Diy Spring Installation

[camo]

I have just purchased another set of lowered springs for my 325i and will be installing them this weekend, with a little luck and the help of a friend.

First set were "pedders" which is an Australian brand but i find them too soft and the car is sitting uneven front to back. (it has negative rake at the mo)

Does anyone know of any good threads to read up on for additional information.

I had a quick search and couldnt find what i was after.

I have spring clamps and everything needed for the job, just wanted to check its not too scientific.

cheers :p

[Pirate_copy]

anything in here? - http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e36/stability

[silverbmw528]

Have a look here, http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e36 if not I have a 7 series DIY on my home PC I'll stick on later.

[Cjames]

http://www.********.com/mullethunter3/diy.htm and http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3476

should help ya. I followed Amanda's and had no problem.


James

[Pirate_copy]

the first link has a banned word in it...

[ronpapworth]

Hey Camo,
Pay attention to the drop on the new springs. Just about every set of aftermarket lowering springs leaves the car with the positive rake you mentioned. The front gets lowered 1.5 and the rear is like 1.0 or 1.25. Just saying, make sure you don't end up with the same look you are trying to get away from.

[jasonf860]

:dunno:I think he said negative rake:dunno: .... And yeah, Doing suspension is not rocket science. If you can turn a wrench you can do your suspension. I personally swapped my front struts last weekend in 30 minutes. Yes, that was BOTH sides. Of course I had the second set preassembled, but that only takes about 15 minutes each and the rears are even easier.

Rear sway bar swap- 5 minute job. 4 bolts and it's off, 4 more and it's on.

[silverbmw528]

anything in here? - http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e36/stability

Great minds Pirate, what are the chances of that :rofl:

[Pirate_copy]

:thumbup:

[silverbmw528]

Oh, nearly forgot. here's the 7 series DIY, basics are all there, :roundel:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/46622

[Cjames]

Wow, sorry about that. Apparently "f r e e w e b s" is a banned word.

[TheOnlyE36]

:dunno:I think he said negative rake:dunno: .... And yeah, Doing suspension is not rocket science. If you can turn a wrench you can do your suspension. I personally swapped my front struts last weekend in 30 minutes. Yes, that was BOTH sides. Of course I had the second set preassembled, but that only takes about 15 minutes each and the rears are even easier.

Rear sway bar swap- 5 minute job. 4 bolts and it's off, 4 more and it's on.

You are so right. our car for the most part are pretty easy to work on. almost everything is is easy to get to, a special rear suspension. Or maybe he just got a one of them e-Bay kits.

[jasonf860]

You are so right. our car for the most part are pretty easy to work on. almost everything is is easy to get to, a special rear suspension. Or maybe he just got a one of them e-Bay kits.
He he he... Wait till you have a guibo to do! Not hard, but time consuming and you feel like your raping your car cause you have to remove almost everything from the underside of the car!

[VTi]

He he he... Wait till you have a guibo to do! Not hard, but time consuming and you feel like your raping your car cause you have to remove almost everything from the underside of the car!

Heh, thats for sure.

BMWs are easy to work on, in general terms. On the other scale of things, they can be an absolute wretched piece of annoyance to work on!

[PhilipWOT]

BE CAREFUL
Make absolutely sure that you have researched the proper methods before trying this one.

Seriously!!!!! Compressing springs is extremely dangerous, especially if it's not something you've done before. One wrong move can take your face off, or literally kill you. I highly recommend paying a shop to do this, but if you're hell-bent on doing it yourself there are some good tech-articles out there. I'll try to find a good link if pirate hasn't already done so.

[TheOnlyE36]

He he he... Wait till you have a guibo to do! Not hard, but time consuming and you feel like your raping your car cause you have to remove almost everything from the underside of the car!

What is GUIBO?

[PhilipWOT]

What is GUIBO?

He's an evil gnome who lives under a Bridge in Munich.
J/k it's a rubber flex disc in between your transmission output shaft and driveshaft. They wear out, it's no big deal. If you're mechanically inclined at all it's pretty simple to change too.

[ronpapworth]

I picked up a "clamshell" spring compressor the other day. I have yet to use it but depending on how much clearance I can get in the wheel well I may be able to swap front springs without disconnecting the bottom of the strut housing. I also should be able to reach in to the rear and compress the springs for easier removal. Ill take pics if they work well. I have been useing the 2 piece compressors for years and hate having to go back and forth from side to side. This clamshell has one bolt running though it. Harbor Freaight has them cheap...

[camo]

Ha, love the banter guys and thanks for the links - i'll check em out now.

Though it would be fairly strait forward, and yeah philip i've used em before - think it would be a bit of a challenge to kill yourelf with spring clamps but stranger things have happened , but thanks for the concern.

Just finished respraying my 17inch schnitzer rims and had new tyres put on them last weekend. Cant wait to post pics once its all complete.

Cheers again and happy cruizing!

[VTi]

http://www.tradequip.co.nz/products/images/TQ1033.jpg

I picked up one of these things second hand years ago, so damn handy! and only 125 bucks, who could pass that up!