Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension Need help re-installing rear

Well my suspension project is really going downhill, and I have a bad freakin headache, so make a long story short..

This there some kind of magical way to re-install the rear strut/spring assembly? I think I'm number 8 or 9 on attempts to get the assembly to fit back in. The real issues is getting the spring compressor and the assembly in. I figure out any other way of getting the strut onto the perch without spring compressors on.

I tried getting the how to, but the main site seems to be down...not sure on that one.

So if anyone has some tips/pictures I would appreciate the help. Message me on aim @ Titanthedragon. A phone call maybe of a help as well.

to get the strut assembly back on the perch, I just used a jack to jack it up from the rotor, and then just push the jack forword so when I lowered the jack, it would be on the perch.

[I have no idea if thats an acceptable way of doing it, but thats how I did it]

Yeah, that works. It's a little risky - be careful and don't jack it any more than you absolutely have to. If you're getting an alignment soon anyway, go ahead and loosen the subframe to give it some room.

I did manage to get one on finally.

The freakin spring compressors I got from advanced are crap. The heads are 2 x 1.5 x 1.5 cast steel. It makes they a complete PITA to work with on install/uninstall.

I eneded up clamping the lower part of the spring and manually cramming its ass into the wheel well.

And to get the strut onto the knuckle:

I opened the knuckle slightly wider with a crow bar.

Then, I took our old floor jack and the emergency spare jack from the trunk. I had the old jack with a wooden block under c-clamp of the knuckle, and I placed the floor jack under the drum. I just raised each side until it pressed in from the strenght of the strut/spring. I did have the bolts in on the top of the strut so It was semi-safe/semi death trap.

But in the end its on the car. I'll try to get pictures tomorrow for when I do the other side. It was ALOT harder then I thought it was going to be. And this seems to not be a project for anyone with weak arms/bad back. The assembly with my clamps probably weights ~25-30lbs. So just holding it there for a while trying to jam it in is energy consuming. Especially since I took me something near 4 hours... I'll probably get the next one on in 30 to 40 minutes now.

Wth are you doing with spring compressors on when installing the assembly?

lol no I have the strut/spring assembly together.

I couldn't figure out a method to get the strut back into the well and onto the perch without compressing the spring. I couldn't compress the spring/strut assembly far enough with my own stength. Not to mention was I was trying with my own stenght the car started to shift on the jack stands/jacks. So that was the real point when I stopped trying to put them on manually.

Put the thing up in there. Tighten them bolts up top. Then work the knuckle up to it. Either with some muscle or a jack under the knuckle (be careful). Ditch the spring compressors.