What I have done so far:
Rears - All done and buttoned up.

Fronts -
- 18mm bolt holding shock to wheel carrier removed
- Drop link removed
- 3 bolts holding shock to frame removed
- Spring wound down shock body
- Tie rod bolt off

Right now Im at the point where I need to get more play in the suspension to be able to pull the shock assembly out of the wheel well. I have read all the write ups and am a little confused as to where I should be loosening things up to achieve this. I am going to go get a separator tool tomorrow to take the tie rod end off but would like some help on the next steps. I know I need to disconnect the axles but I dont think that will be all that I need to do. Someone mentioned loosening and disconnecting the control arm but Im not sure where as there are a lot of things connected together down there.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers!

 

pm me your cell. i can talk you thru what you need to drop the suspension down. no need for specialty tools.

 

Talk about service!

I would have fitted the strut to the chassi again with the three nuts.
With the stab bar and steering off, it only left to pop off the track controll arm.

Then i would have yanked out the driveshaft from the front diff.
This saves you the outer nut that you should replace if you remove it the "regular" way.
With the driveshaft separated from the diff it should only be left to remove the 3 top mount nuts, and take it out of the car and separate the strut from the hub.

Then reverse the process.

 

thats pretty much it. I'm rwd so its even easier. just remove the lower track bar and rotate the entire assy down and out away from the fender lip.

 

Also while the shafts are out, check the cv boots and replace if necessary

 

Su...what a great resource the guys on here are! Basically live help. Very cool. Are you taking pictures as you go along?

 

Im guessing the track bar is the one going from the front of the wheel well to the center of the control arm?

For the dif, Im loosening it from the trans with the 6 allen bolts.

As far as tools, I was going to get the napa tool to separate the tie rod end from the wheel carrier. It doesnt want to budge.

 

Got the tie rod ends off the car using the modified NAPA tool. Wasnt too hard, about 30 minutes of filing to get it into the proper shape and used a snap ring tool to reverse the jaw.

Used a ratcheting tie down to compress the shock and hold it so it doesnt damage the wheel well or fenders.

Took off the undertray to get access to the half shafts and stopped there as I need a second set of hands to remove those properly.

 

No need to loosen the 6 allen bolts, just yank the complete shaft out, as its only fitted inside the diff with a compression ring.
However if you have good access to the 6 allen bolts, then just unscrew them, its really up to you.
If you do it that way, be careful with the grease cup on the end that may come loose and cause a greasy mess.

Not sure how far you have come according to the descriptions, but if you are stuck somewhere add a photo of the part also to avoid any confusion.

If the steering/tca rod ends are stuck, just give it a firm hit with a hammer on the side of the hub where the rod goes.
That usually makes the tie rods come loose.

 

Maverick, I just got back into town and online. How is it going? all complete? PM me and I will send mobile.