tophers_tC

i've just purchased the TRD lowering springs for my tC and was wondering if anyone had any experience or knew anyone, or a local shop here in Charlotte that does in installing these suckers.

I've called both Toyota of Lake Norman,and the one in Concord and they want 3 times what the cost of the friggin' springs were.....not surprise though.

I have a garage, jack, and stands. I don't have a torque wrench or a spring compressor, or any other misc. tools needed, but i'm sure I could get'em if necessary.

So any help or ideas where I could go to get these installed would be sweeeet.


-thanks

Sciond

I can lend a torque wrench....also I have a spring compressor but you can rent one from Autozone for free

NYNCTC

iTrader: (2)

when do you plan on doing the install. let me know and i can help. dont know what to do, but we can figure it out hehe.

Sciond

not hard

tophers_tC

oh sweet Sciond! i'll be hitting you up when they come in, and i owe you one.

oh you're def. helping Sid, thats a given. haha We're going to have an install day once this rainy weather lets up. I've also got the 08' headlights and a new lower grille to install. And of course your new TRD exhaust.. :D

Yeah from what I've seen on here its not that hard, I just need a few tools and a few more hands. And a set of the installation instructions wouldn't hurt either. I'd like to get a glance at them before they come in.

Sooo, anyone who happens to have that too, hit me up! :D

RSracer

I didn't even use my spring compressor to put my hotchkis springs on since the new springs are shorter. It's very easy, just make sure you mark off your wheel alignment points on the bolts for refrence.

tophers_tC

I was going to go get them aligned after I installed them. If I marked the alignment points on the bolts, would I not have to?

I found the installation guide for the Hotchkis springs and im sure its the same steps so ill follow that when they come in.

RSracer

You'll still need an alignment but it won't be off so bad. It will help your tires out as much as you can until you get the alignment.

Ukno0003

Ive change dout the springs on my tC twice, on my friends si, and on my other friends prelude. It isnt hard man. Id help you out if I was in town but Im down here at school. You dont necessarily need a torque wrench, you would be fine without it. Make sure you have a breaker bar, or some sort of pole to put onto the end of the wrench to break the two bolts on the bottom of the strut loose. Go rent a spring compressor from autozone, its free really. You give them 50 bucks they give you the tool. when you get done you give back the tool and they give you your money back.

Plan doing your work on a saturday so you have all day to do it. It will take you a solid 3-5 hours to do depending on your experience level with working on cars. Plan on murphys law, anything that could possibly go wrong will go wrong. Meaning you will run into a problem somewhere so dont try and rush things. Give yourself alot of time to do it. I suggest buyin a pizza or somethin and some drinks to snack on while doin the work.


It is really not a difficult job but It will take a while becuase of what you gotta do.


Off the top of my head and not looking at anything this is how you do it.

Tools needed: Sockets and wrenches (must have metric), alan wrenches, screw drivers, spring compressor(you need this), jack and jack stands.

Front: While the car is on the ground, pop the hood and remove the wiperr and plastic pieces from the car. It is a few bolts and some clips. YOu gotta do this to get to the three top strut tower bolts.

1) take off the wheel
2) disconnect the brake line from the strut. One small bolt.
3) Go to the stop of the stut, you may want to break the top center nut loose to make it easier when you get the strut out of the car. When its out of the car its sometimes hard to hold still. Whatever you do though DO NOT TAKE THE BOLT OFF!!!!!! just break it loose do not undo it!!!
4) Disconnect the two large bolts near the bottom of the strut where the strut connects to the brake.
5) remove the 3 strut tower bolts now (the reason why you had to remove the wiper blades and plastic pieces.) Make sure the hub does not drop to far down, you can tie it off with rope or put a cardboard box under it. You just shouldnt have it hanging there.
6) remove the strut from the car.
7)Use the spring compressor to compress the spring.
8 ) remove the top strut bolt. And take the spring off the strut.
9) Remove the spring compressor from your old spring
10) compress the new spring
11) put spring onto strut, make sure the spring lines up with the grooves. When you take it apart you will understand what im talking about.
12) reassemble the strut making sure everything goes back together like you took it apart. Tighten the top bolt tight as you can, you dont have to wait till its back in the car. You only loosened it while it was in the car to make it easier on you to break it loose.
13) take the spring compressors off the spring.
14) Put strut in the car and tighten the top strut tower bolts. You dont have to tighten them all the way yet, just tight enough to hold it up there so if you need any wiggle room to reconnect stuff have it.
15) reconnect the two bolts at the bottom of the strut. Chances are its going to be off line a little. just take a screw driver and turn the bottom of the strut until it lines up.
16) Tighten up the top strut tower bolts
17) Reconnect brake line to strut.
18 ) put the wheel back on and you have finished a wheel.

Go to the other front and follow the same steps as i listed. The second spring will be easier since you have an idea on what you gotta do now. Take your time and make sure all your nuts and bolts are tight.

Rear: This is easier/faster then the front.

1) Strip your trunk. Tire and paneling must be out of the car to get to the top of the rear strut tower bolts. Just take your time with it. And just look at what you gotta take off. Its pretty strait forward. The two side panels you can just pull back until you can reach the strut tower bolts.
2) Jack the car up on jack stands
3) take the wheel off
4) Loosen the bolt on the bottom of the strut. You gotta do this from the bolt side. The nut side is keyed to help it lock into place.
5) disconnect the control arm to separate it from the sway bar.
6) Remove the three Strut tower bolts.
7) have someone push down on the wheel hub so you can get the strut out of the car. The top plastic cap is going to pop off when you do this. If it doesnt pop off when u get it out take it off.
8 ) compress the spring with the spring compressors
9) Remove the top strut bolt.(you will need a wrench and the alan wrench to do this. The alan wrench holds the center and the wrench loosens the bolt.)
10) Take the strut apart and the old spring off.
11) Compress the new spring and put on the strut. Make sure the spring is in the grooves, again you will see what im taking about.
12) put the strut back together and tighten the top bolt with a socket or wrench. You wont need the alan wrench to tighten it back together.
13) take off the spring compressors
14) Have someone push down on the wheel hub to get the strut back in the car.
15) Put the strut tower bolts back on. again these do not have to be all the way tightened yet.
16) Put the bottom strut bolt back on, again it will probably be a little off line. Just line it up the same way as the front.
17) Re connect the control arm to the sway bar.
18 ) Make sure everything is tight and pop the plastic cap back on. DOnt forget to tighten the top strut tower bolts.

Put the wheel back and and go to the other wheel. and then your done. Of corse you gotta put your trunk back together but for the spring install your done. Make sure you put your wipers back on along with the plastic pieces.

All that is off the top of my head, its right, After I finished writing for the last hour I checked with the DIY i used when i did it the first time to make sure i told you right. Heres the link to that if you want a few pictures. ITs not the best directions but the pics will help u. http://www.yoursciontc.com/informati...d_springs.html

When you lower the car back down, dont panic because it doesnt look any lower. Give the springs a little bit to drop a little. IT will take about a month to fully settle but they should be most of the way settled in like 36 hours or so. Wait about a month to get an alignment.

My first set of springs where the trd's. I am now running s-techs though.


Like I said If I was in town Id help yall out to get it done faster since ive done it multiple times. But you guys should be ok. Let us know how it turns out. And remember you should get some pizza and some drinks while your doing it. Everytime ive done springs thats what i always do. good luck with the instal.


Lower grille takes 5 mins to install, just push the old one in and pull it out. Then slide the new grille in the opening and pull back towards you to lock the clips in place.


Sid you got a trd exhaust? sweet man. If you want my invidia s-pipe to im taking it off my car the next time i come home i think. Its only been on for a few months and is in perfect shape. I wanna sell it so I can get some more money to go into the supra. I think I am goin to end up selling my trd rear sway bar also. Not 100% sure if im selling that too but theres a good chance i will.

Sid with the exhaust it takes 15 mins, its like 1 or 2 bolts and 2 hangers. It is really simple to do.

once again good luck with everything. Hope that helped. Take some pictures when your done.

tophers_tC

thanks man, helps a lot.

yeah i got the grille install, i installed my badgeless upper, i just have to replace my lower grille b/c I hit a cat on 85....poor thing tried to run across 5 lanes, almost made it too.. =/

Ukno0003

I always though to myself i should take pictures while I did it caue i knew they would come in handy for something like this but always forgot. The pictures in the link should help you out a lil though. Once again GL on the install. Dang that suks bout the cat man, but i never did like cats they always seem to F things up. hah Especially when they mess with your car. I came outside once and i saw cat foot prints(mud) all over my CF hood windshield and roof one time. I was so ____ed. Da** cats.

NYNCTC

iTrader: (2)

thanks mike. ya ill be taking pics the whole time.

tophers_tC

doing the headlights, exhaust, and grille tomorrow Sid. don't forget.

anything else you got you wanna knock out?

NYNCTC

iTrader: (2)

i got nothing yet until FLEA sends my lights back.

i got some beer, you get the pizza?

Ukno0003

ight man sounds good, when you take the pics send them to me and ill post a diy on here for how to change springs. Ill just match it to my directions.

gl on the install.

NYNCTC

iTrader: (2)

we didnt do the springs, but did the headlights and the exhaust.

Ukno0003

when r you guys doin the springs?

NYNCTC

iTrader: (2)

when he buys them. im also getting mine soon so we'll just do a big spring install day i guess

tophers_tC

Yeah. We'll do'em all in one day hopefully then have a mini photo shoot or something.

Will keep you updated and give the install pics to ya.

Ukno0003

YOu may plan to try and get them done both in one day, but realistically id do one on a saturday and the other on a sunday. Once you get done the first car you probably will not wanna do the other in the same day.