*** DIY *** how to put on coil over sleeves with out a spring compressor.

[90_EX_Civic]

decided to do a quick reference on how to put coil over sleeves on with out using a a spring compressor. will save you $$$$. was pissed off when i figured out how to do this, wasted $50 when i could have done it for free! the car: 91 Si, with koni spss3 shocks on stock springs. switching over to 10k skunk2 coil over sleeves. procedure was done one corner at a time. you'll need a jack stand and jack. plus all the other sockets and wrench's that you will need. the pics: the front as it sits before the project. the red riced out caliper is from the previous owner. it'll be easier in the end if you unbolt the sway bar. loosen up the 17mm nut that holds the fork to the lca. keep the bolt in, just take the nut off. undo the bolt for the upper control arm too, and get that off. a shot from the top and this is the reason why. there are two 10mm bolts that hold down the fuse box. unbolt them and lift the fuse box up. you'll then see the two 17mm nuts for the upper control arm. unbolt those two. it'll be easier later on to move the spring/shock around when this is loose. don't forget to unbolt the brake lines from the shock now comes the fun part. put the jack underneath the lca were the fork to the shock is at. if you notice in the pic, i've already begun to back out the bolt from the shock (quick tap with the hammer). compress the shock with the jack. now go back on top and undo the shock shaft from the top hat. for the koni it was a 19mm wrench and a small 9mm wrench. for a stock shock it's a allen key and a 14mm wrench. you won't have to worry about the spring shooting at you or the shock shaft to shoot down cause it's compressed. once you have the top taken care of slowly lower your lca. (forgot to also add that you will need to drop the upper control arm. i used an extension and a few taps of the hammer and it came down). now the next part is the tricky part. remember that bolt that is still at the bottom of your lca? will if you have it already set up the way i have it (picture below) it won't be that hard to get out. don't use a screw driver cause that'll just get stuck in place of the bolt. find the longest wrench that you have (i used a 32mm wrench). put the box end on the inside of the bolt. use a hammer and smack that bolt out. now if your wondering "won't the fork shoot out at me!?!?" no, cause you have already decompressed the spring when you lowered it. plus if you had unbolted the sway bar like i said earlier your lca should swing all the way down. there should be no binding what so ever. (if there is then you forgot something and this will take a little bit longer to do) if there is no binding then it should look like this. with out the uca in the way you can just swing the shock and spring down and it'll look like this. (notice the uca sitting at the bottom of the spring) how it should look when ready for the the coil over sleeve ( i did take off the metal dust shield) in my haste i forgot to take pictures of the install for the front. so i'll just have to type it. but it's pretty self explanatory. the hard part is out of the way, and if you noticed, i never even took off my axle. just put the coil over on the base plate. put back the 17mm bolt through your fork and lca. use the jack to help bring the shock/spring combo back up. extend your shock shaft if you have to. re assemble the nuts and washer for the top hat. put back together everything else. (torque to spec if necessary) only thing left to do is adjust (that is if you haven't already). the rears are a lot easier then the fronts. for the rear, there are few bolts that you have to worry about. the ones pictured below, and the bolt on the lca for your sway bar(if you don't have one this will be easier) ^^^^ if you have noticed with the above pic i have already taken it out. you don't have to keep the 14mm bolt in the lca. i took it out. jack up the shock like you did the front. then work on the top half of your shock. ^^ after i undid everything. now like the front slowly lower it. sorry for the dark pic. but if you can see it, the spring is down and ready to be taken out. *note, for some reason the rears aren't as compressed as the fronts. you're going to have to stand on the drum brake to get enough angle to get the spring out. then just reverse it to get the coil over on. like the front put the lca bolt back in with the shock. jack it up and tighten the top up. put back the 14mm bolt for the camber arm(think that's what it's called, don't remember) while it's still jacked up (to put it back in easier). how it should look (sorry for the dark shot) hope this clarifies and helps some of you guys on how to do your own coil over swap. oh, and if your wondering, you can do this with stock springs too. it's a little bit harder, little. but that's for later, or you can pm me and ask. a note: will have to edit/add some pictures later on when i work on the car again.

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[nowthatsG]

i wouldnt recommend doing it this way, just do it right, my buddy went and picked up a spring compressor from his local auto shop for $50, did what needed to be done, then took it back, got his $50 bucks back. also you can just network, ask some buddies if they have one you can borrow, i wouldnt do it this way, just my 2 cents

[90_EX_Civic]

Originally Posted by nowthatsG

i wouldnt recommend doing it this way, just do it right, my buddy went and picked up a spring compressor from his local auto shop for $50, did what needed to be done, then took it back, got his $50 bucks back. also you can just network, ask some buddies if they have one you can borrow, i wouldnt do it this way, just my 2 cents

the way it looks from the pics is different from what you might think. and i have tried using a spring compressor. didn't turn out well. one of the clamps slipped and the spring bowed out. lucky the other side held. that's when i was like fauck this and took it to a shop. looked at the car and cursed my self for half assing it and not taking everything that would bind or hold the shock/spring in. hence why i said unbolt the sway bar. that way your lower control arm can swing a full 90*. plus having the upper control arm unbolted helps.

once you get the hang of this, it's shouldn't take more then 2 hrs, tops.

also, this way if it were to shoot out, it would only hit the inside of your fender, and shoot ether straight up or down.

[Jenkinsal2]

the fact remains you can get the proper tool to do this and if used correctly will be safer and faster. The tool rental is free at most places if you leave a deposit so it isn't like this is a huge cost? but i guess if you cant get to the store this will work

[db8db8db8]

Good write up! I dont wanna steal your thread but, for me I left the car as is and did not jack it up. I just loosened up the 14mm nut w/ assistance from the allen wrench and then I proceeded to jack up the car and do the normal unbolting the lca from the knuckle and the fork from the strut etc.... and pretty much everything just fell out! nothing shot out or anything! it worked ok for me.

[Driven]

Some notes:
- Autozone and places like that should be able to provide tool rentals... for free.
- you disassembled way too many things:
Front shocks
1. place car on jack stands
2. wheel wheels
3. unbolt brake lines from shock
4. remove 14mm pinch bolt from rear of shock.
5. remove 17mm shock fork bolt from control arm.
6. place jack under shock fork, put tension on suspension
7. pop hood, remove shock bolt.
8. slowly lower jack, spring and shock will separate.
9. remove 12mm bolts for shock hat.
10. remove shock fork from shock. remove shock and spring from car. done.
11. if you have a super super tall spring, separate ball joint between LCA and knuckle and remove sway bar. this will let the LCA drop.

Rears are even easier.

[Tyson]

seems like a real ass backward way of doing things if you want my opinion.

a whole lot of work when a spring compressor is available free.

id rather have the spring shoot into a wall than do all this work, to be honest.

[Tyson]

Originally Posted by Driven

Some notes:11. if you have a super super tall spring, separate ball joint between LCA and knuckle and remove sway bar. this will let the LCA drop.

not gonna work. the fork is going to get stuck around the axle before it ever comes loose.

otherwise, your method works just fine with any lowering spring.

[1990hondacrx]

whats a spring compressor i have never used one to put lowering springs on any of my hondas

[90_EX_Civic]

Originally Posted by Tyson

not gonna work. the fork is going to get stuck around the axle before it ever comes loose.

otherwise, your method works just fine with any lowering spring.

true. the uca will get caught on the spring.

Originally Posted by Driven

Some notes:
- Autozone and places like that should be able to provide tool rentals... for free.
- you disassembled way too many things:
Front shocks
1. place car on jack stands
2. wheel wheels
3. unbolt brake lines from shock
4. remove 14mm pinch bolt from rear of shock.
5. remove 17mm shock fork bolt from control arm.
6. place jack under shock fork, put tension on suspension
7. pop hood, remove shock bolt.
8. slowly lower jack, spring and shock will separate.
9. remove 12mm bolts for shock hat.
10. remove shock fork from shock. remove shock and spring from car. done.
11. if you have a super super tall spring, separate ball joint between LCA and knuckle and remove sway bar. this will let the LCA drop.

Rears are even easier.

the rears are easier. and you basically just said what i just wrote, unless i didn't explain it right.

the method you did i have tried before. only thing is that it's a pain in the ass to move the spring around the uca. that's why i remove it. same with the sway bar. also with the uca out of the way you don't have to remove the lca. its easier to move the shock/spring around.

another note, you guys don't have to do it this way. i my self just find it easier this way. some may find my method reasonable some might not. it's just something to put on the table for people to see and if they like it, they can try it.

[90_EX_Civic]

Originally Posted by Tyson

seems like a real ass backward way of doing things if you want my opinion.

a whole lot of work when a spring compressor is available free.

id rather have the spring shoot into a wall than do all this work, to be honest.

brave man.

[89dxcivic]

Ass backward method #2
Take off the strut/spring assembly together, lay it flat on the floor with your foot on the spring and impact the top nut off. Shock "shoots" out less than a foot & your done it less than 20 seconds.

[KWayRacing]

Originally Posted by 89dxcivic

Ass backward method #2
Take off the strut/spring assembly together, lay it flat on the floor with your foot on the spring and impact the top nut off. Shock "shoots" out less than a foot & your done it less than 20 seconds.

lol

This and the OP's methods do work but are inherently unsafe and not recommended by any professional. Typically the people who try these methods are less experienced which makes these scenarios even more volatile. No one wants the business end of a quickly decompressing spring. Suspension work, no matter which method you choose, should be treated with caution and safety in mind.

[BiG ChOr!Zo]

http://ef-honda.com/ben/EFlowering.php

[EJ1_Sleeper]

Originally Posted by 89dxcivic

Ass backward method #2
Take off the strut/spring assembly together, lay it flat on the floor with your foot on the spring and impact the top nut off. Shock "shoots" out less than a foot & your done it less than 20 seconds.

i had a friend who was helping me one time, and he was undoing the top shock bolt and it blasted and hit me in the back, that was a wake up call like i never had before lol.

only way ive ever done it haha.

op, you did that shit the hard way. but congrats on at least doing it. Ive got over 20 suspension installs under my belt, 5 being just my own. Shit ive done it just this past week 2 times, and the wheels were still on!

but i remember my first time ever, that shit took forever.

I usually just undo the 14mm holding the fork and shock, undo the 17mm long bolt and pop it out with a screw driver, slide the fork off the shock and off the LCA, then undo the brake line if its bolted on, then undo the top 2 bolts and walla shock is removed. install is the same. dont have to **** with ball joints or any of the arms, and usually the swaybars are no big deal.

[4drEF]

Originally Posted by 89dxcivic

Ass backward method #2
Take off the strut/spring assembly together, lay it flat on the floor with your foot on the spring and impact the top nut off. Shock "shoots" out less than a foot & your done it less than 20 seconds.

I have never done it any other way!
One tweak though - I loosen the nut in the car and then use a manual wrench and not an impact when I'm standing on it.
I also face the nut towards the garage door so when it does shoot off it's easy to find.

[90_EX_Civic]

Originally Posted by EJ1_Sleeper

but i remember my first time ever, that shit took forever.

I usually just undo the 14mm holding the fork and shock, undo the 17mm long bolt and pop it out with a screw driver, slide the fork off the shock and off the LCA, then undo the brake line if its bolted on, then undo the top 2 bolts and walla shock is removed. install is the same. dont have to **** with ball joints or any of the arms, and usually the swaybars are no big deal.

jeez my first time took forever too. but i can do it now in about 2hrs for all corners. i also didn't need to remove the fork cause i was reusing them. would have been different if i wasn't.

i guess i should have added that i don't have a air compressor and no garage. just a gravel drive way that i do my work on, and it's safer then one might think.

true it's technically not safe or professional, but i my self make sure i try to be as safe as i can when doing something like this.

[A-to-the-J]

Originally Posted by nowthatsG

i wouldnt recommend doing it this way, just do it right, my buddy went and picked up a spring compressor from his local auto shop for $50, did what needed to be done, then took it back, got his $50 bucks back. also you can just network, ask some buddies if they have one you can borrow, i wouldnt do it this way, just my 2 cents

word. IIRC, you can rent one from autozone.

[Tyson]

Originally Posted by 90_EX_Civic

jeez my first time took forever too. but i can do it now in about 2hrs for all corners.

it shouldnt take you 2 hrs...

[beansandrice]

I just cover the comlete shock assemble (on floor) with a heavy welding blanket and hit the Nut on the shock hat with the Impact. Easy as Pie and been done since my first civic in 95.

On Honda Civics there is not an insane amount of spring tension. But I guess an Idiot can get hurt