I tried to replace my stock springs with H-sports springs and it turned out real bad. Couldn't get the swaybar endlink to come off. So I gave up, again. Did most of you do the install yourself or bring it to a Shop. If you did the install yourself, could you give some pointers? if you brought it to a shop, how much for installation? Thanks.

 

A shop can charge $200 per axle and higher. Please get with a friend who has experience with a spring compressor, as a spring under tension can kill. I say that without hyperbole.

 

Fellow nam member ZAMIRZ did a spring install at a meet a while back, shoot him a PM.
:smile:

Or you can give peter from M7 a call, he knows everything about the mini

 

I started the project with the driver front side. From Randy's how-to, it seems like the toughest one. I couldn't get the hub carrier off the strut. Is it supposed to come off clear of the strut or does it stay on at the bottom? And the swaybar link was angled very awkward so I could not remove it from the bolt.

Anyone know of a good shop in Orlando, Fl?

 

A buddy and I did mine. Is the hub carrier that big bracket on the bottom? If so yeah that was kind of a pain but my friend was able to get it by wiggling back and forth (I tend to just try and muscle it). The reverse got it back in. Spring compressors are not too challenging to use but there is not a lot of room to worh with on the stock springs as the coils are pretty tight. The only other difficult part was getting that nut off of the top of the strut. The old, spark plug socket and allen wrench worked ok but this time I did need to muscle it as it was on pretty tight and I had my friend support the thing while I went ot town on that bad boy. If you dont have a trusted friend to help then a shop might be your best bet. Oh and unless you know exactly what your doing, I would double the time estimates quoted by Randy (he is just too good).

Following your progress a little, I too did the short shifter and suspension in successive weekends. Now I'm all out of parts and itchin for something else to do on my mini.

Good luck

Chuck

 

I did with ScottG, PM him on isses, he has put several in, the drivers side is a pain, but the others seemed to be pretty quick, its easyer with two people, one holds while the other work the air gun.. yep that helps too. we printed out Randys instructions on the how to, good base to follow. we used one of those spring clamp things, kind of rented it from autozone, then took it back when we were done, its not that expensive, but unless your going to do lots of these its not worth it..

 

One tip to make the front easier, use a ratcheting tie down straps (2 without the hooks) to compress the spring. I used a floor jack to compress the spring and then put the tie down strap on. When I lowered the jack the strut stayed compressed and made it easier to remove the lower hub carrier. Randys instructions are very good but one thing not mentioned is that on the rear spring the washer has a tapered side to the hole that must be installed down to match the taper on the shock. Good luck.
Dan

 

>>Who did their own installation of springs?

===>Answer: Certainly not me . Today, I'd just have to put back my stock springs, rear sway bar, & intake as well as get a set of stock rims to autocross in H-Stock BUT I simply can't do it. Love the mods. Love the mods

 

Erik, STS for you then. Get some 15x8 rims with stick Azeni, should be more fun that H Stock.

 

If you are having problems getting the swaybar endlink disconnected, is there any chance that you only have one side of the car jacked up or still have the wheel mounted on the passenger side? If so that puts a load through the sway bar (which is what is designed to do of course) that will bind up that bolt.

To disconnect a sway bar (front or rear) you need to have that whole end of the car off the ground and remove BOTH wheels so there is no tension on the swaybar. I suppose some cars will allow you to disconnect the links with the wheels on, but the key is to be in the same state (wheel off or on) on both sides.

Scott
90SM

 

^^^I have to say ==> NAM is truly killing my pocketbook

 

If you follow the instructions carefully via Randy or others, it is not too bad to do. I loaded the instructs in my laptop and took it to a friend's professional garage. I've seen what happens when homemade spring compressors let go and it ain't pretty if there is any organic material in the way. The other benefit of a real garage is using a lift for access rather than a jack and stands. Can't say what the cost is. The guys at the garage haven't billed me, although I asked them what they wanted. I did give them some good stories and Belgian-style ale, however.

Persevere, the H-Sport springs and tubular rear sawy bar are worth the effort.

 

>>If you are having problems getting the swaybar endlink disconnected, is there any chance that you only have one side of the car jacked up or still have the wheel mounted on the passenger side? If so that puts a load through the sway bar (which is what is designed to do of course) that will bind up that bolt.
>>
>>To disconnect a sway bar (front or rear) you need to have that whole end of the car off the ground and remove BOTH wheels so there is no tension on the swaybar. I suppose some cars will allow you to disconnect the links with the wheels on, but the key is to be in the same state (wheel off or on) on both sides.
>>
>>Scott
>>90SM

sadales, you are just the life savior. You were correct with your assumption of me having only one side jacked up and the passenger side wheel still attached. Now I know what the problem is. A few more questions: Is the hub carrier supposed to come loose of the strut when pushed down? And what are the extra bushings sent with the springs supposed to do? Thanks.

 

(loud, authoritative voice) MiniPoo! Drop the tools and step away from the car!

 

Yes yes yes, I did the spring install myself (with help from Peter from M7 for the rears and my friend Tony for the fronts). I'll start off by saying you don't need a spring compressor, just someone fairly strong to stand over the assembly and give a hard push down onto the strut until you get the nut started on the top of the strut assembly. 2nd, take your time when removing the front swaybar linkage, it can be stubborn and it's a little tricky when coming off because you need to hold the balljoint in place with an allen wrench and turn the nut with a crescent wrench. The good thing about doing all this is that 1 side takes about twice as much time as the other. I did the passenger side first and then the driver's side and it took me an hour and a half on the right front and right rear each, but only about 45 minutes on each of the left side. Anyway, let me know if you have any more questions.

 

The instructions that came with the springs tell you what to do with the bushings (you did read the instructions didn't you?).

 

>>The instructions that came with the springs tell you what to do with the bushings (you did read the instructions didn't you?). Okay I will attempt it again with my friend right now. Thanks guys. Wish me luck. I'll post pictures if I am suscessful or more questions if im not. Cheers.

 

Help!!! I got the front passenger strut loose but the driver's side is still logded in. How do I get it out?! Cheers!

 

I did my springs 2 weeks ago. I had access to a large spring compressor, made all the difference in the world. The springs are short, especially the fronts, which make it difficult to get the compressor on them. As far as getting the sway bar links off, you need a ratcheting wrench along with an allen wrench to hold the center while you unscrew the nut. This is similar to how you release the spring keepers on the top of the shocks.
The process is not difficult but tedius and time consuming. If you don't mind coming to Sarasota, I have a Tech that can install them 4 U. He'll charge you around 200-250 to install all 4.
I'm getting ready to install a Pulley and, depending how it goes, May also start doing those in Sarasota also.
you can email me @ cfoley15@netzero.com if you are interested.

 

The axis of the strut must be on the same line as the axis of the bore through the hub where it mounts. This is a fairly tight fit so if there is any corrosion or debris it can bind things up a bit. Try wiggling and lifting the hub to get things aligned. Push down again and rock it side to side, again trying to get things lined up straight. if you have the strut angled in the hole it isn't going to want to come out or go back in.

If it is still resisting, try tapping the hup downward with a rubber mallet. Don't beat the snot out of the hub with a metal hammer though.

The driver's side hub has to drop a bit further to get it off the strut, but it will work. You do not need the spring compressors to get the strut assembly into or out of the car.

A couple of other comments;

The rears are easier to deal with.

If you have to really force something then something is wrong.

DO NOT play games with the springs. They are captured by the top mount which is held in place by the very top nut in the center of the mount on top of the shock rod. You must have spring compressors properly in place when that nut comes loose. There is some serious energy pent up in the compressed coils and you can be severely injured. The good news is the shorter springs may not require a spring compressor to get the top mount reinstalled. Try just pushing down with your body weight on the top mount. Again, this is with the short springs, NOT when removing the stock ones!

Good luck and be careful. If you don't have the proper tools or are not VERY sure you know how to use them then enlist some professional help. A couple hundred bucks is not worth getting your self or someone else hurt over.

Scott
90SM

 

I don't know how I got away with it...but I removed the top strut nut first before the three capture nuts. Nothing much happened. I realized my mistake after removing the complete assembly. DOH

Second mistake...had to redo the whole thing when I forgot to install the new bump stop....DOH

I'm an expert now

 

The spring install is turning out to be hell - for me at least. I finally got the driver's side strut out, but now I can't get the strut bolt off the damn thing. Had three people working in unison to try to unbolt that little bastard, but the thing would not budge. I guess I'll look into an impact wrench or something because I read somewhere that it helped tremendously. What were your methods of getting the strut bolt off?

 

I installed my springs on new years eve. Something I haven't heard anyone mention is that there are wrench flats on the swaybar link. I don't remember the size, but the wrench will carefully squeeze between the rubber boot and the swaybar or bracket depending on the side you remove. It was hell removing with the first one using the allen wrench but a breaze with the open end wrench!

 

We're testing my memory now, as it has been a year since the stock springs and shocks were on my car.

You will need to keep the strut shaft from spinning in order to get the top nut off. Just take a careful look at the top of the shaft and the top nut and I think you'll find a way, though you might need to run to Sears or someplace to get the right size combination wrench. I've messed with too many other setups since then to recall the combination of wrenches and/or sockets, but basically there is a flat or hex at the top of the shaft that you can use to hold it still while you turn the top nut.

The other think to keep in mind is that you really, really, REALLY don't want to scratch the surface of the strut shaft where it will be going into and out of the strut body as it compresses and extends. It will ruin your strut seals (and strut) very quickly.

Scott
90SM