curtis
Well-known member
Well put this with the others in the How to Section.
Its an easy install and will take about a day.
First for the rears. I pulled the old ones and chopped off the lower mounts. The advance auto rears I had had a slightly smaller rear rubber bushing outside dia. than the factory muitsubishi's but no big deal. I placed the rear bushing in the bottom of the rear evo shock and placed the ears in the bench vice and started cranking it down. When it was as tight as I could turn it I wacked the ears down with a shop hammer. Then I opened up the vice and clamped the strut tube loosely with the vice just to hold it in place and took a large C-clamp and cranked in on the ears. Then I welded it with a small mig. (D-4 speed and feed) I cooked it in but only a little at a time and let the part cool down between welds. With the ears bent down your left with two holes and an hour glass shape. So I welded each of the 4 areas at different times. Sprayed some paint and installed, the car is siting with a 1.750 inch gap from the top of the tire to the rear quarter. I used the zip tie method to hold the stainless steel brake lines. The zip ties have been working for the last 4 years no need to change. I used the evo top mounts , uncut evo springs and the VR4 bottom mounts. Total time 1.5 hours and I'm slow.
Now for the fronts. Took a few hours total.
I bought 4 grade 8 14mm x 2.0 pitch x 80mm long bolts with 8 flat washers, 4 lock washers and 4 nylon inserted self locking nuts. Total cost $4.35 from the farm supply. (3.25 a pound /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif) I removed the old fronts and removed the top mounts and layed everything aside. I drilled out the strut mounting holes to accept the 14mm bolts. I used a concrete drill bit and honed it out with a cartridge roll to fit perfect. I used a 1/2 inch bit and went up from there due to the fact that I didn't have a 9/16 bit and didn't want to start grinding on a 5/8 bit due to the fact of the price of good concrete hammer bits. It drilled like butter.
The shims I built were from some pieces of 1/8 inch steel I had. The shims need to be around .850 to .875 and you'll need two for each side of the car. (total of four. I used the top mounts from a talon due to the fact is what I had on the car before and cut exactly one coil from the bottom of the stock evo spring. I used a metal cutting wheel on my table saw and simply lined up the end of the spring on the bottom and cut it directly above it. I reinstalled everything by lining it up and pressing down with the impact and reinstalling the nut. No need for a spring compressor. I installed everything (shims are a little tight and were a pita to line up). The front height is exactly the same as the rear dead level. 1.750 inches. I'm accually am going to remove the fronts and cut a little more off, I like the nose down look and feel.
Now for the drive. Feels like a truck to what I've been use to, I can hit potholes and bumps with out worries now. As for the handling with a cheap magnetic floating protrator it says the fronts are at .5 negitive camber now. Feels like more positive than anything but It feels good. It was cold and the tires were also cold but she wanted to come around on the backend a little on the exit of the first good curve here in my neighborhood I got to. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Its got a little on the bouncy bouncy jarring feeling of a race suspension I use to have on my old Mustang but so far I'm tickled. I'll post pictures later, it got dark before I could get them tonight.
Its an easy install and will take about a day.
First for the rears. I pulled the old ones and chopped off the lower mounts. The advance auto rears I had had a slightly smaller rear rubber bushing outside dia. than the factory muitsubishi's but no big deal. I placed the rear bushing in the bottom of the rear evo shock and placed the ears in the bench vice and started cranking it down. When it was as tight as I could turn it I wacked the ears down with a shop hammer. Then I opened up the vice and clamped the strut tube loosely with the vice just to hold it in place and took a large C-clamp and cranked in on the ears. Then I welded it with a small mig. (D-4 speed and feed) I cooked it in but only a little at a time and let the part cool down between welds. With the ears bent down your left with two holes and an hour glass shape. So I welded each of the 4 areas at different times. Sprayed some paint and installed, the car is siting with a 1.750 inch gap from the top of the tire to the rear quarter. I used the zip tie method to hold the stainless steel brake lines. The zip ties have been working for the last 4 years no need to change. I used the evo top mounts , uncut evo springs and the VR4 bottom mounts. Total time 1.5 hours and I'm slow.
Now for the fronts. Took a few hours total.
I bought 4 grade 8 14mm x 2.0 pitch x 80mm long bolts with 8 flat washers, 4 lock washers and 4 nylon inserted self locking nuts. Total cost $4.35 from the farm supply. (3.25 a pound /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif) I removed the old fronts and removed the top mounts and layed everything aside. I drilled out the strut mounting holes to accept the 14mm bolts. I used a concrete drill bit and honed it out with a cartridge roll to fit perfect. I used a 1/2 inch bit and went up from there due to the fact that I didn't have a 9/16 bit and didn't want to start grinding on a 5/8 bit due to the fact of the price of good concrete hammer bits. It drilled like butter.
The shims I built were from some pieces of 1/8 inch steel I had. The shims need to be around .850 to .875 and you'll need two for each side of the car. (total of four. I used the top mounts from a talon due to the fact is what I had on the car before and cut exactly one coil from the bottom of the stock evo spring. I used a metal cutting wheel on my table saw and simply lined up the end of the spring on the bottom and cut it directly above it. I reinstalled everything by lining it up and pressing down with the impact and reinstalling the nut. No need for a spring compressor. I installed everything (shims are a little tight and were a pita to line up). The front height is exactly the same as the rear dead level. 1.750 inches. I'm accually am going to remove the fronts and cut a little more off, I like the nose down look and feel.
Now for the drive. Feels like a truck to what I've been use to, I can hit potholes and bumps with out worries now. As for the handling with a cheap magnetic floating protrator it says the fronts are at .5 negitive camber now. Feels like more positive than anything but It feels good. It was cold and the tires were also cold but she wanted to come around on the backend a little on the exit of the first good curve here in my neighborhood I got to. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Its got a little on the bouncy bouncy jarring feeling of a race suspension I use to have on my old Mustang but so far I'm tickled. I'll post pictures later, it got dark before I could get them tonight.