M
Mustangcwo
Guest
The installation of lowering springs is usually pretty straight forward; however the installation of the OEM springs is not nearly as easy. If you are going from lowering springs back to stock springs please be prepared to use spring compressors or use the removal of the A-Arm approach.
Tools Needed
1. Two Jack stands (tall ones)
2. Torque Wrench (not needed but should be used)
3. Hydraulic Jack
4. Crow Bar
5. Zip ties or wire/string
6. A friend to help at times if possible
7. Ratchets
8. Metric Socket Set 10mm-23mm
9. Breaker Bar
10. Air tools help, but are not needed
1. The rear spring installation is much simpler compared to the front. Begin by breaking the rear lug nuts loose on the rear rims. Now jack the rear of the car up by placing the jack under the “pumpkin” on the rear end after you have placed something in front of the front wheels. This is to keep the car from rolling forward while you have the car raised up. Place the items in front of the front tires before you raise the car off of the ground.
2. Once the car is raised off of the ground place the jack stands on the car’s torque boxes. These are located on the frame in front of where the lower control arms bolt to the frame of the car. The lower control arm goes from the rear end of the car to the frame of the car. Factory control arms are “U” shaped and have rubber bushings at each end. Raise the jack stands up a couple of notches so you will have plenty of room to work on the rear end. The rear axle will be pushed toward the ground a good bit so the higher up the car is the better; however do not raise the car so high it is unsafe. Take note of how the pigtails on the rear springs face. The pigtails are on the bottom end of the spring where the spring sits on the lower control arm. If you look at the rear spring you will see that the bottom coil is not nearly as large as the others, it gets much smaller. The end of this last coil is the pigtail. Mark how the end of the spring is facing so you place the new spring in exactly as the stock spring is.
3. Lower the car onto the jack stands. Let the jack come all of the way down so the rear end is hanging free. Now place the jack back under the “pumpkin” and raise the rear end only slightly, one inch will probably be fine. This will allow the removal of the shocks from the rear end. Remove the shock bolts. Hold one end of the shock bolt with a wrench or an ratchet and use another wrench or ratchet to remove the bolt. Once the nut is off of the shock slide the shock bolt out. If the shock bolt does not slide out with a little taping or pulling raise/lower the rear end to find the bolts “sweet spot”. Repeat this for the other shock bolt. Finally, pull both shocks back a little bit out of the shock mounts and lower the rear end. The rear end should come down much more than before.
4. Once the rear end is hanging free and both shocks have been removed from the rear end move the jack to one end of the rear axle. Place the jack under the rear end mount where the lower control arm meets the rear end. Raise the jack, this will raise one end of the rear axle and lower the other end of the rear axle. Continue to raise the jack until the other end of the rear axle does not come any lower, it will eventually start to raise back up so watch for this. If you have ABS on your vehicle you may have to remove the rear brake calipers and the rear caliper bracket. When you put the rear brake calipers back on you usually need a special tool to decompress the rear caliper’s piston so it will slide back onto the rotor so be prepared for this. If the ABS wiring has enough slack in it you may be able to leave the caliper in place.
5. You should now be able to remove the rear sping. Have a friend push down on the rear axle, on the side of the spring you are trying to remove. YOu should be able to twist the rear spring and remove it. Remove the rear isolator from the top of the rear spring and make sure the bottom isolator is still sitting on the lower control arm perch.
6. Repeat this for the other side of the vehicle, now you should have both rear springs removed.
7. Begin by raising one end of the rear end with the jack by placing the jack under the lower control arms mounting position on the rear axle. Raise the rear end up until the other end of the rear axle has droped as low as it will go.
8. Once you have one end of the rear axle as low as it can go slide the top isolator into the top rear spring socket on the vehicle and make sure the bottom isolator is on the lower control arm.
9. If the top isolator will not stay in place hold it in place and slide the spring on the bottom mount, on the lower control arm, and get a friend to push down on the rear axle as you slide the top of the spring into its top mount. Once the spring is back in its top and bottom mounts make sure the pigtail is facing the same as the stock springs are. If you want the maximum rear drop you may face the pigtail so that the flat end of the pigtail, where the spring was cut off, faces to the passenger side.
10. Repeat this for the other side of the rear axle. After this you should have both springs installed.
11. Raise the rear end up with the jack by placing the jack under the “pumpki” and place the shocks back onto the rear end. Slide the shock bolts back though the shock mounts and shocks. Tighten the shock bolts snug, they do not require alot of torque.
12. If you removed the rear calipers to access the ABS sensor then replace these items. The torque specifications for the rear caliper should be 65-75 ftlbs.
13. Inspect the spring to make sure its sitting in its mounts correctl. If the caliper was removed make sure it is torqued correctly. and the ABS sensor bracket is on correctly and tight.
14. Place the rims back on the rear axle and place the lug nuts on hand tight.
Now you are done with the rear spring installation.
After 20-25 miles
***Inspect all bolts on the vehicle you removed to make sure they are still tight (check aginst manufacturer specifications). This includes the wheel’s lug nuts.***
15. Remove the jack stands and lower the car. Finish by tightening the rear lug nuts to 95 ftlbs.
Tools Needed
1. Two Jack stands (tall ones)
2. Torque Wrench (not needed but should be used)
3. Hydraulic Jack
4. Crow Bar
5. Zip ties or wire/string
6. A friend to help at times if possible
7. Ratchets
8. Metric Socket Set 10mm-23mm
9. Breaker Bar
10. Air tools help, but are not needed
1. The rear spring installation is much simpler compared to the front. Begin by breaking the rear lug nuts loose on the rear rims. Now jack the rear of the car up by placing the jack under the “pumpkin” on the rear end after you have placed something in front of the front wheels. This is to keep the car from rolling forward while you have the car raised up. Place the items in front of the front tires before you raise the car off of the ground.
2. Once the car is raised off of the ground place the jack stands on the car’s torque boxes. These are located on the frame in front of where the lower control arms bolt to the frame of the car. The lower control arm goes from the rear end of the car to the frame of the car. Factory control arms are “U” shaped and have rubber bushings at each end. Raise the jack stands up a couple of notches so you will have plenty of room to work on the rear end. The rear axle will be pushed toward the ground a good bit so the higher up the car is the better; however do not raise the car so high it is unsafe. Take note of how the pigtails on the rear springs face. The pigtails are on the bottom end of the spring where the spring sits on the lower control arm. If you look at the rear spring you will see that the bottom coil is not nearly as large as the others, it gets much smaller. The end of this last coil is the pigtail. Mark how the end of the spring is facing so you place the new spring in exactly as the stock spring is.
3. Lower the car onto the jack stands. Let the jack come all of the way down so the rear end is hanging free. Now place the jack back under the “pumpkin” and raise the rear end only slightly, one inch will probably be fine. This will allow the removal of the shocks from the rear end. Remove the shock bolts. Hold one end of the shock bolt with a wrench or an ratchet and use another wrench or ratchet to remove the bolt. Once the nut is off of the shock slide the shock bolt out. If the shock bolt does not slide out with a little taping or pulling raise/lower the rear end to find the bolts “sweet spot”. Repeat this for the other shock bolt. Finally, pull both shocks back a little bit out of the shock mounts and lower the rear end. The rear end should come down much more than before.
4. Once the rear end is hanging free and both shocks have been removed from the rear end move the jack to one end of the rear axle. Place the jack under the rear end mount where the lower control arm meets the rear end. Raise the jack, this will raise one end of the rear axle and lower the other end of the rear axle. Continue to raise the jack until the other end of the rear axle does not come any lower, it will eventually start to raise back up so watch for this. If you have ABS on your vehicle you may have to remove the rear brake calipers and the rear caliper bracket. When you put the rear brake calipers back on you usually need a special tool to decompress the rear caliper’s piston so it will slide back onto the rotor so be prepared for this. If the ABS wiring has enough slack in it you may be able to leave the caliper in place.
5. You should now be able to remove the rear sping. Have a friend push down on the rear axle, on the side of the spring you are trying to remove. YOu should be able to twist the rear spring and remove it. Remove the rear isolator from the top of the rear spring and make sure the bottom isolator is still sitting on the lower control arm perch.
6. Repeat this for the other side of the vehicle, now you should have both rear springs removed.
7. Begin by raising one end of the rear end with the jack by placing the jack under the lower control arms mounting position on the rear axle. Raise the rear end up until the other end of the rear axle has droped as low as it will go.
8. Once you have one end of the rear axle as low as it can go slide the top isolator into the top rear spring socket on the vehicle and make sure the bottom isolator is on the lower control arm.
9. If the top isolator will not stay in place hold it in place and slide the spring on the bottom mount, on the lower control arm, and get a friend to push down on the rear axle as you slide the top of the spring into its top mount. Once the spring is back in its top and bottom mounts make sure the pigtail is facing the same as the stock springs are. If you want the maximum rear drop you may face the pigtail so that the flat end of the pigtail, where the spring was cut off, faces to the passenger side.
10. Repeat this for the other side of the rear axle. After this you should have both springs installed.
11. Raise the rear end up with the jack by placing the jack under the “pumpki” and place the shocks back onto the rear end. Slide the shock bolts back though the shock mounts and shocks. Tighten the shock bolts snug, they do not require alot of torque.
12. If you removed the rear calipers to access the ABS sensor then replace these items. The torque specifications for the rear caliper should be 65-75 ftlbs.
13. Inspect the spring to make sure its sitting in its mounts correctl. If the caliper was removed make sure it is torqued correctly. and the ABS sensor bracket is on correctly and tight.
14. Place the rims back on the rear axle and place the lug nuts on hand tight.
Now you are done with the rear spring installation.
After 20-25 miles
***Inspect all bolts on the vehicle you removed to make sure they are still tight (check aginst manufacturer specifications). This includes the wheel’s lug nuts.***
15. Remove the jack stands and lower the car. Finish by tightening the rear lug nuts to 95 ftlbs.
