I'm installing RCE yellow bumpstops and I can't figure out how to remove the stock bumpstops.

 

You have to remove the tophat and spring I believe (if I'm remembering correctly what bumpstops are, the yellow things, right?)

Be careful removing the springs though. Also, unless you're extremely careful and mark everything correctly, you'll need to get an alignment after you're done.

 

Just pull it off? After removing the top hat and spring of course.

 

Wow. Well I thought you had to remove the washer looking thing at the end of the strut but I guess you can just pull it through the washer. Thanks

 

You're going to have to remove the entire sprint/strut assembly and then disassemble it to get to the bump stops. See this:

Assembly of front and rear suspension (pics inside) - NASIOC



Are you sure you want to be doing this yourself?

 

Yeah, it is a pain just for bump stops. What do upgraded bump stops add anyways?

 

If you have lowering springs shorter bumpstops allow the strut to safely go farther down and not have an abrupt stop as if you were on coilovers.

 

Bump stops are a matter of correct size more than anything else; so more accurate to say "matching" than "upgrade".

After market springs usually lower the car, which often brings them into contact with the stock bump stops (or much closer to it). Bump stops are made of foam which act like a VERY stiff and short spring with an exponential ramp up. When the bump stops are engaged, the spring rate ceasing to be the only contributing part to spring rate... it becomes bump stop + spring rate. The really ****s with the handling of the car. The purpose of the bumpstop is to catch the strut from bottoming out and damaging things; NOT to be your suspension.

If RCE yellow springs came with more appropriate bumpstops, it would be most prudent to use them (assuming they were specified correctly). Mostly likely they are a little shorter, and a little stiffer than stock bump stops.

 

Me and my friends finally finished putting on the springs, 6 hours later

 

So after driving on it a bit I notice a kind of knocking noise coming from the rear left side of the car when driving kind of slow. I know everything under the car is bolted down tight but I think the top hat bolts might not be tight enough.

Will it eventually go away after the springs settle?

 

If your springs aren't new then there isn't much settling that will happen. Maybe someone is still loose, go recheck everything.

 

Yeah that's what I was afraid of. Hopefully it just needs some extra tightening on the top hats.

 

Did you put the conical washer in the correct orientation?

 

I'd recheck the tophat bolt, mine came loose after a month (RCE black install) and started rattling. better safe than sorry, and it's good practice to check any install for loose bolts/nuts after a week.

 

I believe we put the conical washers on right. It doesn't look right the other way so I'm sure we caught that.

I have a feeling when we lowered the car, the strut pushed up on the nuts and made them loose. I'll report back when I retighten them.