Installing lowering springs

Get Slammed! Sick of the stock SUV-Esque Ride Height of the Focus? Get a set of lowering springs and go crazy in your garage!

Time Required:
Several hours (but oh so worth it!)

Tools Needed:

SPRING COMPRESSOR!!! (Sometimes you can rent these from tool stores... Make sure you get a good one!)

Flathead Screwdriver for prying

Fairly tall jack stands and a floor jack

Socket Set

Block of wood

Ratchet and long breaker bar (Mad Torque on those bolts!)

Crescent Wrench (Adjustable)

Procedure:

Rear Coil Spring Replacement:
1) Loosen the wheel lugnuts. Raise and support the left rear side of the car. Lower the jack.

2) Remove the wheel.

3) using the floor jack again, with a block of wood to protect the suspension parts, raise the lower arm to apply some pressure on the rear spring.

4) Remove the bolt Holding the rear swaybar to the arm. Remove the bushings as well.

5) Remove the lower control arm bolt and nut.

6) Slowly lower the floor jack to decompress the rear spring. Keep the Rubber foot that came out with the spring, you'll need to re-use this piece.

7) Place the rubber foot at the top of the rear aftermarket spring, noting the notch. It will only fit one way. Line it up.

8) Place the bottom of the spring in the lower control arm, and using the jack, raise it into position. Be sure to guide the rubber foot back to the correct location before applying tension to the spring.

9) Raise the control arm with the jack again. As soon as you have the lower control arm back in place, re-install the nut and bolt that hold it together.

10) Re install the bushings and the sway bar end link bolts.

11) Get the jack back out from under there and install the wheel.

12) Lower the car and torque the lug nuts down.

Repeat the same process for the rear right side of the car.

Front Coil Spring Replacement:

1) Loosen the wheel lugnuts and raise the left rear front of the car and place a jack stand under it. Lower the jack.

2) Remove the wheel.

3) using the floor jack again, with a block of wood to protect the suspension parts, raise the lower arm to apply some pressure on the front spring.

4) Remove the bolt Holding the front swaybar to the strut. Remove the bushings as well.

5) Remove the brake line from the strut bracket. You may need to pry a retainer clip off in order to do this.

6) Remove the upper bolt holding the wheel spindle assembly to the strut.

7) Remove the bolt holding the tie rod end to the front spindle and move it aside.

8) Remove the front spindle bolt from the base of the strut.

9) Under the hood there are three bolts holding the strut in. Remove them.

10) Move the wheel hub and brake assembly aside and lower the strut and spring out from under the car.

Note: you may wish to just loosen the 3 nuts under the hood a little bit. You must push the steering knuckle and control arm down and remove the bottom of the strut from the suspension before you can get it all the way out of the strut tower, so you can wait to get the 3 nuts all the way off until you have the strut free from the rest of the suspension system.

Be very very very careful when compressing a spring or dealing with (or near) a compressed spring. This thing holds up more than 1/4 of your car's total weight. If it were to break free from the spring compressor, whatever it collides with will be smacked with the force of close to 600 pounds. Not fun. People die from things like this. We have zero liability here. (Read the Disclaimer on the front page) If you have doubts, take the strut to a professional shop to have them install the aftermarket springs on your struts.

11) Using spring compressor, apply enough tension that the spring does not touch the top spring retainer.

12) Very carefully, remove the bolt holding the spring retainer on. You will probably want impact tools but it can be done without them.

13) Lift the compressed spring off the strut. Carefully release tension from the stock spring, point it away from all objects including yourself and other people. There's a good chance this thing's gonna go flyin!

14) using the spring compressor, compress the aftermarket spring.

15) Install it over the strut. (Right side up, please!)

16) Replace the spring retainer and bolt.

17) Carefully remove tension from the aftermarket spring and make sure it is properly seated.

18) Raise the strut assembly back into the car, and re-install and tighten the 3 nuts holding the strut assembly in.

19) place the wheel back into position and bolt everything back together.

20) Replace the brake line into the holding bracket. Replace any clips if you had to remove them.

21) Replace the wheel

22) Lower the car and tighten the lug nuts.

Repeat Instructions for right front spring installation.