96 Suspension swap

[pitaSHO]

I am doing the suspension on my friend's 96 and have a few questions.

Can I knock the front spindles off the struts without removing the tie rod end?

If not, what tricks are there to getting it out of the knuckle? I wailed on it with a Ford wrench (without destroying the threads) but I can't get it to budge. I didn't realize the front knuckles were aluminum.

I am replacing the stock struts with KYB's and stock springs with new mounts and hardware.

Do I have to remove the package tray to get at the top of the rear struts?

Any other tips that you have found useful?

I am doing this job tomorrow (12-18-08) in the cold; not my fav. I have done well over a dozen suspension jobs on Gen I and Gen II, but have never done a Gen III.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Chris K.

 

[venom]

I am doing the suspension on my friend's 96 and have a few questions.

Can I knock the front spindles off the struts without removing the tie rod end?

If not, what tricks are there to getting it out of the knuckle? I wailed on it with a Ford wrench (without destroying the threads) but I can't get it to budge. I didn't realize the front knuckles were aluminum.

I am replacing the stock struts with KYB's and stock springs with new mounts and hardware.

Do I have to remove the package tray to get at the top of the rear struts?

Any other tips that you have found useful?

I am doing this job tomorrow (12-18-08) in the cold; not my fav. I have done well over a dozen suspension jobs on Gen I and Gen II, but have never done a Gen III.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Chris K.

You can pull the axles without removing the OTRE from the knuckle but it is probably more headache doing the springs than the three minutes of work to remove the OTRE's is worth.

Yes pull the package tray.

Scott

 

[pitaSHO]

I'm not pulling the axles. I've never had to do that for the others.
The reason I am asking about the OTRE's is because I can't get it out.

Thanks for the clarification on the package tray.

Chris K.

 

[Silvapain]

Yes, you can pull the struts out of the knuckles without removing the OTRE, but you'll need a big prybar. Drop the subframe on that side to make it easier.

 

[pitaSHO]

How does the rear package tray come out?

 

[venom]

I'm not pulling the axles. I've never had to do that for the others.
The reason I am asking about the OTRE's is because I can't get it out.

Thanks for the clarification on the package tray.

Chris K.

Two choices for pulling the OTRE's

1) Pitmann puller

2) a few good whacks with a 2 or 3 Lb BFH on the "bumps" on the fore and aft faces of the lobes in the spindle will cause the tapered aluminum hole to vibrate and the OTRE's will be free. It may take a dozen hits but a few good hard hits will do it - I promise.

If you decide to seperate the lower ball joints the only good answer is a Pitmann puller... Unless you are plannign on repalcing them, then a pickle fork will work, but a Pitmann is probably almost as fast.

 

[Silvapain]

How does the rear package tray come out?

1. Remove the back seat
a. on the seat base, push towards the back of the car until it releases. Do this on both the passenger and driver's side.
b. on the seat back, there are four bolts, then lift upward and remove

2. pop the two christmas tree pins that hold the parcel shelf cover on the parcel shelf.

3. carefully lift on the center of the parcel shelf cover, and slide it out from under the C-pillar covers and remove.

That's it. Takes 10 minutes at most, and is a lot easier than it sounds.

 

[pitaSHO]

Rear suspension is finished and torqued. It's almost the same as the Gen II's. I removed the SARC struts without having to remove the tension struts or the package tray. Once the back seat is out the three nuts for the top of the struts can be reached with a gear wrench and some fancy finger work. No work came in today (I'm a drafter by trade) so I'll do the fronts tomorrow.
Thanks again for the input.

Chris K.

 

[pitaSHO]

Yes, you can pull the struts out of the knuckles without removing the OTRE, but you'll need a big prybar. Drop the subframe on that side to make it easier.

This little tip saved my bacon yesterday. I was able to finish the fronts by lowering the subframe an inch or so, remove the pinch bolt on the knuckle, and it slid right off. Almost easier than a Gen I or II. Almost... Thanks again for your input.

Chris K.:thankyou::thankyou:

 

[SHOZ123]

The OTREs also come off very easy with the small pitman arm puller that AutoZone has, leave the castle nut on so the puller will not slip off. The large pitman arm puller will pop the ball joint loose from the lower arm easily too.