Bilstein install = nightmare...

theman1990

theman1990

Experienced Member
Joined
16 October 2006
Messages
654
Location
Johnson City, TN
Holy Jesus!! The NSX manual is STUPIDLY optimistic and uninformative in getting those stocker shocks out!! Three nuts up top, and a bolt at the bottom my ARSE! You also need to get the sensor wire and sway bar linkage off, and then use a six foot breaker bar and a couple friends to get that sucker out of there!! PAIN IN THE A$$!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, WHAT was Bilstein thinking with the STANDARD (Not Metric) nut on the top of the new strut???? Everythin was metric BUT that!! Man..... yuck....

Also, anyone know if the rears are easier? Took 8 HOURS for the fronts in a fully equipped shop, using the service manual, and the gay instructions IN GERMAN????

Hope this is worth it!!
 
fwiw, mine were done in under 3 hours, F and R, by Niguel Motors... they didn't even need to use a spring compressor for the eibach's.

dunno.gif
 
Its really not a difficult job, they come out pretty much like any other strut assembly. I've done all four in 3 hours while drinking quite a bit of German beer along the way.

I'm thinking your shop had it done in 2, then took pictures of the car for 6 more hours.

Of course, it would be quite difficult to install if the spring perches were installed upside down.....

p.s. I have a shock right here....top nut: 17mm

Perhaps you need a better shop?
 
Last edited:
4 hours,

in driveway
with hand tools, spring compressor (not pneumatic), 2 jack stands & one jack.

...what was the question??:confused:
 
Maybe mine was just a super pain in the arse..... They UNBOLT easily... they come out with an act of God. Granted, the new ones went IN easier. I used the stock springs on the lower setting, installed correctly. Also, I do only have one arm, but I can still work relatively effeciently.
 
haha

the rears are harder than the fronts :biggrin: sorry to be the bare of bad news.

and spring compressors ..... does those things even work? We got the full struct replacement tool. we can put springs on all 4 in about 5 minutes..... but man it would suck doing it with a spring compressor.

it would be easier if you just went coil overs :D
 
this should NOT take more than 4 hrs for any professional shop which is the amount of time it took me and i am not a mechanic. find a better, more experience shop that knows what they are doing or won't charge you 8 hrs for it.
 
randomharmony said:
this should NOT take more than 4 hrs for any professional shop which is the amount of time it took me and i am not a mechanic. find a better, more experience shop that knows what they are doing or won't charge you 8 hrs for it.
Click to expand...

I think he is using space in a shop, and installing the dampers himself. It probably depends in large part on the condition of the bolts, etc. on the car; if they're original, untouched in 10+ years, the process could take longer.

Best of luck with the rears :smile:
 
theman1990 said:
Holy Jesus!! The NSX manual is STUPIDLY optimistic and uninformative in getting those stocker shocks out!!
...
Also, anyone know if the rears are easier? Took 8 HOURS for the fronts in a fully equipped shop, using the service manual, and the gay instructions IN GERMAN????
Click to expand...

Welcome to the reality! :tongue::D:D:D
No wonder that you spent 8 hours with the 'gay instructions in german'. Why don't you use the japanese one next time? :D:D:D

I don't want to intimitate you but the rears are even more complicated in the way you describe it. :) But 8 hours in a fully equipped shop??? You won't tell us that you've been working 8 hours without more than 5 hours having a beer? :tongue::) I took mine front ones out yesterday myself (with no football team to assist me) and completed the job in about 2 hours together with taking the brakes apart and regreasing them which actually was time-consuming.

Sorry to make a joke out of it but I see a reflection of my curses in your post if sth doesn't goes smooth. Just watch out for my upcoming thread 'WTF are the valves' as soon as I start working on my ride. :D:D:D
 
TAKE NOTE! I was in a fully equipped shop. I have one arm.

hehe... those do add a bit to the timeframe...... The killer was getting the struts OUT! Took a 6 ft pry bar to pry them out, as there wasn't NEARLY enough room to wiggle them out!!

Also, I've ground up built several cars and a bike, so I'm not TOO much of a carport cowboy, though the whole arm thing is new....
 
I hear ya brother!:frown:

Did the same procedure a couple of months ago (Bilstein and H&R's).
It was a serious pain in the ass!:mad:
And as you said - the service manual wasn't much help.

The rear dampers was the opposite - easy to remove but getting the new ones into place was a nightmare. :eek:
 
I've never done it in a NSX(YET), but I have installing new shocks and coilovers in other cars.

I've had problems before where it was pretty frustrating. I remember once, I was pushing up on the shock as hard as I could to compress it, while my dad was steping down on the control arm, and only then would the stupid thing come out.
 
03 raw nsx said:
4 hours,

in driveway
with hand tools, spring compressor (not pneumatic), 2 jack stands & one jack.

...what was the question??:confused:
Click to expand...

Completely off topic ... but I can't resist ...

The picture you have in your profile looks like my daughter.

Is that your daughter? How can she look identical to my daughter?
 
i'm still not quite sure what you guys are talking about when you say upper and lower perch.... you talking about a mounting point on the body? why is there more than one....? I suppose it would make more sense if i ever looked.

all i know is that my buddy's accord and 97civic were mad easy. can't believe how easy it is to tear the suspension apart in those cars.... is it at all similar for the nsx? why would you have to compress the springs? bought shocks with separate springs?
 
Synthesis said:
i'm still not quite sure what you guys are talking about when you say upper and lower perch.... ?
Click to expand...

Have a look at the FAQ, there's a picture of a Bilstein shock. The perches are on the shock itself, a Bilstein feature.
 
myhui said:
Completely off topic ... but I can't resist ...

The picture you have in your profile looks like my daughter.

Is that your daughter? How can she look identical to my daughter?
Click to expand...

Maybe he travels a lot?:biggrin:
 
Sorry to hear of your struggle. As noted in other Bilstien posts; you will need a spring compressor to R&R the springs onto the new shocks, so make use of it to compress and shrink the original struts before removing them from the car. It makes things much easier. Be REAL carefull with the rear CV boots when withdralling to old struts; it's easy to poke and tear the boots. Do that and you'll wish you only had to do a few strut jobs! Enjoy!!
 
Synthesis said:
i'm still not quite sure what you guys are talking about when you say upper and lower perch.... you talking about a mounting point on the body? why is there more than one....? I suppose it would make more sense if i ever looked.

all i know is that my buddy's accord and 97civic were mad easy. can't believe how easy it is to tear the suspension apart in those cars.... is it at all similar for the nsx? why would you have to compress the springs? bought shocks with separate springs?
Click to expand...

There are two settings on Bilsteins Shocks one that is set at stock height, with OEM springs and another that is about .75" lower with OEM springs, all you do is move the snap ring into which ever groove for the height that you prefer and the spring perch rests on it. Note if you use lowering springs let teh spring lower your car not the perch and the spring, well depending on how low you go, other wise if you set on the lower perch it will be the spring lower height plus the lower perch height. Most cars would be near the ground...well a lot nearer than they are now:wink:
 
randomharmony said:
this should NOT take more than 4 hrs for any professional shop which is the amount of time it took me and i am not a mechanic. find a better, more experience shop that knows what they are doing or won't charge you 8 hrs for it.
Click to expand...

I am a mechanic, or was at united airlines. You made great time for not being a mechanic, it took me 4 hours.:eek: in my own driveway

theman1990 said:
The killer was getting the struts OUT! Took a 6 ft pry bar to pry them out, as there wasn't NEARLY enough room to wiggle them out!!
Click to expand...

Try a 8 ft 2x4 wood is a little more forgiving on the metal...no metal to metal scrapes:biggrin:
 

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