Suspenion Component Install Complete w/ pics!

The following is a list of suspension parts that I recently replaced along with pictures and some of the hurdles that I encountered during the install. Enjoy!

Actual part pics





List of parts pictured above, price, and where they were purchased

Rockauto.com
Front right control arm and ball joint K7213 $80.79
Front left control arm and ball joint K7211 $80.79
Front right strut (Monroe) 71667 $74.79
Front left strut (Monroe) 71668 $74.79
Rear strut (Monroe) (2) 801669 $99.58
Front strut bellow (Moog) (2) K90460 $35.86
Rear strut bellow (Moog) (2) K160033 $27.28
Front strut mount (Monroe) (2) 903901 $95.58
Front stabilizer Bar links K7342 (2) $85.58
Rear Stabilizer bar link kit (2) K3181 $8.56
Front Stabilizer bar bushing kit (1) K7367 $13.90
Inner two piece Tie Rod Bushing kit K7408 $14.71

Mopardiscountparts.com
Front Strut rod bushing 4616380 (2) $15.20
Front control arm to cradle bushing 4616383 (2) $16.37

polybushings(dot)com
Polyurethane spring isolator kit PB1065 $200.00
Rear 13/16” sway bar polyurethane bushings (2) PB1068 $16.00

Correlation of above to parts manual pictures. Parts circled in red indicate what was replaced. Parts circled in blue indicate troublesome bolts that you may want to purchase because they are problematic and broke during removal.

Front:



1. Front right strut (Monroe) 71667
1. Front left strut (Monroe) 71668
2. Polyurethane spring isolator kit PB1065
4. Front strut bellow (Moog) K90460 (note, not direct OEM replacement. Monroe is a better fit.)
5. Polyurethane spring isolator kit PB1065
6. Front strut mount (Monroe) 903901 (lower part)
7. Front strut bumpstop (comes with) K90460
8. Front strut mount upper part (comes with 903901)
10. NUT, Hex Flange, M8x1.25 (4) (comes with 903901)
11. Jounce Bumper Cup
19. SCREW, Hex Head, M12-1.75x55 (comes with K7213/K7211)
20. NUT, Hex Locking, M12x1.75 (comes with K7213/K7211)
21. Front right control arm and ball joint K7213
21. Front left control arm and ball joint K7211
25. NUT, Hex Flange Lock, M14x2 (comes with K7213/K7211)
26. SCREW AND WASHER, Hex Head, M14-2x95 (comes with K7213/K7211)
27. Front stabilizer Bar links K7342
28. NUT, Hex Flange, M12x1.75 (comes with K7342)
29. Front Stabilizer bar bushing kit (comes with both bushings) K7367
37. Front Strut rod bushing 4616380
38. Front control arm to cradle bushing 4616383
40. NUT, M16x2.00 (06504707 or purchase from hardware store)

Rear:



2. RETAINER, Sway Bar Link, Conical Washer (comes with K3181)
3. NUT AND WASHER, HexNut-Coned Washer, M8 x 1.25 (comes with K3181)
4. Rear strut left (Monroe) 801669
4. Rear strut right (Monroe) 801669
5. Isolator (part of Polyurethane spring isolator kit PB1065)
6. Rear strut bumper (comes with K160033)
7. Rear Stabilizer bar link kit K3181
8. Strut nut, Hex Lock, M14 x 2.00 (comes with 801669)
10. Isolator (part of Polyurethane spring isolator kit PB1065)
12. Rear strut bellow K160033
34. Rear 13/16” sway bar polyurethane bushings PB1068

Parts that may need replaced due to damage from removal

13. BOLT, Hex Head M14x2.00 Part# 06506115AA
17. M10x1.5x62.50, Strut Knuckle Pinch Part# 06502938
18. NUT, Hex Lock, M14 x 2.00 Part # 06502525


Steering



10. Inner two piece Tie Rod Bushing kit K7408

Special tools required:

Wilmar W83015 - Universal Strut Nut Remover



Spring compressor (rented at Autozone)



Install Notes

For the inner tie rod bushing replacement, Kimura has a great write up here.



For installing the front and rear components, please see section 2 of the service manual here.

While this is not a complete how to (I simply did not have enough time to take pictures of all the steps involved during the install) these pictures simply serve to supplement the service manual.

For the installation of the rear components, the rear strut mounts are located underneath the rear deck speakers. In order to access these, the rear seat, shelf, and pillars need to be removed.







Removal of the rear struts involves removing the end links, which are held in by the long bolt circled in blue in the parts pics. This bolt tends to be problematic, and I had to use a "BFP" on a breaker bar while beating on the end of the bolt just to get it out. This resulted in the threads being stripped on the end. I did not have a extra bolt on hand, so I simply cut off the bad threads and used a die to fix the threads. I recommend having new bolts on hand in advance.











The removal of the pinch bolt which holds the strut was also difficult. The head of the bolt actually broke off, resulting in having to drill it out and install another bolt.

Moving on, here's a pic of the old end link bushings:



Picture of the new end link bushings:



The rear sway bar bushings aren’t difficult to replace, and the bushing housings are only held on by 2 bolts.



New bushings installed:



I did not purchase new springs, so I needed to compress the springs on the old assembly so that they could be removed. Once the spring is compress, the strut nut can be removed using the special tool. Some people have success using other methods, but I strongly recommend buying the tool to make it easier.

Compressing the rear strut:



New low and upper poly isolators:





Rear strut assembly complete.



Installed:



Front suspension components

Tension strut, control arm, strut removed:



The strut bumpers for the front did not want to fit on the new Monroe struts, so I had to cut away some of the material in the middle so that they would fit properly.



The old bushings on the tension strut are on there pretty tight. To remove them, I used channel locks to loosen the bushing and a vice to remove them completely. The new ones slid right into place on the tension strut.



The new control arms come with the bushings already pressed in, but the new Moog boot for the ball joint doesn’t come pre-installed on the ball joint, and must be pressed on. I used a vice and a socket to achieve this.

Using the strut tool did not work on the front strut nuts. The top nut would not come off due to a high amount of rust. I tried everything to remove it, and had to finally resort to using a cutting touch. Simply cut the strut itself to remove the spring if it is the only option available, which in my case it was.



Control arm, tension strut, and new front sway bar bushings coming together:



Bushing close up:



Strut installed.




Conclusion
This install was challenging mainly due to all the rusted bolts and nuts. The work was well worth the effort, and the car rides and feels brand new! If your car is in need of new struts and shocks, I recommend replacing all the bushings and using polyurethane where you can.