Having a little trouble

[Guest pennypathfinder]

Well my venture to put my lift and new shocks on my pathy was not a total disaster..although i did run into a few problems. The back was a piece of cake and when we were finished with it me and my buddy were so hyped.. then about 3 oclock we started the front and it turned into a whole different story....we eneded up workin on it till one that morning and then starting again at 800 the next morning and workin on it all day.... The proble was that the spring compressors we rented suck a-hole and were not able to compress down the new springs far enough in order to put them on the front....in fact we were told it was a deathwish to even attempt what me and my bud attempted...so now i have a great lift on the back of my pathy and the stock stuff on the front.

 

In the process i found out my factory struts were shot to hell and that i should probly buy some new ones...im thinking the KYB but that is something i do not want to think about right now seein as a just dropped 600 bucks on the lift and springs.....but i really should so it all at once...problem is that on top of all that i think my last option is to hire a professional to do the front...

 

on the brighter side of things....my pathy is riding so much better with the new shocks....its ridin how it should like in 1997 new and worth 26,000 bucks..lol

 

 

ANY ADVICE?????? PLEASE!!!!!

[herm]

2 options to consider:

 

1. make some calls and find a beefier spring compressor to rent.

 

2. take just the struts and coils to a local shop and have them mounted.

 

Deathwish? Well, if you've ever been in a shop when a spring compressor failed under load, you'll know why some mechanics refuse to trust them, ever. Quick way to lose a hand, or worse. The wall mounted versions are much safer, but not rentable.

 

However, if the struts are toast, you really would make your life easier by replacing them now, or else you'll have to revisit this in the immediate future.

 

If you order struts ( tirerack.com is one option) you could take the struts and coils to a shop and have them mounted, and finish the install yourself. This would be cheaper than having a shop do the whole install. Sounds like you've allready done a full disassembly/reassembly anyway.

 

If you replace the struts you should also do the strut mounts. I used KYB struts/mounts with Old Man Emu coils on my 97 but some owners have reported problems w/ these strut mounts - so you may want to use Nissan?

 

 

mike

[big_johnson]

I also think that new struts right now would be a good idea. I figure that more money spent now = less money spent later. As for the install, its your call. giving it to a shop would be ten times easier, but also more expensive, on top of all the other money already spent.

[Guest Phat Mat]

I did the coils and struts on my 96 a couple of months ago. I got the coil compressor from Checker. I had to really crank it down but it got the job done. Also if you don't have an impact, losen the big nut on top of the strut before you take them out. It will save you some hassle. And definitely wait untill you get new struts. Makes a big difference for the money.