KYB Shock Change Out

[pressonregardless]

After following Mark's advise on a prior post back in Feb 2008"But I've installed tons of the standard gas charged KYBs and I feel they are the best street shock for the Spider. I've had them on my own Spider for over 5 yrs now"
Right now the GR2's are on sale direct from the KYB web site for $22.95 a deal! Anyway I changed out my fronts and took a test drive, WOW it went from a bedroom slipper the a court hightop in performance. I can charge deep into a turn with a late apex and listen to the rear end scrub around as it still has the 34 year old OEM's on the back.
So my question is my IAP shop manual states the rear springs can just be pried apart and and the shock slid out the top. My concern is there are many posts here with problems around the placement of the upper rear spring bushing and it's location, so I wondered if anyone could comment from experience? Thanks in advance, Charlie

[So Cal Mark]

prying the spring apart far enough to slip a shock out should be a fun, rewarding experience. Please have someone video the process and post it asap.

Taking the steps to lower the rear axle assy is not that big a deal in my opinion, but it does take a couple of hours to replace the rear shocks. It's definitely easier and quicker if you have access to air wrenches. One downside to this method is that the center brake hose has to be disconnected which means bleeding the rear brakes. But since the compensator link will be disconnected anyway, it's not a real problem. You can leave the driveshaft connected since the rear axle doesn't have to come down that far to relieve the tension on the rear springs

[adrians]

I install KYB-GR2 on my Spider about 6 months, they made a heap of difference to the handling.

pressonregardless - Doing the rear shocks was NOT very hard.

I assume here the car is on stands and the weight of the rear axle is held by a trolley jack.

Just unbolted the top nuts from the tower in the boot (aka trunk), make sure you don't drop the nuts, washers or spanner they're impossible to retrieve

Next unbolt the lower shock bolts, unbolted the link between the body and the brake compensator.

Then lower the axle, noting the position of the black/blue spring mounting cups in relation to the springs/coil ends.
Now slid both the spring and old shockie out, top first.

Reverse the process for the reinstall....

Hope that helps.

[mdrburchette]

I'd shove rags or tape up this little hole to nowhere if I were you. It took me three days to fish my socket out of there while changing the boot hooks:


It's sorta like the hole in the crossmember at the motor mounts. Everything that falls from the engine will end up in that hole.

[So Cal Mark]

Denise, it sounds like you had the wrong bait after 3 days of fruitless fishing

[mbouse]

WELL, now i dunn feel so bad. i was beginnning to believe that my Spider had a natural affinity for 10mm sockets. Can't tell you how many trips to Sears I've made to replace that one item lost down the X-member, or other locations throughout the car.

[pressonregardless]

Thanks Mark & Denise! I will definitely stuff rags in the holes in back, I have a few Craftsman tools in my cheap collection, although I have one 3/8" ratchet set I purchased from KMart in the 1970 's made in "Japan" and the steel was as good as Snap-On or Craftsman, anyway I was thinking I don't want to open the rear brake lines as my bleeders are frozen solid on both back calipers. Yes I have new calipers, but wanted to do the shocks first. I have to change out the parking brake cable so I can loose the "mobile chock" 2 X 4 piece in the back seat. I know, too Oakie. At least it is stained to match the steering wheel~
What chance do I have using a spring compressor? I have two (J.C. Whitney I think) that I could compress the springs with? Just really don't want to start the rear brake project yet. Any Ideas?

Also, have to ask, has anyone broken off a wheel bolt? My wheels have been off several times, but for what ever reason, one bolts froze and my electric impact would not budge it, so I got my lug wrench and swoop! off it came, broken about half way in. I know about "easy outs" but truly have had little success with them. What is the tread size if I run a tap in? Is there a better trick to drilling it out than a pilot hole and then about one size smaller drill? The replacement bolts from NAPA say " M12-1.25 X 48.5 mm " I give................ BTW, I have steel wheels (5" I think) with 185/70-13.

At least it is still drivable. And the lessons continue.......

[So Cal Mark]

you can try lowering the rear axle without disconnecting the center brake hose, just be careful not to overstretch it.
It's rare to break a lug bolt, usually the threads on the axle strip out first. The thread size is 12mm x 1.25

[mdrburchette]

I've got an extra bolt I'll send you. PM me your address. You can also buy them from our Fiat vendors.

[pressonregardless]

Thanks for the insight, I am not sure if I will tackle or try to ask a local machine shop if they can extract. I appreciate the offer on the replacement bolt, I'll wait and see, I have 5 from NAPA Auto for $1.99 ea. they have a longer Hex Head but appear to be a close match, so I'll let you know. Not happy to hear bolts seldom break, that means it's locked in real tight, Ughhhhh.. more Drama. Happy New Year to All! Charlie

[baltobernie]

The torque spec for wheel bolts is 50 ft.lbs. I think most broken ones result from using the typical garage impact setting of 100 ft.lbs.

If part of the bolt protrudes beyond the flange, one cheap trick is to cut a slot in the face with your Dremel and (after soaking with penetrant) attempting to unscrew with a big screwdriver. CT #2 is to Dremel a flange that you can hit counterclockwise with the blade of an air chisel.

Sadly, neither of these worked for me, and I had to drill out the bolt. Not rocket surgery, just time-consuming. Just like with EZ-Outs, whatever you do, Don't use too small a drill and break that sucker off in the stud. One piece of good news is that the hole goes clean thru, so you can "walk" the bit back and forth.

[ventura ace]

One piece of good news is that the hole goes clean thru, so you can "walk" the bit back and forth.

As Bernie says, the hole goes through, and if the broken bolt is long enough, it may go through, also. Check to see if there is any sticking out the back side. I'm assuming you've stripped all the brake parts off and you are down to the hub. If there is much of the bolt sticking out the back side, maybe you can grab it with vice-grips, or slot it with a dremel to turn it with the slot.

Good luck with it!

Alvon

[narfire]

Hi there, I have to get a life, this forum is great. I have a neibour at work that showed me a great trick and to date it has worked every time when I re-built my spider. Many rusty studs were removed this way....I'm no good with a welder(chainsaw yes) but he placed a nut about the same size or a tad smaller over the broken stud and then proceded to weld/wire feed the inside of the nut pretty much full. while still hot,take a wrench and unscrew the nut. The heat broke the rusty bond and presto,nice clean hole with thread intact.
Used on exhaust manifold, broken brake bleeders,more than I can remember.
Have fun

[pressonregardless]

Thanks for all the suggestions, unfortunately the wheel lug bolt is not sticking out the back, and broke off about 4 threads remaining on the bolt, thus most of the bolt came out, however approx. 8-10 threads are in the hub so..... more on that later. Having real challenges finding the needed 12mm-1.25 tap even on the internet, suggestions?

Rear shock change out went quite simple since the second one was complete in about 30 minutes. With the body on jack stands and a floor jack under the rear end, (as Denise said, stuff rags into the holes around the upper shock towers) loosen/remove the top nuts. Now put to spring compressors around the weighted springs and lower the rear end, the springs come free and the shocks pull out. Take a 13 mm (deep well would be nice) and remove the two nuts holding the shock bottom bracket, and lift the shock and spring as one assembly. Don't forget to leave the strap on your new gas shocks until they are up near the top hole and you remember to install the bushing and flange on top of the shock. Pull the strap off and leave to cut later. Raise the rear end and guide the top of the shock through the hole and secure with rubber bushing flange and nut. Install the bottom two 13mm nuts and then lower the rear end so the spring compressors can be removed. Lower the rear end. Repeat on the other side. The left is a little harder to get at due to brake lines and structure, so you may want to do the right first.

I could feel the difference going around the parking lots as speed bumps are dampened much better, I have not had much opportunity to toss a few corners to see the handling difference, I am sure it will not be as dramatic as changing the fronts!

Press On! Charlie

[narfire]

Good morning. I've found Lordco(Canada only ?) great for "one of" type things or perhaps Napa.
The broken lugnut lodged in the hub sounds like a great candidate for the welding trick if you have access to that stuff,otherwise I guess drill and tap.
Good luck
Chris