I am just wondering how hard it is to install the springs on the tC. I was planning on helping a friend install his s-techs and didnt know if there was anything special or harder about putting the springs on a tC. I have installed my own on my car which isnt a tC soi have spring compressor and know how to use that . I have a few general questions: when unbolting the struts from the top of the tower is there another bolt underneath holding the springs on so they dont shoot off? Now with the back, my car was a torsion beam setup so putting on my springs was a sinch, but with the tC, is it pretty much the same as installing them up front?

any info will be helpful

 

nah, the backs are a bit of a pain compared to the front. The fronts are easy because they are so accessable, but the rears are not so simple. You have to take apart the trunk to get to the bolts in the trunk holding in the shock.

BEFORE unbolting the top of the strut, you must put the spring in the spring compressor. While it's compressed, you can take the shock/strut out of the spring and then decompress the spring afterward. With the new springs, same thing in reverse, you compress the spring, throw it on the strut/shock, put on the top of the tower, tighten it down and then release the spring.

When doing it with 2 people, its never too bad. I believe there is a DIY for the spring install around somewhere, if not here then on www.yoursciontc.com I forget. Anyway, Have FUN!!!

 

took me and my friend 3~ hours. helpful tip would be have someone heavy to stand on the car to compress the spring when ur puttin em back in

 

now when you say before unbolting the top of the strut, you mean once its off the car right? or do i have to compress while its on the car?

 

i changed mine by my self its was easy

 

ive done a set of tC s-techs and I WILL NEVER DO THEM AGAIN...

the rear is a major PITA

 

I think im up to about 4 springs swaps and one spring and strut swap. It gets easier the more times you do it. My advice, losen the top bolt in the center of the assembly, then take the surrounding bolts off. drop the whole thing, and compress the springs before completely removing the center bolt. then repeat in reverse order when puting on the new springs.... piece of cake. Any questions, PM me

 

You compress it once it is off the car. I wouldn't dare loosen the center bolt b/c that is putting you in harms way. Just take off the 3 nuts that hold it in place and get it off of the car so you have the whole intact assembly in your hands. Compress and then remove the nut. The reason some people suggest loosening the nut first is b/c once it is off the car, it is very hard to hold it stable somewhere such that you can apply a lot of torque to the top to get the bolt off. It personally wasn't a problem for me. I had my friend (who is a big guy) turn one way and I turned the other and was able to get it off. Sure, its a bit harder, but safety is my #1

 

once you loosen the bolt, its a breeze...

 

so u guys that swapped ur spring to hotchkiss, what kind or jack did u use, cause i did a spring swap on my boys accord and we had to actually lift the front of the car off the jack cause the jack was too tall, so how tall a jack did u use basically?

 

i used the stock jack with a set of stands

 

Use a floor jack but put the car on some wood to get it up a bit higher for you to get the floor jack under if needed.

 

o man good idea i never thought of putting the wheels on some blocks, thanks!

 

did it myself it's not too bad.

 

did it by myself in 3.5 hours. took my time drank some beers.

 

so i was just told that the hotchkis are a pain to install due to the coils being so tigh on one end of the springs, which makes it very hard to use the spring compressors like u would rent or buy at like kragens or pepboys. any of u guys had that problem?

 

hotchkis has a diy to install springs on a tC... its universal to any springs. i used it for my friends tC then found a easier but a more dangerous way to do mine.

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=161339

its a couple of posts down. this cut the time in half!!!

btw im on S. techs and i used the stock jack with craftsman stands becasue i was already lowered on these crappy megan springs so my floor jack wouldnt fit. the floor jack came in handy though as u read how i did it

 

I did mine myself, it wasnt too bad, just time consuming. the rear was a pain, until I figured out that it's possible to unbolt the top of the control arm to get the lower part to sag down more and get the assembly out.