Menu
Howto's
Products
Torque Specs
Dynos
Infopics
Part #'s
Links
Contact
About jmX
 Theme: 1 2 3

Rear spring/shock swap

E-mail jmX with corrections

Click here for a printable version

Tools Needed:
- Metric sockets
- 13/16" socket
- Metric wrenches
- 2 jack stands and floor jack
- T40 Torx bit (for 2000+ models)
- Vise grip pliers
- Flat head screwdriver
- Razor blade
Parts you will need:
- 2 Shocks (we use bilsteins)
- 2 Springs (we use an adj height spring kit from ground-control)

Lets begin:

Start out by folding the rear seats down. Next, remove both plastic speaker panels from the rear of the hatch. The drivers side will just un-snap, and the passenger side has 3 plastic flathead-screws that allow it to come off. Disconnect the speaker wire harness from each side and place speaker sail panels away somewhere.
Now you need to start rolling back the carpet that covers the hatch area. If you have a 2000 model or up, you will have child seat hooks which you need to remove. A T-40 torx bit fit mine. You will find that the carpet goes under the remaining plastic panels a bit too much, so I used a razor to cut a bit of the carpet *BEHIND* the plastic panel. This allowed me to pull the carpet out from underneath the plastic and continue rolling it back.
Keep rolling it back until you see the 2 white foam covers covering the top of the shocks. The picture shows how far I pulled the carpet up to get to them.

Chock the front wheels and then go ahead and jack up the rear of the car. Support the car with jackstands on the chassis and then place a floor jack under the rear differential (the "pumpkin"). Raise the jack so its just barely supporting the differential/rear axle. Then remove the rear wheels.
Pull the foam pads off and place a 15 box wrench over the nut. To keep the shaft from spinning, put some vise grip pliers on the flat part of the shock shaft and hold it. Slowly, loosen the nut.
Pull the spring off its perch. It will just be sitting there with no pressure on it since the rear axle is hanging down. Remove the nut holding the bottom of the shock to the axle, and lower the shock out of place. The nut should be 13/16".
Place the provided rubber bushings and washers on the new shock as directed (or just like the stock shocks if yours came with no instructions), and slide the shock shaft up back through the hole and bolt the bottom to the rear axle. Inside the car, put the bushing, washer, and nut back on the shaft and tighten it down. My bilsteins required a hex bit to keep the shaft from spinning. Your shocks may be different.

Now, remove the spring and shock from the other side of the car, and install the new shock just like we did on this side.
Once both new shocks are installed and both springs are removed, we can install the new springs. Move the rubber shoe off your stock springs and put them on the new ones. As you can see, my new springs are much shorter due to the fact that they came with adjustable spring perches. Since my springs were shorter, I jacked up the rear axle about 2 inches. I then placed both springs on their perches (or in my case, put the adjustible perches on the stock perch, and then placed the spring on that). Next I jacked the rear axle up again another inch or two and checked to make sure the springs were going up correctly (they just kinda flop around until load is put on them)....continue jacking/checking until there is load on the springs.
Now the job is 90% done. You can see in the picture on the left how my adjustible setup fits together.

Go ahead and put the rear wheels back on, raise the car by the diff until its unloaded off the jacks, and lower the car down onto the ground. Put your foam shock stud covers back on, fold the carpet back into place, reconnect rear speakers, reinstall sail panels, fold seats back up and you're done!
All content provided on this site is to be used as a suggestion only. Any damage to the vehicle or injury resulting from usage of these materials is 100% the users responsibility. Use of a professional mechanic is suggested if you do not feel comfortable with the instructions. Reproduction of any photography, work or otherwise herein is expressly prohibited without written permission from the publisher
2004 - jmX - All Rights Reserved.