New Springs and Shocks/Struts question

[jbanks25]

I just bought a full suspension from FMS lowering springs, and KYB GR2's. I also got the bearings for the front shocks. In every ones experience, is there anything else I should get before performing this job. I have an 89 festiva, so I want to know if anything is prone to break when I take it out of there (Mounting plate ect.) I just want to have everything on hand before I start. Please let me know. Thank you!

[Safety Guy]

Check your control arm/ball joints. I always seem to either have bad ones or mess them up when I remove my knuckles.

Where they attach to the body is also a potential problem. Sometimes they won't come off! You may have to destroy them and use new bolts with new nuts instead of the captive nuts on the car.

Check your Aspire rear axle to make sure the old shocks come off first. Solve this so you won't be trying to deal with it during your swap.

One more problem is if your tie rod ends don't want to come off. I'm going to try to loosen them up before I take my knuckle off. In other words, loosen them first thing. If you can't, then you could put your front wheels back on and go to a shop to have them do it.

That's all I can think of right now.

Good luck!

Karl

[jbanks25]

Thanks for the advice.

I'll be working with all Festiva parts though. I didn't do the brake conversions ect. I have slotted festiva rotors, and 13X5.5 wheels that fit the Festiva, so doing the aspire swap would make me repeat a lot of work.

[Safety Guy]

Ah so!

You got spring compressors? Or will your FMS springs be already mounted in the front struts?

The higher duro stabilizer bar bushings would be nice. It's kind of a pain to put the inner ones on though.

Make sure your shock through bolts are removeable before you start.

That's all I can think of.

Karl

[aithanmier]

just make sure ya have a decent impact wrench. i wouldn't do suspension or ehaust work without one. and don't use a breakover bar. 9 times out of 10 you'll just bust the bolt off with em. if it won't budge hit it with penetrationg oil. if it still won't then hot wrench it.

[fastivaca]

I'll pass on some advice that I was given... spray all the bolts etc with some kind of penetrating oil for a few days prior to doing the work.

[jbanks25]

The fronts come compressed and put together from FMS already. I have the tools I need. I also have a good helped (My father in law teaches Ford Mechanics how to be Mechanics, and builds street rods). We just want to make sure there is no pieces missing when we get everything disassembled, that we wish we would have got ahead of time. I may do the high strength mounts.

[fastivaca]

I would change out your lower control arms at the same time; roger has those too for a good price. If you do it now there's only one alignment needed!

I'm doing pretty much the same as you are and will be replacing the LCA's, sway bar bushings, etc along with the springs and struts.