Gonna make the big jump to new suspension...

And I'm sure that I'm going to go the way of the Bilstein/H&R combo, not the coilover. So my question is...

Who has the best prices, Turner Motorsport, Bavarian Auto, BMP, etc? I checked around, and they all seem pretty close, but do any of them give BMWCCA discounts? Are there other folks (e.g.: Circle BMW) that offer these packages? Is there anything else that I should get (like E-46 rear shock mounts versus the aluminum ones from Turner)?

Thanks!

Originally posted by Ldogdotcom
And I'm sure that I'm going to go the way of the Bilstein/H&R combo, not the coilover. So my question is...

Who has the best prices, Turner Motorsport, Bavarian Auto, BMP, etc? I checked around, and they all seem pretty close, but do any of them give BMWCCA discounts? Are there other folks (e.g.: Circle BMW) that offer these packages? Is there anything else that I should get (like E-46 rear shock mounts versus the aluminum ones from Turner)?

Thanks!

Definitely get Ron Stygar's Rear Shock Mounts. I am getting ready to post a huge How-To on my recent suspension swap.

As far as pricing, give me a call and I will see what I can do. I am now carrying H&R and Bilsteins but am still waiting on pricing. I will give you good deal though.

Andy, I saw your new post about the suspension... great, great writeup. And I'll be contacting you shortly about the prices... but on another note...

Last year (to isolate and solve the random squeaking), I took apart my whole hatch area (or what I thought was the whole hatch area). Off came the M net, the cargo cover, the whole subwoofer enclosure plastic, the plastic parts between the front seats. Not that complex of a job, but a pain in the ass, nevertheless.

But after seeing that EVEN MORE of the rear hatch has to come apart, it's making me wonder about the complexity of the whole task. I'd rather do it all myself (to save money and so I can further rattle/squeek proof the back).

So once again, my question is...

How much more of the back do I need to disassemble? Is it just a few more parts? Is it as easy as the parts I already disassembled? Are there certain things that I should look out for when doing the disassembly again? Is there some sort of diagram (a-la Ron Stygar-style) or webpage that documents the steps taken?

Thanks!

Here is a pic of what you will need to be at to get the stock shock mounts out. You will understand the need and importance of Ron's Shock Mounts:



It is pretty slow and careful work. I had thought about letting a shop do the front and the rear springs but there was no way I was going to let someone else take apart and reassemble the rear trim (that would be asking for rattles).

Here is some info from Ron's site:
Hatch Trim #1

Hatch Teim #2

Hatch Trim #3

Hatch Trim #4

Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks.

Quick question(s)...

With the entire back part out, were there any squeaks or creaks at all? And also, it seems that you took your B-pillars (is that the name of the pillars behind the seats?) out. I didn't see that in the 4 links that you attached. Is it difficult to do?

Originally posted by Ldogdotcom
Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks.

Quick question(s)...

With the entire back part out, were there any squeaks or creaks at all? And also, it seems that you took your B-pillars (is that the name of the pillars behind the seats?) out. I didn't see that in the 4 links that you attached. Is it difficult to do?

I had no squeeks. Very happy I did the work because of it. We took the B-pillar trim out to get the trim behind the seats out. It just made life easier.

I am getting ready for a complete stereo upgrade so I will be pulling most of that trim out again. It will be worth it though!

This is kind of like a game of tennis...

So it doesn't look like much more work than I already did. I guess I'll take it apart in stages, soundproof the parts, and take it from there.

Also can you email me your contact information so I can get in touch with you? elion@mcoupe.com is the email address. Thanks!

When I put my hatch area back together, I soundproofed everything by insulating every plastic-to-plastic piece that I could find with adhesive felt. It was absolutely silent. Now it's a ruckus again. I'm going to have to do it again. I think it's different stuff that's rattling around now, but it's definitely worth the effort.

Andy, seeing all that yellow back there is almost freaky. With a black car and black trim, I'm not used to seeing any other color back there. Someone posted a picture of their HK sub removed on their LSB coupe and I looked at that confused for a moment, wondering what the heck was blue back there!

Originally posted by chazzy

Andy, seeing all that yellow back there is almost freaky. With a black car and black trim, I'm not used to seeing any other color back there. Someone posted a picture of their HK sub removed on their LSB coupe and I looked at that confused for a moment, wondering what the heck was blue back there!

It is a bit odd. The worst is the inside of the wheel wells. Not so bad now that the car has been lowered but still odd. It is not a problem on darker cars (JonM's Imola is fine) but with a lighter color the wheel wells look ridiculous. I am going to paint mine when I do the calipers. I also need to paint up where the rear speakers are as you can a giant ball of yellow when you look up in there. Neither of these are things that are necessary, but they will make a subtle difference (of course I am the only one who will notice them).

Originally posted by Ldogdotcom
This is kind of like a game of tennis...

So it doesn't look like much more work than I already did. I guess I'll take it apart in stages, soundproof the parts, and take it from there.

Also can you email me your contact information so I can get in touch with you? elion@mcoupe.com is the email address. Thanks!

you can email me at andymaddux@leatherz.com

One word...KONI!!!! dump the Bilsteins