So while I was under the car today, I started assessing the suspension to see how involved it would be to swap out the OEM springs for the H&R ones I have waiting.

Question 1: How does one remove the clip on top of the strut without breaking it?



Question 2:

I'm assuming that there is a 3rd nut holding the strut mount, but before I start tearing it down, can anyone confirm?

You can see the visible two here:


Question 3:

Is there a special tool for this bolt end? (lower strut mount)


Question 4:

The rear seems to be fairly straight forward in that I will need to remove the interior panels to access the top strut mounts. I'm assuming that the panels snap in and out...


Thanks for any insight...

 

pull the clip for the PASM straight up.

there is another nut, keep removing those panels.

no special tool needed. If I remember correctly thats just a normal 12pt socket (dont remember what size though)

the rear is easy, just drop the control arms from the rear hubs enough to pull the springs out, no need to remove interior panels.

now the alignment is a little trickier...caster / camber / toe...I ended doing 4 alignments before I felt good about it.

when doing the front struts, make sure the middle portion of the strut (for the pasm) does not spin. You will need to hold in place..I think I used an 02 sensor socket, but it took forever.

 

Your car looks beautiful and thank you for the insight. Glad to hear that the rears will be easier, I'll be tackling this within the next week and will document it best I can. When you say the middle portion of the strut you mean the shaft correct?

Thanks again!

Kunle