I'm sure that I mentioned wanting to make Skiddy lower...
Tax return came in, and this is what I got for Skiddy - coilovers!
They have a 90 day warranty, and you can buy an additional year for $100
Got them from speedyracer.com - I spoke to the guys over the phone, and I was impressed with their great attitude and obvious knowledge of the product. The dude I spoke to, who answered the phone, gave me the spring rates off the top of his head (then I heard him clicking and explaining that he was double-checking himself!). I was also pleased to learn that the company (warehouse?) is located in Elk Grove Village, IL - about an hour and a half from my house now - I got my start in HVAC in that town! Shipping was FREE and I got my stuff in UNDER 24 HOURS!!!
So, down to business. I started in the front. Separated the old stuff from the lower fork (not sure about the name, it reaches around the CV axle) and took it off the lower arm for clearance. Unbolted the tops, nice and easy. Pulled the old and did a side - by - side:
Nice. You can just see the new brake line clips in the bottom of the pic above. Then I slipped the new baby in place and tied her to her fork at the bottom and bolted the top tight (shouldn't forget to mention picking that part of the suspension up with the jack to "pre-tension" bushings before tightening is always a good idea
) That blue looks so beautifully wrong against the cream
That's about all it takes to do the front (air tools help)! Here's a before and after of the front while still on jackstands.
Before:
After:
Then, it's on to the back. The tops came out (just under the new seaker pods out back) without a fight. The hard part was getting the old bottom bolts out. They were seized into the sleeves on the bushings at the lower control arms. I had to CUT the mounting "arms" off the bottoms of the old shocks to get them out, and after lots of fighting - the bolts still weren't coming off.
I didn't have this problem when I lowered the Minion, because I bought new lower control arms. I cut the shocks off and threw the old LCA's away. I must have forgotten. Totally screwed myself.
Feeling defeated, I called every local auto parts store (even DUMBOZONE) to learn that NOBODY had lower control arms on the shelf (loves them OLD SKOOL rides
). Then I decided that the damn bolts would have to be pressed out. Back into the garage!
The new plan was to use my ball-joint press to push the bolts out of the lower control arm bushings. I got the bolt to move, and hit it with "love juice", and worked it back and forth a few times with the press, and was finally able to punch it out! (with my new plan of attack, the other side was a breeze! This is a good trick I won't soon forget)...
So, this is the evil piece of siezed up nastiness that held me up for EVER...
And this is the Evil hole that looks so benign now.....
Finally able to bolt the rears in place from the top and close the rear hatch...
Went to the hardware store for new bolts for the bottom (somebody must have cut them or something) This is the new plan. Strongest bolt that size (metric - weird strength grade number). Lock washers and double nut on the bolt...
That's why the bottom looks like this now...
That makes front and back done! Let's take a looksie:
This is a pic from before I got Skiddy, and then I tried to show the same part of the car today...
SEXINESS!! I LOVE YOU, SKIDDY!!!!!!
I've only taken her around the block once, and it was glorious! I won't consider comparing it to the 25 year old suspension that was. Giggity.
Thanks,
Victor
Today
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but look, this thread is Skidmark's repair history! Everything documented and filed away for future reference. It's an open book. A very well detailed book.. .
