Best Way for Installing Rear Konis on a 70T?

[blau911]

My rear shocks are pretty much done. I just picked up a new set of Koni Classic reds and am planning doing the install myself tomorrow. Anyone willing to walk me thru this? It looks simple enough, but I was wondering a few things:
1) Where do I jack up the car in order to swap them out? Where to place the jack itself? Should I be looking to jack the trailing arm up on the side I am changing?
2) Do I mount the top first or the bottom first? I am guessing the bottom.
3) Lastly, the instructions that came with them are pretty crappy. However they do mention that the ones I have are adjustable and that by turning the top clockwise I can make the ride firmer and that there are 5 clicks to make the ride softer or harder. My car is intended as a higher performance weekend canyon carver and occasional city driver on nice weekend days. Should I crank it down 2 or 3 notches, or perhaps 4? Don't want to feel every little bump, but definitely want the car to ride firm under meaningful acceleration.
Any advice or suggestions appreciated.

[cbush]

Originally Posted by blau911

My rear shocks are pretty much done. I just picked up a new set of Koni Classic reds and am planning doing the install myself tomorrow. Anyone willing to walk me thru this? It looks simple enough, but I was wondering a few things:
1) Where do I jack up the car in order to swap them out? Where to place the jack itself? Should I be looking to jack the trailing arm up on the side I am changing?
2) Do I mount the top first or the bottom first? I am guessing the bottom.
3) Lastly, the instructions that came with them are pretty crappy. However they do mention that the ones I have are adjustable and that by turning the top clockwise I can make the ride firmer and that there are 5 clicks to make the ride softer or harder. My car is intended as a higher performance weekend canyon carver and occasional city driver on nice weekend days. Should I crank it down 2 or 3 notches, or perhaps 4? Don't want to feel every little bump, but definitely want the car to ride firm under meaningful acceleration.
Any advice or suggestions appreciated.

I have done this before on my 1970 911. Pretty simple and rewarding job.

Lots of options on where to jack the car up, but if you have a rolling floor jack, I put the jack (with a soft board on it) on the center of the engine between the oil drain sump and the transmission. If you are unsure about this, there are several books on how to do this. I think the 101 things to do with your Porsche book explains how to jack up the car. I put jack stands under the torsion bar tube to hold the car. You could also jack it up from the sides with the jack tube, and lift/ support one side at a time.

I installed the tops of the shock first as it is easier to manipulate the bottoms to get them attached. You can use your floor jack to raise the trailing arm if you have a hard time getting the bolt lined up.

I installed Koni's also, and left them as they came. I am happy with the ride, and have never changed it.

Great upgrade, and fun project. Good luck

[deathpunk dan]

I jacked up the car via the engine sump plate, placed jack stands under each torsion bar end, and went from there. I jacked up the bottom of the trailing arm to relieve tension on the lower shock bolts.

Mounting the top first is how I did it. Check all torque values after you remove jack stands.

[blau911]

Guys, Thanks for your comments.
I installed the Koni's today. Pretty straight forward and after doing the first was able to do the second one in half the time. Went for a quick ride afterwards and noticed the difference immediately. Next project is a front sway bar.....

[cbush]

Great work. Glad everything worked out well for you. Wish my projects were going that fast!

[blau911]

By the way, forgot to mention that the best way to install is to mount the tops first. This way you can jack the trailing arms up/down as needed to get the bottom mounting bolts lined up.

[911pcars]

Here's a topic that will slow down the process. "How to jack up your 911".

Read the archives first. You may or may not want to follow the previous suggestions.

Sherwood