Installing Lift Kit

[TBNewbie]

I have installed many sets of lowering springs in cars without using a spring compressor. Just jack up the car, diconect the sway bar, let the strut droop, place a jack under it remove the main strut nut and let the jack down. Works like a charm and doesnt mess up the allignment but it was alwasy with lowering springs. I am wondering if it would be possible to do the same with marks new lift kit I would think if I disco the upper ball joint the lower arm should swing low enough to accomidate the lift. let me know if I am missing something as I havent actually had the suspension appart yet just been looking at it.

[navigator]

our springs are compressed in order to mount the struts, they will need to be compressed more in order to mount a 3 inch spacer and strut.

[bartonmd]

I think technically, it COULD be done, but we've got a bit of an offset moment on our strut, from the way it's mounted to the lower control arm, so I'm not sure how that would work out when you put the weight on it to compress the spring...

FWIW, taking out strut/coilover off doesn't affect alignment, because we have upper and lower control arms (and the "strut" is really more of a "coilover damper," since it's not a Macpherson strut like you're probably used to)... Because of the lift, though, you will still have to get an alignment, as our control arms aren't the same length, so the geometry will change, somewhat...

Mike

[v7guy]

It'd be awful tough to get the shock arm mounted to the a arm and then get the spacer and spring wedged in the mount. If possible at all. You might be able to release it that way but I don't think you could get it back in that way.
With my 89 springs they had to be compressed 5 or 6 inches and the coils were so close i had to use a prybar to get the spring compresser arms out. There is a lot of preload on the springs. Ibruised my hand from turning the ratchet to crank the spring compressor. You have to work pretty hard to get them compressed enough. I also had to get some good leverage on the a arm to even get the shock arm to mount on the a arm.

I've swapped springs on probably a dozen vehicles over the years using those manual spring compressors and this was the most challenging by far.

[v7guy]

here's a picture to show how much the springs have to compress.

[TBNewbie]

Thanks that's really why I needed to know. Seeing how much compression it takes I don't think I will try it that way.

[Flying Monkey]

And compressed coil springs are nothing to play with. Especially fronts. Can be a bad day really fast if you dont pay attention to what your doing and do it right.