yogi

wow, super glue? That's a new one...next time try a MAGNET. I hope you didn't remove the entire sway bar, just the endlinks...nothing blocks them.

Anyway, good job, I guess

S2k_fever

Interesting, I did my coilovers without removing the swaybar. Front and Back took me about 5 hours to do. Most of the time was spent on the drivers side rear shock which was a pain in the butt getting to because of the fuel pipe.

yellafeva

Yeah, magnet was the first thing I tried, but I didn't have one strong enough. This little well is hidden, so I had to bend my finger to touch the nut. In order for a strong magnet to work, it would have to bend to get to the nut. But super glue worked wonderfully.

I did remove the sway bar, not just the endlinks. Wasn't that what you guys advised me to do? When I just removed the endlinks, the sway bar was in the way when I tried to line up the shock's holes to the control arm's holes. After I removed the sway bar, it was pretty straightforward.

As for the upper mounts blocked by the fuel lines, I found it to be pretty simple to work around it, without removing the fuel lines at all. I just had an extended wrench that reached the nuts. Just don't lose the nuts into that little well.

I could do the whole thing again in 1-2 hours. Anyway, thanks for all the advice, guys! Here's a non-gay kiss:

yogi

For most aftermarket coilovers, you don't need to remove the sway bar to install since they are usually shorter than the stock shock body.

No yella, just the endlinks...sway bar doesn't get in the way of anything, I think you have parts mixed up?

Non-gay kiss? How about a handshake...heh

alexf20c

No super glue is gettin' on either my tool or my nuts!

stingerbtry

Same here. Also if you jack up both sides in the rear there is no need to remove the sway bar. I saw that in a writeup before I did mine and it worked perfectly. It took me about 2 hours but at least one of those was spent on the drivers side rear reinstallation. You shouldn't have to remove any sway bars or disconnect and ball joints to do the installation if you do it right.

FF2Skip

I've changed my springs/coilovers twice and have done four other S's. Yes, the first time took forever, so don't feel bad. I had never done any such thing before. I was going from the garage to the computer to the garage to the computer to the ...... That being said, there is no reason to disconnect the endlink for the rear swaybar.

There are two ways to skin the cat without disconnecting stuff you don't need to- both were tips I found on the board. The first is to use a bar/pipe to pry the rear suspension downward. This is difficult to do with just one person. Lining up the holes and trying to insert the lower shock mount bolt is tricky by onesself. A spouse can easily handle helping to start the bolt in. This is the quicker of the two.

The second method for the rear is completely self-reliant. After getting the assembly to the point where it's in, but will not line up, put the tire back on. Take your scissor jack and place it between the top of the tire and the tire well. Make sure the car is in gear and e-brake engaged. Also ensure that the jack is centered on the top of the tire. Open the jack until you have the bolt holes lined up. You will not do any damage to the wheel well or the tire. NEVER TRY THIS ON THE FRONT. Don't know why you would, but I thought I'd better throw that out there. This method requires no one but yourself. As stingerbtry mentioned, both both sides off the ground and secured by jackstands. If you're super concerned with safety, you can block the front tires, but I never do.

Lastly, yes, you can remove the nuts from the driver's side rear without removing the filler tube. I just find it much easier to remove 3 nuts and one bolt, none of which are torqued down, and remove the the filler tube. I secure the tube out of the way by tying it off to the trunk spring via speaker wire. This makes the task much more pleasant. Or maybe I just like taking ish apart.

rlaifatt

Good write-up FF2Skip. Only things I could add having done this at least 6 times also are
- disconnecting a swaybar endlink should make forcing down the lower arm easier as you won't be forcing down both sides at the same time (when all connected).
- Using a piece of wood or bar (about 3-4 feet long) to pry down the lower arm (place bar under frame and over caliper/rotor) makes it very easy for one person to do and is safer than the jack method (which I used to do but was always concerned that the jack might slip)
- I don't remove the gas filler tube but use two 2-1/2 inch (or 2" ?? can't recall) socket extensions joined together, a deep socket, and just press back against the rubber boot. After fully loosening but before removing the nuts, I insert a socket magnet (Sears) in the socket so it will hold the nut and prevent it from falling in the crevice. If this happens, I found taping a piece of magnet to a zip-tie is a good tool to reach the nut (guess how I found out ). Using an air-ratchet wrench also makes it a lot easier and faster as you don't have to be cranking in a tight space.

Took forever the first time, but now I can do a rear corner in about 15 minutes.

yogi

Were you putting back in the stock springs, or aftermarket springs/coilovers? The stock ones (I think) are a biotch to get back in without prying or putting significant weight one, that's why I disconnect the rear sway bar, not remove it. It's just one nut (well, okay two for both sides).

rlaifatt

Actually, just one nut. Disconnecting one side allows both sides to move independently.