rear of the IRS. place jack under diff to support, unbolt rear of the subframe, and lower slowly. once its low enough, springs will just fall out. install new springs and lift IRS, and then retorque the subframe. cant remember if i had to unbolt the calipers or not, i think mine had enough play with the lines to not need to unbolt them, but my car does not have stock brake lines.

[Blanco32v]

the top nut on the strut is extreamly easy. Just kinda a pita but youll figure it oout. Just gotta hold the top of the strut with a vice grip or something and spin the nut with the other hand. Soak them both the day prior. I tried it once and almost gave up. So i said fugit and sprayed them with some wd40. Tried again the next day and it all went smooth as silk

Rear shocks are SUPER easy. Its almost a joke.

Front springs are easy. once the strut is unbolted from the a-arm the a-arm will drop. Just put some weight on the arm and pull the spring out. I usually tie a rope to the spring and yank it out.

Rear springs are also easy just different (hence the reason i couldnt do it at first on my IRS). Its almost the same as a live axle. Two bolts are undone and the IRS pretty much drops leaving the springs there to bounce right out :cheers: Wish i knew this before i had mark put them in, lol.

Good luck man! Dont let those strut bolts on the strut tower beat you up. Like i said, soak them up in wd40 the day before....a lot. YOu NEED to hold the top of the strut inplace with some grips as the whole strut will just spin with the nut. Dont forget that :cheers:

[dmark101]

really? i found the fronts to be the harder ones than the rear ones. i did the IRS swap and then installed the h&r sport springs on my car

how i did the front:

remove wheel, remove caliper, unbolt strut, remove tie rod, remove swaybar link. have a jack to support the control arm while you unbolt everything. once everything is unbolted, slowly lower the jack as far as it will go, and then move the jack. with your foot, push the control arm as far as it will go, and you should be able to pull the stock spring out. to put the new one in, you step on the control arm again, and it should just slide in.

for the rear, the way i did it was that i unbolted the driveshaft from the diff, and then just lowered the rear of the IRS. place jack under diff to support, unbolt rear of the subframe, and lower slowly. once its low enough, springs will just fall out. install new springs and lift IRS, and then retorque the subframe. cant remember if i had to unbolt the calipers or not, i think mine had enough play with the lines to not need to unbolt them, but my car does not have stock brake lines.
i didn't drop the IRS, but i was able to use my spring compressor to get them out of there. took a little bit longer than i would have liked, but if there is a next time, that's exactly what i'm going to do since it looks easier to drop it. ;)

[Blind]

I think it's very easy, pull the lower shock bolts, pull the calipers and stuff them up behind the shocks, and drop the IRS using the bolts on the upper mount cradle area with a jack under the pumpkin makes it very easy to do the springs, just have a helper with you to make sure they springs stay lined up when you jack it back up.

It took me 1.5 hours to swap the springs, front struts, and install 4 bolt MM c/c plates in the front of the `97. That was on jackstands in my driveway with air tools.

I do not recommend using a spring compressor on these cars.

In the front I pull the swaybar endlinks, pull the calipers and stuff them up behind the struts, pull the lower strut bolts, lower the a-arm down with a jack under the balljoint area, stand on it with my foot if it's the stock springs, and use a prybar to lever the lower part of the spring out of the cup, lowering springs just fall out and you can throw the new ones in, just be careful to mind the lower coil of the spring so that it lines up with the 2 dots in the front control arms, and with the molded in stopper in the rear. Once the spring is in the front just raise the jack until you can install the lower strut bolts through the spindle, put everything else back together, make sure the brake hose isn't twisted and will clear the tires.

[vtec wht]

I just did the Shocks:cheers: It was alot easier than I thought....but my buddy from down the street was here guiding me! It was more difficult to remove the padding from the trunk! Any 99-01 guys here! Get some used Blistens and like NIKE just do it!Just took it out for a spin right now! It seems that the Shocks seem to help out with the wheel hop a bit! I just need to get some struts and some CC plates and I'll be good :D:enorbit3: