Rear Spring & Shock Installation

[Alex8181]

Written By: Alex8181

Difficulty (1-5): 4
Time Frame: 2-3 Hours

The rear shock and spring installation is slightly harder than the fronts only because you have to assemble the shocks and shock caps pointing in the same direction as it started with or it will not fit correctly back in the wheel well. Otherwise, this is very similar to the front suspension.

Step 1: Start of by removing the wheels and jacking up the car as with the front suspenion install.

Step 2: Open the trunk and remove the rear carpet from the car. Than remove all the items in the trunk including the spare tire. The foam pieces on the side of the spare tire is plugged into the trunk with plastic plugs. A good pull will remove them. I also used a cover to protect the rear bumper while I was working.



Step 3: Now unscrew the two bolts holding down the small carpet between the trunk and rear seats.



Step 4: Remove the plastic Crossmember. A strong pull will do it, there are no bolts holding it down, just plastic clips.



Step 5: Once the interior is removed, go back down to the wheel well. Look behind the rotor and remove the bolt and bracket holding the skid control sensor wire.



Step 6: Now remove the upper bracket and bolt.



Step 7: Remove the bolt connecting the swaybar and the endlink.



Step 8: Take a jackstand and support the lower control arm. Then remove the large nut and bolt connecting the shock to the arm.



Step 9: Go back to the trunk and remove the 3 bolts holding the shock assembly to the frame. One of them is hidden and you may need to dig a little bit for it. If you feel more comfortable with removing the whole rear panel it will make it a lot easier but is really unnecessary.



Step 10: Manuever the shock assembly out of the wheel well. Once that is done, this presents an opportune time to install an aftermarket swaybar if you're planning to upgrade. If not, continue with the installation, mark the angle of the lower shock and the shock top hat so you know the correct position to re-assemble the shock assembly.



Step 11: Compress the spring and remove the bolt on the top of the shock assembly by using a box wrench and a hexagonal wrench.



Step 12: Re-assemble the shock assembly with the aftermarket shocks, aftermarket springs, and the remaining stock parts. Again, I stress the importance of having the angle of the shock in relation to the top hat correct, otherwise you will be taking it apart and re-aligning it. Torque the top lock nut to 41 ft. lbs.

Step 13: Put the shock assembly back in the wheel well and re-install the 3 nuts that hold the shock assembly to the frame. Torque to 59 ft. lbs.

Step 14: Re-install the lower shock bolt and lock nut. Torque to 103 ft. lbs.

Step 15: Re-install the endlink back with the swaybar. Torque to 32 ft. lbs.

Step 16: Re-attach the brackets for the skid control sensor wire. Torque to 44 ft. lbs.

Step 17: Everything done correctly you should have something much like the picture below. Re-install all the interior items back in the trunk. Now take your car to geti it aligned because it is a must after any lowering.