Lowering spring install tips from a shadetree mechanic

[Stephen12ZL1]

I just installed the Eibach spring pro kit on my car. It sits great now and the ride is fine too. I have a few tips and tricks for people that the instructions conveniently leave out. I did this in my driveway with no lift and two floor jacks. Overall, the front springs are way easier to change than the rears. I will start with the front springs since they are easiest. You need a 24 mm socket and adjustable wrench preferably with an air impact to loosen the strut bolts. Also have an 18 mm open end ratcheting wrench with a 8mm open end wrench for the sway bar top link which attaches to the spring assembly. Remove the wheel speed sensor wire and 10 mm nut where the brake line attaches to the strut. Make sure the car is jacked by the body preferably at the pinch weld with a jack pad. Use the second floor jack to take pressure off of the strut and spring assembly before removing the sway bar top link. After the sway bar top link is removed, you can take the pressure off of the strut and spring assembly. Then, remove the 24 mm strut bolts and associated nuts. Then go under the hood and remove the 24mm top nut and the whole assembly can be removed. Swap out the old spring with the new spring paying careful attention to the clocking of the springs in the mount. Reinstall just as you removed everything. Use the second floor jack to compress the spring assembly then reattach the top swaybar mount. The rear is much more involved because of the magnetic ride wire that has to be depinned. The top part of the spring assembly is held with 4 15mm bolts one of which cannot be removed with a socket wrench easily. Use a 15 mm ratcheting wrench in this location. The shock mount bolt is 21 mm and the lower control arm bolt which needs to be removed is 18 mm. The swaybar link has a 15 mm nut on top and a 15 mm head on the lower part of the control arm. Once the car is raised using the pinch weld, use your second floor jack to take pressure off of the assembly so it is not hanging free because the control arm is under a lot of spring pressure. Remove the swaybar link first so that pressure is relieved. Next, remove the top 15 mm bolts holding the spring assembly to the body. Lower the floor jack then remove the 21 mm shock retaining nut and lower control arm 18 mm bolt and nut. Make sure to disconnect the weather pack connector at the top of the shock and also remove the magnetic ride sensor from the frame which is held with a single 10 mm nut. Remove the entire assembly and proceed to the most difficult part of this whole procedure. The wires going to the magnetic shocks must be unpinned from the weather pack connector in order to remove the top nut of the spring assembly. Look into the connector and you will see a purple secondary retainer. You must remove this first which isn't easy. I used a small pic and a thin pair of long reach needle nose pliers to remove the purple connector. Getting the pins to release from the weather pack connector after this purple connector is removed was not the easiest thing either. One of the posts from vendor suggested using a depinning tool for removal of the pins which I found to be impossible. The release for the weatherpack pins is up and over a little plastic shelf so I used a bent paperclip to release the pin for removal. Good luck using the release tool which is perfectly straight. All of this after the black plastic elbow is removed of course. Reinstall everything as you removed and make sure you pay attention where the new spring is clocked. Here are a few pics which may help. I also did this procedure solo and it was no problem.

[Stephen12ZL1]

tools...look at paper clip

[Stephen12ZL1]

Car on jacks. I actually have 3 floor jacks.

[Stephen12ZL1]

depinned connector wires

[Stephen12ZL1]

After

[nxttruck2002]

We just installed BMR 1.25" drop on my ZL1. (see my recent thread)

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261203


P.S. Holy shit did you go to school?! Grammar, punctuation, and paragraphs go a long way. This is a big blob...

Let me fix it for you....

I just installed the Eibach spring pro kit on my car. It sits great now and the ride is fine too. I have a few tips and tricks for people that the instructions conveniently leave out. I did this in my driveway with no lift and two floor jacks.

Front:

Overall, the front springs are way easier to change than the rears. I will start with the front springs since they are easiest. You need a 24 mm socket and adjustable wrench preferably with an air impact to loosen the strut bolts. Also have an 18 mm open end ratcheting wrench with a 8mm open end wrench for the sway bar top link which attaches to the spring assembly. Remove the wheel speed sensor wire and 10 mm nut where the brake line attaches to the strut. Make sure the car is jacked by the body preferably at the pinch weld with a jack pad. Use the second floor jack to take pressure off of the strut and spring assembly before removing the sway bar top link. After the sway bar top link is removed, you can take the pressure off of the strut and spring assembly. Then, remove the 24 mm strut bolts and associated nuts. Then go under the hood and remove the 24mm top nut and the whole assembly can be removed. Swap out the old spring with the new spring paying careful attention to the clocking of the springs in the mount. Reinstall just as you removed everything. Use the second floor jack to compress the spring assembly then reattach the top swaybar mount.

REAR:

The rear is much more involved because of the magnetic ride wire that has to be depinned. The top part of the spring assembly is held with 4 15mm bolts one of which cannot be removed with a socket wrench easily. Use a 15 mm ratcheting wrench in this location. The shock mount bolt is 21 mm and the lower control arm bolt which needs to be removed is 18 mm. The swaybar link has a 15 mm nut on top and a 15 mm head on the lower part of the control arm. Once the car is raised using the pinch weld, use your second floor jack to take pressure off of the assembly so it is not hanging free because the control arm is under a lot of spring pressure. Remove the swaybar link first so that pressure is relieved.

Next, remove the top 15 mm bolts holding the spring assembly to the body. Lower the floor jack then remove the 21 mm shock retaining nut and lower control arm 18 mm bolt and nut. Make sure to disconnect the weather pack connector at the top of the shock and also remove the magnetic ride sensor from the frame which is held with a single 10 mm nut. Remove the entire assembly and proceed to the most difficult part of this whole procedure. The wires going to the magnetic shocks must be unpinned from the weather pack connector in order to remove the top nut of the spring assembly. Look into the connector and you will see a purple secondary retainer. You must remove this first which isn't easy. I used a small pic and a thin pair of long reach needle nose pliers to remove the purple connector. Getting the pins to release from the weather pack connector after this purple connector is removed was not the easiest thing either. One of the posts from vendor suggested using a depinning tool for removal of the pins which I found to be impossible. The release for the weatherpack pins is up and over a little plastic shelf so I used a bent paperclip to release the pin for removal. Good luck using the release tool which is perfectly straight. All of this after the black plastic elbow is removed of course.

Reinstall everything as you removed and make sure you pay attention where the new spring is clocked. Here are a few pics which may help. I also did this procedure solo and it was no problem.

[Smittty]

Good write up Stephen. Guess we will be doing mine next. Lol

[hognutz]

I went to school at yardale where a I had a 4.0 grade average and there I learned to tell the grammar police the following.

b e
l oving
o pen
w ith
m y
e motions


ha ha.

PS I am just bored and having fun.

[Stephen12ZL1]

Originally Posted by nxttruck2002

We just installed BMR 1.25" drop on my ZL1. (see my recent thread)

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261203


P.S. Holy shit did you go to school?! Grammar, punctuation, and paragraphs go a long way. This is a big blob...

Let me fix it for you....

Thanks for fixing my "blob". I was tired and had to release my information before I flushed it. P.S. I doubt you have been to a higher level of education than me...sorry if my post wasn't up to your standards. Your post was very helpful; however, I felt it omitted some minor tidbits necessary to depin the weatherpack connector.

[Stephen12ZL1]

Originally Posted by hognutz

I went to school at yardale where a I had a 4.0 grade average and there I learned to tell the grammar police the following.

b e
l oving
o pen
w ith
m y
e motions


ha ha.

PS I am just bored and having fun.

Thanks Hognutz. Wow...I didn't consider the "grammar police" invading my post, but I do see my errors. How many posts does Mr. Police have here...107 big ones??

[charlietuna]

Originally Posted by hognutz

I went to school at yardale where a I had a 4.0 grade average and there I learned to tell the grammar police the following.

b e
l oving
o pen
w ith
m y
e motions


ha ha.

PS I am just bored and having fun.

This is fantastic.

[jessrayo]

Nice Stephen! I'm most curious if this makes any difference in your 60 foot times. I would have done it long ago but I can barely get my car on and off a trailer now... and my spoiler already scrapes on the end of my driveway....

[white ZL1]

Originally Posted by Stephen12ZL1

Thanks Hognutz. Wow...I didn't consider the "grammar police" invading my post, but I do see my errors. How many posts does Mr. Police have here...107 big ones??

Does that make him an undercover grammar cop?

[Stephen12ZL1]

Originally Posted by jessrayo

Nice Stephen! I'm most curious if this makes any difference in your 60 foot times. I would have done it long ago but I can barely get my car on and off a trailer now... and my spoiler already scrapes on the end of my driveway....

Unfortunately, I would guess that my 60' may suffer because the new springs may affect weight transfer. Of course, I will run soon when time & weather permits.