|
If you are tired of the giant wheel well gap, or
are planning on doing some racing and need a more aggressive
suspension, you will need to know how to swap new springs and shocks
into your 240SX. For this write-up, I
have installed Eibach Sportline Springs and KYB GR2 struts.
 
Eibach Sportlines
Front springs and struts
Starting with the front, you'll need to raise and secure the
vehicle.
Remove the three nuts on top of the strut tower.
 
Depending on what kind of brake lines you have installed, you will
need to detach them from the strut before you remove it from the
vehicle
Remove the two large bolts that attach the strut to the upright.
These bolts might be frozen and may need a torch or a press to
remove them.
 
Once you have the strut out of the vehicle, you will need to
compress the spring and remove the nut on top of the strut shaft, as
indicated in the picture below.
If you are replacing both the strut and spring, you will need to
reuse the spring hat, strut mount, and dust boot. Replace the
dust boot if it is worn and cracked. Also, replace the upper
strut mount if it does not turn freely.
You may want cut the bump stop to allow for more travel, but do not
remove too much.
 
When you reassemble the strut, you need to make sure that the spring
hat is aligned properly. In the picture below, you will see a
notch. This notch should face the inside of the vehicle.
It should face the complete opposite direction of the mount for the
upright.
Once you have the hat and strut mount installed, make sure that
everything was aligned properly then decompress the spring and
reinstall it in the vehicle.
 
Rear springs and struts
With the front complete, raise and secure the back of the vehicle.
You will need to start by removing the rear deck cover behind the
rear seat-back. Once you have that out of the way, you can
reach the upper strut nuts which you will need to remove.
You will need to remove the lower strut bolt. Once you remove
the bolt, you can pull the strut out.
 
With the strut out of the vehicle, you will need to compress the
spring, remove the bolt on the end of the strut shaft, and pull
everything apart.
If you are swapping both the spring and strut, you will only be
reusing the hat, and dust boot. Replace the dust boot if it is worn
and cracked.
 
After you reassemble the rear sock, reinstall the assembly, and
lower the vehicle.
The pictures I have below are before the first trip with the new
springs. The car sits slightly lower now that the springs have
settled. I highly recommend that you align the vehicle.
Even with this drop, the front camber was within spec, but the rear
camber needs to be corrected In order to correct the rear
camber, you will need to find an adjustable upper control link.
The ride quality of my 240 was improved with the new hardware.
The strut travel has been reduced substantially, and it is usually
only evident on larger bumps. I haven't had a chance to race
with the new equipment, but I feel confident that my times will
improve.
Note: In the event that you are installing a complete
coilover setup, you will be replacing all of the existing hardware
with new pieces. This will simplify the project since you will
not need to dismantle the old equipment.
   
My 240 with rear 300ZX TT wheels on both the front and
rear.
|
