front shock change

I'm getting ready to change the front shocks on my 87 coupe. I'm looking for some advice. I have the Bentley repair manual that goes thru the procedure but does anyone have any experience with the change? Is this a difficult change, etc...? Also, I have Boge struts and I believe the shocks have been changed once before.

Also, I put Bilstein sports on the rear and was thinking about the same for the front. I have 22/28 torsion bars. Should I stick with the same brand? Any suggestions on other combinations for the front shocks?

Thanks!

I would definately stick with the same brand on all 4 corners. The bilstein sport inserts should fit fine in your Boge's. With those dampers, you might want to upgrade your t-bars too!

-EJ

My t-bars were upgraded to 22/28. Are you suggesting larger than 22/28 or larger than stock?

In addition. I was debating about larger sway bars but I talked to a guy at the track last weekend who upgraded the his sway bars on an 89 coupe. After the change, one of the rear mounts broke away and he had to have it welded back in place. I'm reluctant to change my sway bars if the structure isn't strong enough to handle the larger bars.
Any thoughts?

Don,

Your mounts are probably going to break anyway! Mine did on an 86 with stock sways. As did a lot of other Carrera owners.

BK

Don-

I was suggesting a larger-than-stock T-bar upgrade, so your 22/28's should work like a charm with your new Billy sports! As far as bigger sways, it is probably the next logical and most economical handling upgrade. Yes, the mounts are notoriously week, but you can have them reinforced, or replaced (I think Weltmiester makes a swaybar mount upgrade kit). Just my $.02

-EJ

Don,

Changing the front shocks is not difficult. If you want to do it the way most manuals say, go ahead. If you want to do it the quick way, read below!

Take a small chisel or screwdriver and move the "keeper" washer away from the large nut that holds the shock shaft at the top of the car inside the trunk. If you have replacement shocks in the car, you then may have nylock nuts, and then disregard this part on the washer. Then loosen the nut... sometimes will take a air wrench or such as the nuts are sometimes on very tight and the piston of the shock does rotate, which does not help things any.

Usually the cars have a large (3 inches around) dished washer that has a notch in the rim. This washer fits on the shock piston in a groove and can be used to hold the shaft while taking the nut off. Use the wrench that is provided by the factory (hope you have the factory tool kit) to hold the pulley when changing the fan belt to hold the washer and loosen the nut. Do not take the nut all the way off yet.

Loosen the lug nuts and then jack the car up. Take the wheel off. Use a jack stand and I always put the wheel under the body of the car just in case something comes loose and some part of my body is under the car.

Then you can take the top shock nut loose. Pull the shock piston down and then the whole assy will pivot outwards. I used a plastic bucket (Sams club large Margarita mix, a very special factory item) to put under the brake disk to keep the "A" frame and hub from going too low after taking the shock loose.

Take the metal shock dust cover off of the strut and then insert the shock piston back up in the hole, like you were going to reinstall it. If you have problems getting the shock back up in the hole, get a 4" 6mm bolt and many of the units have threads inside the shock piston and this helps. Place the nut back on the unit, but only hand tight. NOW you can get to and loosen the nut that holds the shock cartridge in the strut, WITH the strut assy supported at the top and bottom. Pull the key out of the ignition and let the steering wheel lock hold the unit from turning while you loosen the nut.

Once the large nut holding the shock into the strut is loose, take the nut on the top of the shock loose and let shock piston back down. Support it from the inside the fender so that it does not hit the fender and as well put any strain on the flexible brake hose.

If you have the stock shocks on the car, it could be either a cartridge or a jumble of oily parts when you get the nut off. Gently pull the strut assy out beyond the fender lip and then pull the shock out of the strut.

If its a mess of parts, get them all out (use a magnet) and soak up the oil in the strut assy. Use a long screwdriver to confirm that nothing is left in the bottom of the strut. If you do not have the orginal shocks in the fronts, then you will have a cartridge, and just pull the old one out, put the new one in, takes 30 seconds.

Insert the new strut cartridge in the strut housing, then put the nut on the puppy and start to tighten the nut. Do exactly as before and push the piston back inside so you can clear the fender lip and when its down, then put the shaft up inside the hole without the metal dust cover. While depressing the piston, make sure that no stress is being put on the brake hose! Lightly install the nut on the top to secure the shock.

Do the first part with a normal breaker bar or ratchet and once its getting tight, then finish by torquing it as specified by Porsche/Bilstein/Koni et al, with a torque wrench. Once the shock is tight in the housing, withdraw the piston shaft again and then put the metal dust cover on the top of the shock/strut assy and do it all over again, but this time make sure you use the large washer (unless told not to do so by the shock maker) under the nut on top of the top of the shock inside the trunk. Make sure that you use the "keeper" washer unless the new nuts are "nylock" and do not need this.

Now do the other side and you are done... Most of the books tell you to remove the entire strut assy from the car and its just not needed. I did both shocks in less than an hour this way.

Make sure that you get the special wrench with the shocks to tighten the strut nut. Bilstein provides them for free but you need to ask if one is in the box, as my first shipment did not include one and the factory people sent me one right out the next day.

I used HD Bilsteins on the front and Sports in the rear of my 85 model after hearing from lots of people that the Sports were just too stiff and that the HD units provided a nice ride and very good response. After a month and 1500 miles, I agree! Could not be happier... I was going to go with larger torsion bars but now not sure that I need them until I go for AX or track use. The Turbo Tie rods and shock brace did make a large difference in the feel, but I have a Targa, so more could use it stiffer anyway.

Forgot, take the car out for a test drive and when back, use the contents of the margarita bucket and toast your work!

Hope this helps.

JA

On my 89 coupe, I have 22/28 bars, Bilstein Sports front and rear, and 22mm adjustable sway bar front and rear. Overall, I like this setup. I think it is about as far as you can go for a track car and still enjoy driving it around. Depends on how your street are and what kind of road you like to drive on (Highway vs backroads). The car has also been lowered to about 24", has adjustable spring plates with polyurethane bushings, turbo tierods, strut bracing, and roll bar. The most dramatic change ironically is when I go to 17" wheels vs 16". Much stiffer ride and road feel.

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.

[This message has been edited by 89911 (edited 05-22-2001).]

I have just purchased koni sport (yellow, adjustable) shocks for the rear of the car, but for the moment was going to wait before replacing the front.
2 questions:
1) Will replacing just the rear and putting on the 'softest' or minimum setting effect the ride 'badly'?.
2) Will koni sport shocks work on the front should I decide to fit them later?.
Paragon product (advetised in excellence) listed these shocks as good for p cars 75-89.
My car is a stock 86 and the originals whilst dirty look black.
I do not wish to send these back if possible, and am only really trying to stop a 'clunk' which is getting worse when going over pot holes!.

As I understand it shocks do not effect the hardness of a ride or stiffness of the car- just the rebound of the wheel over a bump?
Write or wrong?
any advice appreciated
rgds Ben

JA, Thanks for the step by step!

Don
87 coupe

86 Rag,

Wait a while, save your bux and replace all the shocks at ONE time. Just not worth being a "test pilot" when its not needed. If you put the shocks on the car at the "soft" setting, then when you replace the fronts you get to go through the whole thing again, and its not quick nor easy. Either the Koni or Bilstein shocks work well with the 911. I have used Koni shocks for years and wanted to try the Bilsteins... am very happy with them and their product support is excellent as well.

If the shocks are black then this means Boge (orange=Koni/yellow=Bilstein)and that usually means that they are stock. Mine were stock and worthless by the time I changed them, especially the fronts, even though they "felt" good at the time. You would not believe the difference in the ride and response now. Please take one of the front wheels off and look on the shock strut for a name and number. If it says Boge and a number, then you have Boge all around and can get an insert from Bilstein or Koni for a Boge housing. I would not mix/match shocks, and if you want to stick with the Koni's in the rear, put the same in the front.

BTW, replacing the rears on a DME car is not fun, with your having to pull the airbox and metering unit off to get to the right rear upper nut. The left upper was not too bad, with your having to pull the heater fan and ducting off. All in all, plan on an hour per side on the rear shocks, double the time of the fronts.

Now is also a good time to deep six the airbox type filter and put a "cone" type air filter on the car. I have hated trying to get to the spring clips on the factory air filter housing for years when changing the filter, now its over! The $100 I spent was well worth it, and I did it not for power, or more motor intake noise, but ease of maintenance. The skin on my hands and arms will remain where it should, and not ripped off trying to get the bottom back latch secured!


Don,

Glad to be of assistance, and if you need anymore help, let us know. Wish this forum was here 16 years ago when I started working on Pcars! Please do not forget the "special" bucket, and the "after work" toast, its a very important part of the proceedure!

Take care,

JoeA

JoeA,

Speaking of the rear shocks.... I put Bilstein sports on the back. When I installed the nut for the upper mount, it felt like it bottomed out on the sleeve for the lower bumper. (you know how the lower bumper had a metal sleeve that goes up through the mount hole) Anyway, I didn't feel like I tourqed the nut rather than it bottomed out an I could not turn the nut any more. The upper bumper was compressed so I assumed it must be as tight as it gets. Now I don't know if I have a loose shock or not.(I can not move the shock by hand) When I hit a hard bump I hear a "knocking" sound but I don't if it's normal. My existing rears were totally gone so it may just be the noise of a new sport shock with the larger t-bars. Any ideas?

Also, I too am tired of the air filter system. What's the cone filter you talked about? Brand, etc...

Don,

I have the same noise from time to time after installing Bilsteins and as of yet cannot figure it out. If wiser minds have any ideas on this, would really like some imput, like Warren or John Walkers Workshop pls?

Re the air filter, I was at Zims to get my suspension aligned and sitting on the parts counter was a "MSDS" air filter for the 3.2 model car. About the same as a K&N and nice quality. Cost around $100 or so and was worth it to be able to toss the old airbox in the attic.

Assume that Pelican has the same thing. I normally try to buy from our "sponsor" to support the board but this was staring me in the face, saying "buy me" so I did...

Take care,

Joe

Thanks for the advice Joe,
I have already ditched the old air box for a K&N cone, and even though the controversy and logic points to the original being better.
I feel the accessability in the engine bay is a huge benefit.
I will have a garage install the rears, as although they are easy to do, I just do not have the dry workspace and time.
I will fit the fronts if I keep the car more than a few months but at the moment she is up for sale!.
She has just become too unreliable!
Thanks again!