Nah, I definitely took that off, I don't think i'm fat enough to break or bend the sway bar lol. Don't know what it was, but it sucked lol

 

You ever get this one? You can buy sockes that grip tighter as you try to loosen it. Sears has them. If that doesn't work, you'll have to use a nut cracker and split the bolt. The lucky thing is it's out in the open.

If that bolt is holding you back, you can always try to get at the bolt that goes though the swaybar. harder to get to but it ain't stripped

 

Alright, finally took some time off to put on 06 350z suspension on my 06 sedan with sports. This guide was very helpful. I actually thought the fronts were easier. He wasn't kidding about how snug the rear stock springs fit on the spring perches.
The other difficult part is lining up the lower strut bolt to remove it. Definitely use a floor jack to lift and lower the suspension until it wiggles out. Careful trying to whack it out with a rubber mallet because that can damage the threads. I'm trying to think whether I had this problem because I didn't have the top bolts loose. If the top bolts were loose, the lower one might have more play. But I think maybe I was still fighting against the spring. hmm I guess I'll experiment when/if I do another install.
I ended up cracking my 17mm socket on the last nut while tightening it. Great timing!

 

how did you initially get the front strut out form its base in the engine bay. in your notes you said to pull it down, but that seems easier said than done. all the other steps(bolt removals) are complete btw. thanks.

 

^^^ There are 3 12mm nuts holding the top bolts to the body (in the front, 2 for a back strut). All you have to do is remove those and the top is free. Is that your question?

 

Nice DIY right-up

 

yup nice write up i used it for my g and my friends 350z. Thanks

 

nice thx ,

 

How long did it take everyone to do your springs? I read one person saying 3 hours, and another saying all day. I have done 4 Hondas complete suspension and my MR2, so I understand the basic job. I am hoping to do it next week, I'll have a few hours before I have to catch a flight.

 

As a rule of thumb most will say around here is wait about two weeks to settle then get it aligned. I waited about that time and everything was ok but every car is different.

EDIT - WOW...I must have not been awake this morning at work...I read the post over again...Sorry but yeah i was totally off subject....i would set aside more time to do this or wait till you get back from your trip. What would be the point of rushing through it if your car is gonna sit at the airport anyway I understand all about rollin in style but geez...you're call though

 

I budgetted an hour per wheel and did everything at a comfortable pace (all hand tools). I really don't suggest rushing a suspension job unless you are very familiar with the car (even then I wouldn't suggest it because you don't want to forget to do something). Note, I swapped out to full 350z suspension- so I didn't have to remove the springs from the original front struts. I suppose if you have air-tools, a spring compressor, and some suspension experience, you could do it in 3 hours or less.

Oh, so I got aligned. Toe was all over the place. The tires started to show some feathering. I think it was from a combination of the toe and extra camber. After alignment, camber up front is about 1.5 and rears about 1.0. I can live with that- it looks cool to me!

 

I installed my H&R springs on my 06 X yesterday, My front suspension is different than any of the illustrations. It was much easier looking, after taking the top three nuts, and the one bottom bolt, they literally fell out. It took me about 45 min the first front one. About 10 minutes each rear spring, and 3.5 hours for the second front one! the bolt for the shock was on so tight, I tried air gun, tons of PB blaster, and even heat. I broke a 12 point wrench and a ratchet trying. I finally went to Goodeyear, and they loosened it for me and I went back home and finished.

I am very happy with the ride of these springs, it looks 100x better! Thanks for everyone who has posted up tips and picutes!

 

Picture of car after dropped.

 

awesome DIY. Did this install with a buddy of mine yesterday and went very smoothly. the pics and explanations were very clear and easy to understand. Thanks again! Looks awesome!

 

This way worked great. Thanks for the write up.