I am going in. I have done all I can do short of getting air tools. I have two pairs of vice grips. I'm ready.
UPS is about to bring me Welsche Enterprises shock towers.
My car is at 14 and 1/4 inches at the front. Everything is out of whack and the insides of my tires are toast.
I am going to extract these damn things and replace them....with hand tools. If I cut off a finger or two I will try to post pictures.
I've done the spring compressor thing before and it wasn't fun.
Wish me luck.

 

Been a couple of hours and no report of a spring coming loose and taking a guys head off in Texas.
Do hope it's going well, not a fun job. Once the towers are out, did you think about taking them to a shop for replacing the mounts. Just ask any parts store where to have them done, as most cars today have the front struts.

Wayne

 

Nah. I'm gonna do them with the free spring compressor from AutoZone on the driveway. Better chance at some drama.
It's only going to be 97° today. They say the "feels like" is well over a hundred. It also looks like it could rain at any time also.
My parts aren't even here yet, but I can see they are in route.
At this point the most stupid thing I could do is put the top down and tear it apart...so that's my plan.
There's nothing better than Jack stands on uneven surfaces.

 

Sounds like the beginning of an Aggie joke. What could possibly go wrong?

I'll plus one on taking the struts someplace. Those springs are mighty tough on our cars. Made my Volvo springs feel like licorice sticks in comparison.

 

I've done the job a few times using the free spring compressor. Tedious but totally doable with hand tools. Wear gloves.

 

ah yes, working while angry, miserable and under less than ideal conditions. you like misery and accept it openly; my long lost brother. it really adds to the satisfaction to add a time constraint outside of your control and take things apart before you verify that all of the replacements are in hand.

You should really replace the springs at the same time.

Don't forget to break something necessary in the process.

if you like pain so much, i know a gal and she charges by the hour.

 

Wayne (cjd777) just clued me in to this thread....

Sure hope Om28v lives to tell about it. Stay safe, buddy....

 

It really wasn't that bad due to the UPS guy stiffing me. Like was said above, I wondered what all I would find in there, so I took the passenger side apart just to see what I was missing. I got a pretty good look at the tire place the other day, but...
Bump stops are ratty. Don't really care.
Ball joints look ok.
All upper wishbone bushings are good but one. That means going back in soon.
I think the springs are ok. It's an 05 w/ 77k miles and it's sitting just under 15"...maybe 14.7
My upper shock mounts are absolute toast.
I need brakes and rotors.
It rained off and on all day. You cannot drink enough water to get caught up with 100 degrees and 100% humidity. That's Houston.
I'm switching to scotch now and will try again tomorrow. I think this isn't going to be too bad. I bet the UPS guy shows up right at dark, I'm not doing this in the dark.
Situating the floor lift and jack stands is just awful.

 

Complete toast.

 

The nasty bits are out. I thought my sway bar links looked pretty good that were in there, but they were cheap, and we had a member say they got a huge change after doing these links. The old ones aren't even close the new ones from Welsh, where I got the poly top shock mounts. The old ones were in bad shape it turned out. Wouldn't kill you, but it has to add to slop. 20 minute job...tops.
The picture shows the old mounts and links and what's left of passenger bump stop.
The bump stop is made of the same deluxe rubber foam the towers have in them it appears.
If you don't have air, don't do the spring compressor rental/free from AutoZone. You could kill yourself. I did finish the drivers side..but am getting the passenger side pressed tomorrow. They are beasts with no air tools in this configuration.
If you own sockets and understood bolts, I you can do sway links in 20 easy I think.
If you want to do the towers, you need to understand bolts, big ones, suspension forces, and have nice lifting things. I really didn't think it was that much harder than some starters I've replaced for friends. Except those spacers.

 

Nice rubber/foam circa 2005

 

Congrats and glad you had all the parts to tighten up things. The inter A arm bushings need to have attention, with the shims in the correct position. We used poly on the last one (Jon89) and I was impressed with it and over a year and all is well.
Your car should ride much better and I do understand about the heat. Was in San Antonio for a couple of years. Had to pour water out of your golf shoes at the end of round.
Well done.


Wayne

 

Have you considered doing the lower shock bushes while you have them out? I'm just trying put you in that great place where you decide you should and then you have to wait for extra parts...

 

It's been quite a while since I've contributed to this forum, I hope you don't mind me indulging.
Looks like you're doing quite well with your upper mounts Om28v, but I agree with woox4 that now is the time to consider lower shock bushes also. They are easily obtained, relatively inexpensive, and easily changed with the use of a press.
Might also consider new spring packers and possibly springs, as WhiteHat suggested, while you've got them apart.
Having already done a full front suspension rebuild myself,(urethane bushings, ball joints, lowering springs, sway bar bushes and end links}, trying to replace or upgrade all you can at this time will save you $'s and headaches down the road. You'll be very pleased with the difference in your Cats ride and handling when completed.

Cheers,

BK

 

All in and all done.
I didn't do the lower shock bushings. They look a little sketchy, but they don't exhibit much play. They are like hiem joints (sp?) so I'm just going to wait until round 2 which will be that, upper wishbone bushes, upper and lower ball joints and new bump stops. The guy at the shop charged me $20 to smush the spring down. I'm not doing that again myself.
The results: Car went from 14.5-14.7 inches to a solid 15.5-15.6 inches. Sounds crazy, but when I first got in it was very noticeable. I didn't scrape exiting my driveway for the first time. I have a buddy that has to get out of the car before I could go up it before (he's a little plump)...so that will be a good test for later.
I did the towers for the height of the nose, the car drove great before. Wrong. There was a vague clunk I had acclimated to over time that is gone. Very different feel in a great way.
My front wheels are now verticle, the tops leaning in I guess I got used to as well. The front tires feel like there is much more rubber on the road. I was on the inside of the tires before and it ruined them.

In all, this made a lot of difference, and when I go back in it won't be so intimidating. I can't believe those things gave me an inch in the front.
Next are thermo housing replacement, S belt, hoses, water pump (just got here, it's a shockingly tiny little thing) and then a road trip.
Thank you Sam1174 for your you tube video and thank you guys for your input as well.
Now I'm going to go drive it like I stole it, which is kinda how I always felt anyway because of what you can buy these cars for.

 

Shockingly tiny water pump

 

Glad you got it all back together without any serious setbacks.

I would have done the bump stops just to avoid releasing the springs again. They are a common part most auto parts stores would have. Mentioning this more for the next guy who tackles this particular project.

 

Worth mentioning that you should consider an alignment soon unless you plan to do more work in the near term.

Also worth it to find a shop that offers lifetime alignments for a one time fee. My local Tire Choice franchise gave me a lifetime deal for less than $150.

 

Well done Om28v, yes, that $20.00 was well spent, as removing and installing the coil springs can be a pain. Now go enjoy your awesome Jag! Although you don't see terrible winters in League City, take advantage of cooler temps for your next big projects.