suspension removal/installation
 

can anyone give me a link or some tips on changing my shocks/struts and all 4 springs? never done it before and was looking for advise. approx time? special tools or tricks? do i get an alignment immediately afterwards or wait a little while for it to settle? i will have a friend to helping me out

(i hate these new pop-up ads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

It pretty much straight forward. It helps out a lot if you get a spring compressor for the front. But I have seen, and helped out guys with out the tool. (just plan on bleeding a little bit;) )
Sounds like its going to be you first time doing this...
Should take you about an hour on the rears (complete)
The front can take you 1.5 to 3 hours depending on problems.
Next time you will able to do it in half the time.
Plan a weekend around it, just in case...(for the first time)
Don't know what you will find...
Good luck

The fronts can be very diffulcult. A spring compressor is a must have tool for this. If one is not avail for the removal you will expect to see the spring launch out of its perch possilbly injuring somebody near by. Just be very careful. The rears are much nicer to R&R than the fronts.


Brad

my friend who is helping me out is a mechanic (in training) and said I should not need a spring compressor, just use a floor jack under control arm to release spring pressure once everything is unbolted, true?????

I have done fronts a few times, with and without the spring compressor. Definately try to get one. The springs won't launch out if you use a floor jack and lower them slowly. The problem is getting them back in. If you try to get them back in by leaving the control arm bolted to the K member which is probably the safest and really easiest way in my opinion, the problem is the spring will go back in like that, but the control arm is hanging almost straight down for the spring to go in so when you try to jack up the control arm it can be a major pain. If you have lowering springs that you're putting in, they might be shorter than stock so it might be easier. The most recent springs I put in were 4 cyl springs with one coil cut off and they went in pretty easy cause they were so short. And to my surprise, the car doesn't sit as low as everyone said it would. Haven't driven it yet to settle them in though. As for the alignment, get it as close as you can when you put the car back together. I did a ghetto alignment with a pen laser and a yard stick (if you want to try this, ask me how, i'll tell you) Anyway, good luck, oh, and give yourself a full weekend or maybe more to do this if it's your first time.