i'm gonna install my skunk2 lowering springs
soooo efffin' excited

got my springs in the box next to my bed
got the How To from How To: Install Skunk2 Lowering Springs for Honda Fit
go to class, come home
start installing them
then take like a .2 mile drive to les schwab and get my alignment checked
-and doesn't les schwab do it for free??
depending on weather, wash my car, claybar it and wax it
then show off the newly lowered/waxed NBP fit

and i got everything ready along with extra stickers and a license frame (thank you holiday special at skunk2.com)


wish me luck and if theres anything i forgot or need answer to this thread asap!!!

 

i would wait a week or two and let the springs settle before i went and got an alignment

 

I'll be picking up some Tanabe DF210's next pay and will follow the same instructions you posted above. Can't wait to get rid of the 4x4 look.

 

dont let your front cv joint pop out...

 

Yeah dont let that happen. That sucks when it happens.
Good luck on the install. Get us some pics when your done!

Tyler

 

Good luck with your install - post us some pictures once you get it all done. Looks like a fun day for you!

Cat :x

 

bad news, can't install them until wednesday
no time with school and work, was gonna do it today but i got called into work unfortunetly

yeh, it says on the install directions to hold up the lugs with jackstands...pretty sure that'll do the trick
i read somewhere that if it does pop out then i have to reassemble the axle which im not mechanically smart to do

 

actually i recommend you put your hydraulic jack under the hub, place
a piece of towel or rubber sheet and hold it there. holding the hub
on the studs is not a good idea because:

1. it can easily slip off the jack/jackstand.
2. you can potentially damage the stud threads...well, i you have your
lug nuts on there, probably not. but hold it under the hub.

hope you get some time on Wed.

 

i agree with him on this. i found it easier to use the hydraulic jack in past applications.

 

so i installed my front springs yesterday cus class got over pretty early and for me it was somewhat difficult. the DIY instructions i got had one part that said to cut 1 inch off the rubber bumper carefully with a razor blade"....well, that rubber bumper was thick as sh** so i ended up cutting about 1/3 of an inch from the bottom and also the directions didn't say from which end so that was confusing

and this morning i decided to wake up early before work to install the rear ones but i have a problem
1) when i jack up my car i place jackstands (with some rags on top) underneath my hubs. i took out the 14 mm bolt that they said to get out
2) after removing the bolt, apparently the perch is supposed to drop down and all i have to do is remove the spring and put the new ones in
3) but theres no way for the perch to down
- in order to lower it i need to put the bolt in
- and what i was thinking was for the perch to go down, it must be disconnected from the shock
- but in order to do that, i need to take the bolt out which is impossible unless my hubs are on the jackstands

i need help to making the perch go down

 

As far as the rear perch goes, you just need to muscle it down. the shock won't come out, it's bolted in other locations, it'll just move/dangle.
I found it easier to remove the wheel. Then you can go in by the wheel well, push down with one arm and pull/wiggle the spring out with the other.
When you put the new springs in, get a hydraulic jack and use it to lift the perch back up - otherwise it's a PITA if you muscle it back up.
Hope that helps, and good luck. And it's a good idea to get the springs to settle, I threw some weight in the car to help out overnight, and drove it for about 2 days like that, then went for an alignment.

 

if the bottom bolt does not come out dont force it to come out cause
you will end up stripping the threads.

what you need to do is raise the spring seat up a little with your
hydraulic to a point the bolt is loose and you can just turn the bolt
with your fingers. NEVER force fasteners to come out or go back in.

as far as removing the spring, as seven mentioned you need to muscle it
out. it's easier to have 2 people do it. one push down on the drum brake,
the other pull the spring out. i did it on my own, driver side rear was a
biotch cause i was working in tight space.

 

i only have 1 jack at home, so if there another way to do it or should i jack my car up, put jackstands on the drums, take the jack off and jack up each perch with the hydralic jack? and i said jack way too many times in that sentence

yeh, i just lifted it up just the exact point where the bolt comes out with no effort...2 ppl, well looks like its time for some valuable father-son bonding time haha

i really appreciate the help from you guys, because without this forum i would be at home with a NHBP thats nondrivable

 

How To: Install Skunk2 Lowering Springs for Honda Fit

 

thats the instructions i used for my install

it was just the part where it said remove the bolt and the perch will drop confused me because what i'm really supposed to do is to pull it down

 

yah, those instructions are not very accurate imho, but good as a
general guide.

there was instructions over at honda-tech (i think) that had more
details. but it's pretty basic. just need to push down pretty
hard to remove the spring.

 

just an update.... i was working on the rear progress bar last night and
found out that if you remove both rear shock bolts the springs will
plop out...

which makes sense cause it's a torsion beam sus. duh...

 

i just finished installing the rear springs and it was 10x easier than the front ones. i really don't like the torsion beam at all

Problems i had during the installation:
1) for the front rubber bumpstop, it said to cut 1 inch off which is impossible because its uber thick and it also didn't say from the top or bottom but the thinest part was the bottom and i only cut about 1/3" off
2) rear springs: as mentioned before i didn't kno how to get the springs out because of the nature of the torsion beam and the perch but after practically jumping on it many times the spring popped right out

overall it went semi well and i learned alot
i'm looking forward to installing a progress sway bar in the next couple of weeks...heres some pictures

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...5/P1000635.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...5/P1000630.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...5/P1000625.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...5/P1000621.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...5/P1000619.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...5/P1000615.jpg
the last one i f'ed up cus i shoulda had at least a rag underneath incase it messed up the threading

 

grats on the installation dude. car looks nice

 

yah, i suppose you didn't read my last update... it's a torsion beam
sus...therefore, the reason why the spring does not come out when
you're doing one side is because your other side has the damper still
attached to the car. take off both screws and plop.. both springs
fall out at the same time because there is no more tension.

torsion beam sus works like a swaybar.

no jumping or pushing down on the drum brake required.

i was like no duh... and laughed at myself when i was doing the
progress bar.