Konis came in today.

[Naaman]

I ordered some Koni's from Sam Strano yesterday and they arrived today (just swapping out the Bilstiens in the back so that the rear will match the front)! The LCAs I ordered will probably be here Monday.

Probably doing to do this myself. Should I use ramps or jackstands?

[pajeff02]

You'll have to hang the front in the air so definitely jackstands on that end. I documented our swap so if you need pics say the word and I will link that thread.

[35th-ANV-SS]

You won't be able to change the shocks when the tires are on ramps under load. The rear end needs to hang freely so the suspension needs to be free of a load. Jack the car up and use jack stands under the chassis. You can then put the jack under the pumpkin of the rear end to just barely support it.

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[Naaman]

Okay. So, during the install, I want the suspension unloaded?

Pics would be awesome, Jeff. Thanks.

[pajeff02]

Here be the thread: http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176686

[Hurley711]

Which Koni's? I'm looking at STR-t in the near future.

[Naaman]

These are the yellows. The car came with a set up front... now I'm finally setting up the rear to match.

[Naaman]

Here be the thread: http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176686

Thanks, Jeff. But this thread is about the fronts. I'm doing rears (also, the pics seem to be dead... at least on the computer I'm using right now).

[35th-ANV-SS]

Okay. So, during the install, I want the suspension unloaded?

Yes.

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[pajeff02]

Thanks, Jeff. But this thread is about the fronts. I'm doing rears (also, the pics seem to be dead... at least on the computer I'm using right now).

For some reason I though you were doing both ends.

[Naaman]

For some reason I though you were doing both ends.

No worries. I'm actually entertaining the idea of saving up for coil overs at all 4 corners, but the rear suspension is so bad that I just had to address it sooner rather than later.

I'm waiting for my LCAs to come in and then I will do all of it at once.

If I'm not mistaken, the LCAs require the suspension to be loaded, but shocks--per Jon--require it to be unloaded (?)

[raynor139]

For some reason I though you were doing both ends.

No worries. I'm actually entertaining the idea of saving up for coil overs at all 4 corners, but the rear suspension is so bad that I just had to address it sooner rather than later.

I'm waiting for my LCAs to come in and then I will do all of it at once.

If I'm not mistaken, the LCAs require the suspension to be loaded, but shocks--per Jon--require it to be unloaded (?)

Yes lca you need it loaded for the shocks and springs unloaded.

[35th-ANV-SS]

https://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=8

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[Naaman]

I totally forgot about that site....

[Naaman]

Okay, so I decided to see if I could get some advanced intel on this by looking at the car tonight. Turns out, convertibles are different than the hard tops/t-tops. After yanking the carpeting back (knowing that my speakers are in a different location than the hard tops), I found no foam under the carpet. So I pulled the speaker panels out. Still nothing. Here is the solution for the convertibles:

Rear Shock Replacement 4th Gen Convertible - Camaro Forums - Chevy Camaro Enthusiast Forum

This also seems to be true for ALL cars, not just convertibles. However, on a convertible, it's useless to try and pull everything apart unless you want to do a lot more work to gain access. I can see that some might, as this is irreversible.

[Naaman]

After putting all the carpet and trim back together... ... I've pulled the little foam pieces out and all the prep work is done even before the sun comes up. Assuming I can get everything to come apart easily, this looks like it will be a quick job. I'm going to go ahead and do the shocks now, since the car is ready for it. If the LCAs come in today, even better! If not, oh well... will just have to lift it up again another day.

[Naaman]

Soooo... couldn't get the shocks off because I didn't have a wrench in the right size to pull that top nut off....

So I ordered a ratcheting wrench in the correct size from Amazon. It got here shortly after the LCAs came. So now that I have everything, I'm just going to go to a rent-a-lift tomorrow morning and do the job there.

[Naaman]

13 ft.lbs on the upper nut...

Is that even finger tight....?

[pajeff02]

That's 2 lb.ft. more than the torque on our spark plugs.

Without looking, I have no idea what the torque spec is on the upper nut.

[35th-ANV-SS]

Use German Specs; Good n tight.

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