i've got a dilemma...

[03_silver_8g]

okay, my dad and i are having an argument...he thinks you have to be some professional ase certified (no offense to those who are) technician to install shocks/struts w/ springs already on them and that i am going to "screw up my car"...i think otherwise. i want to know if i can do it myself. if anyone has an opinion as to whether or not i can do this, or level of difficulty, that'd be wonderful.

[Equinox]

Replacing shocks, springs can be done fairely easy with the right tools at home. Just make sure you line out your car at a garage after changes.

[qnz]

I didn't know what an intake was when I installed my own suspension. i found a tutorial by Jet Black that stated like 95% of everyhting you need to know. Do a search for it on here.

[03_silver_8g]

i found the tutorial and it looks pretty straight forward. a few nuts and bolts, and i dont have to do any compressing so it should be very easy.

i dunno it just aggravates me that my dad thinks you have to know everything there is to know about a car to do anything to it. but how else are you going to learn except through experience?

[QnzMostWanted]

well u are 15 lol

but besides that, the only way to learn is by doing it, there is no way u can mess it up, its a 1-2-3 install with a complete spring/strut setup....the hardest part is taking out the front stab links

[02redgalant]

I'm gonna do mine soon too,but I was wondering why would we have to get a re alignment?

[dknight3]

you can do it by yourself, the hardest thing is getting the damn rear springs off the shocks. but if you get new rubber things you wont even need to.

[fatal1]

he has them all ready to go from sleeper, the springs are already on the shocks....the front is the hardest part...only because on the front swaybar link the nut spins so you will have to give a few yanks with a breaker bar to get it off, and some wd 40 pb blaster etc and let it soak a bit before trying...everything else is straight forward...just tighten everything as much as you can i believe the front 2 bolts are like 240 lbs so just put all your weight on the breaker bar etc stand on it etc....rear is like 70lbs so just push up as hard as you can when your under the car

although iof you do feel it may ba a little out of your league and or dont have the right tools being that its pretty much bolt on a shop i cant see charging more then like 150 for them

[SLS2000]

Things your are going to need for sure and some suggestions.

Breaker bar or similar to loosen the big bolts up front and the same on the other side to counter the torque.
Hit the stabalizer links with and all bolts and nuts with PB blaster as recommended above.
Get your self a good set of allen wrenches #5mm will be needed to take out the stabalizer links.
If they are rusted out, chizel out the four blue plastic peices on the back of the link then use some force to pop them off. At this point you would need to have a new set of front stab links.
Once you pop it off you can now use a large vise grip to grab the steel ball now sticking out.

Trust me, have new links ready. Our stabalizer links dont seem to last without rust for long. When you get them at the dealer, make sure they sell you a left and a right cause they are different.

Do the front ones first. Some (not all) have experience problems removing the rear shocks from the bottom support.

Last
Pay attention to all your steps and take a alot of pictures. Then when your are done tell your dad how much money you just saved. After you get it aligned of course.

Good luck
Pm if you need help

[4-G-rim]

Removing and installing shocks and struts is pretty basic and straighforward. Now removing and installing the assemblies themselves is a bit more in depth and having the right tools is the safest way to do it.

A spring compressor is a must...you can buy or rent a simple spring compressor, or if you have access to a shop that has the more macdaddy spring compressor for strut/shocks.

I do recommend though before you remove bolts and nuts associated with the strut/shock assemblies to spray some rust penetrant (ie: PB blaster) to help break down rust and provide a easier time to remove the bolt and nuts. Also before you reinstall them apply some anti-seize to the bolts and nuts, this is a preventative measure so the bolt/nuts wont seize up in the future.

[QnzMostWanted]

Removing and installing shocks and struts is pretty basic and straighforward. Now removing and installing the assemblies themselves is a bit more in depth and having the right tools is the safest way to do it.

A spring compressor is a must...you can buy or rent a simple spring compressor, or if you have access to a shop that has the more macdaddy spring compressor for strut/shocks.

I do recommend though before you remove bolts and nuts associated with the strut/shock assemblies to spray some rust penetrant (ie: PB blaster) to help break down rust and provide a easier time to remove the bolt and nuts. Also before you reinstall them apply some anti-seize to the bolts and nuts, this is a preventative measure so the bolt/nuts wont seize up in the future.

he got complete strut/spring assemblies from sleeper, so he wont need to compress anything

[TederickR]

Be sure you have some good spring compressors when you tackle taking the springs off. I did mine this past weekend. Wasn't something i like to do everyday, but I did it. Just be careful with the spring.

[laxinwarrior]

Everything is really straightforward as stated several times. The best advice I can give is have someone handy to help out in case things seem a bit complicated or don't make sense that way you don't mess anything up. (It's really hard to mess things up but two sets of eyes are always better than one) Other than that, yeah the front stabilizer links are a huge PITA, they were the only thing that I had any problem with when installing my shocks.

[tgc8gdanno]

is installing coilovers and different that shocks and springs seperately? what is done differently?

[SleekGTZ]

Back then, I thought about doing it myself, but I'm too old and grumpy to do those things. So let a tuner shop install it for me..... and I only paid $150, but I had to get it aligned afterwards.

If you have the tools, patience, and knowledge (via TGC search), you can certainly install it yourself. It would be great if someone who has experience can help you out. Good luck.

[pinoy724]

If you do this yourself make sure to get an alignment afterwards. When putting new struts on, camber and toe will change especially if your inexperienced. In the shop that I work at, all the car getting new struts/shocks, always get an alignment afterwards. I end up doing the alignments. If you were near St. Louis, I'd do it for you. Good luck on the struts and also PB Blaster is your friend.