I just got my front camber kit in yesterday..... Does any one know where there is a good thread at that explains how to install them and has pictures because i looked around and couldnt find anything. thanks

 

A couple of bolts and a castle nut.

 

you dont have to take the tie rods off right ? pretty sure u dont but thats what i heard. and Do i need to use a ball joint press if my upper ball joint snapped from my steering knuckle ?

 

You should mention stuff like snapped parts in the first post. You can use a press or something they call a pickle fork and a hammer.

 

Well depending on what type/brand you bought you might have to separate your upper ball joint but usually all you would have to do is smack the side of it with a hammer to pop it out and remove the two nuts under your hood by your shock mount

 

First off you need to post what camber kit you bought. There are bout 10 different styles of camber kits for the front of this car...







etc...

 

Wait for it.....

 

i bought skunk2 pro series camber kit plus front sorry bought that

 

Okay, you will need to rent a tool set from Autozone called the 5-piece front end service set. Inside you will find a tool called a tie-rod lifter. You can also buy this tool from Amazon for about $21:




This tool is used to separate the upper ball joint from steering knuckle once you take off the cotter pin and castle nut. If the ball joint stud doesn't pop right out as you tighten the tool, go ahead and remove it and try again. Don't over-tighten it cause it can crush ball-joint stud (this is bad if you want to keep or reuse or sell the old UCAs). After you do this, you now loosen & remove the nuts on the 2 bolts at the other end of the UCA. You will notice you cannot remove the bolts because they are blocked by the wheel well. To get the arm out, you now remove the two nuts in the engine bay that hold the UCA bracket on. This allows the UCA to drop out and you can take the two bolts out and remove the UCA from the wheel well.

Now when you install the new arm it all goes in reverse. Connect the new UCA to the old UCA bracket (around the shock). Just install the bolts & nuts a little less than finger tight so the arm can pivot freely in the bracket. Bolt the bracket back into the car and torque the nuts in the engine bay to 47lb/ft (UCA should still pivot freely on the bracket).

Next insert the new ball joint into the steering knuckle and install the castle nut. Torque it to 29-35lb/ft so the hole in stud lines up with the castle slots. Now install a new cotter pin.

Next jack up under the LCA until the car lifts off the nearest jackstand. This sets the angle of the UCA to "near ride-height". Now you can torque the two nuts and bolts where the LCA connects to the chassis to 20lb/ft.

Now repeat on the other side, put the wheels back on, and go get an alignment.

 

o ok thanks really appreciate it. ill prolly have more questions later

 

Here is an exploded diagram to help visualize the disassembled UCA and knuckle:

 

o ok sweet thanks...... have you done this alot ?

 

I've been working on these cars for like 11 years now. I have two (89 CRX & 94 Civic), and I've worked on many others for friends. I also own/maintain an 05 TL 6-speed and 04 Pilot. Working on suspension has always been one of my favorite things .

BTW: I don't run/use/recommend camber kits. But I do understand their place in the industry. They can be especially helpful for drag racing or if your trying squeeze low offsets inside your fenders. A good 4-wheel toe alignment will keep the extra negative camber from eating your tires.

 

o ok thats cool ... im a little scared to work on my suspension because i know that stuff breaks easily. I think i might start with my suspension first and get all of it replaced sooner or later. and only reason i got camber kits is because i plan on lowering my hatch and putting offset wheels on to it. why do you like suspenion so much ?jw

 

Because it's fun to work on. Hunting down problems can be very rewarding (if you can find them). It's also very fun to make setting changes or upgrades. You can really feel the differences when you drive (vs engine work). I also prefer sitting/lying down to work vs bending over working under the hood.

As for broken bolts, it's really common in the rear. Not so much up front. Good luck with your install.

 

Suspension is one of the easiest systems on the car to work on.

 

why doesnt the bolts in the front break as much jw? and yea i dont like bending over to work on a car .... would rather sit or lay down

 

My guess is the front suspension gets less water spray than the rear. The front tires will spray directly onto the rear as you drive.

 

o yea true never thought of that. I hope it quits raining so i can install those arms. If you were starting a build on stock suspension and you wanted to upgrade suspension parts, which parts would you upgrade and why ? just curious.

 

Here is what I've done to my 94 CX in order (over 10 yrs):

Suspension:
Wheels & Tires (205/40-16)
Ground Control coilovers (400f/250r) lowered to a 1 finger gap all around
Integra front LCAs
24mm GSR front sway bar
Integra rear LCAs
14mm GSR rear sway bar
Koni Sport Dampers (had to buy koni specific GC sleeves)
Ground Control top hats (front)
Integra front sub-frame brace
ITR front Compliance Bushings

If I had it to do over again, I would probably still go the same route. No regrets whatsoever. Lifetime warranty on aftermarket stuff, along with OEM quality parts.

 

so i tryed to install my camber kits in 2 hours because of night is so early here... and i only got the castle nut off because i went to auto zone and they didnt have that part so i went to advanced auto and they did but it was to dark to go back working. Im learning as i go but havent broke a bolt yet so thats always good.

 

i got to look up a diagram or a layout of all the suspension parts because thats where i am going to start for my build. what did you do next after your CAs ?

 

One other item you might be interested in getting is the extended lower ball joints I know buddy club makes a set form eg/ek chassis they really help bring your steering geometry back in alignment not necessary but worth the cost and pain of install

 

o yea .. im just starting my build and just want to start replacing suspension stuff because its a 19 year old car with factory parts but thanks for the info.

 

I couldn't disagree more.

If you know anything about suspension geometry and roll-center, you would understand that changing the angle of the LCAs is going to create all kinds of other problems (like bump-steer). This is why these same companies then sell you bump-steer correction kits that mount the tie-rod under the knuckle (instead of on top). All this stuff costs a small fortune, creates additional issues, and only serves to raise/stiffen the roll center.



An important thing to understand, is exactly what altering your roll center does. Raising the roll center increases roll resistance at that end of the car (similar to adding a bigger sway bar). As we all know, larger sway-bars serve to REDUCE traction at that end. This is not what you want to do on the front end of your FWD. That is unless your doing extensive testing in conjunction with all kinds of other fine tuning based on driver feedback from track testing.

Example: If you ever look at the rear lower control arms of the newer Minis, you'll see the steep angle of the LCAs. This is because mini uses a high rear roll center to stiffen the rear end and make the car more tail happy. Compare that to the rear of an Integra Type-R with a relatively flat LCA (low roll center) and extremely large rear sway-bar (that can tear lesser subframes).