Anyone have a pass through socket wrench and a pair of spring compressors I can borrow or know of a place where I can borrow them from?

Thank you.

 

Free rental at Kragen for the spring compressors. When I put my springs on I didn't have the goddamn socket and I ended up using the regular socket with a vice grips and an alan. Sucked!

 

After using the regular socket-allen wrench - vise grips method for a dozen suspension swaps, its pretty easy.

Jourdan, if you're doing springs on your GH Impreza don't worry, its WAY easier a job (namely the rear springs) than the GD sedan chassis. Should only be 2 hours tops using one guy, floor jack, and hand tools. I'd offer the spring compressors but I think they are at my buddies house, couldn't get them until tomorrow.

 

I have spring compressors, but I'm a bit far from you.

 

o'reillys or autozone. only pass through ratchets i've seen are gearwrench stuff.

 

I am taking the springs off. I put coils on a few weeks ago and now I have the struts and springs in the garage. I wanna take the swifts off so I can sell them. The fronts came off fine but I am having a hard time getting the rears off.

When I initially put the springs on, it took Eric (daios) and me about 4 hours from start to finish. With the coils though it took Anthony (xhengmanx) and me only 2 hours from start to finish.

I am hesitant to use the vise grips even though I am pretty sure the struts are blown. I still don't want to mar the shaft though.

Looks like I'll be checking out Kragen and see what they have.

 

jourdan i have both you can borrow. what size is the strut top bolt again? 17mm i think?

I can meet you somewhere in south bay, or if you come over to my place in SJ tomorrow, you can work on taking them off in my garage. I'll need the pass through socket wrench when I get my new coils next week. Too bad my 19mm ratchet wrench broke 2 weeks ago, that makes spring compressors less of a pain.

 

My first spring install took me about 6 hours from start to finish by myself. I had no clue what to do and was going of a tutorial. Came out pretty good. The hardest part was putting the damn tophats on because I had no clue how to tighten it. Had to wait for pops to get home and show the socket vice grip trick. Now I can change a set in a couple hours.

 

I had a hard time tracking down the socket set. O'reilly and AutoZone didn't have it.So I ended up buying a set form Sears. And I am kinda glad I did. This is seriously a kick *** wrench set.



And they ended up being 15mm nuts with a 5mm hex.

 

For the record so people are clear; if you're properly isolating the top of the strut shaft with either an allen wrench going through a socket held by vice grips, or the shiny tools from Sears...you won't have to touch the middle/lower strut shaft At All.

A lot of the time when guys end up with blown struts, its because they scratched/marred the strut shaft where it passes through the seals, wears down the seals and then the struts are done-zo.

So by hook or by crook, only work the tip, not the shaft! Do what you will with the gravy.

 

Nice. How much and what brand did you get Jourdan?

 

Correctomundo!

It's a GearWrench set. $49.99 +tax at Sears. There is also a bigger set for $69.99 but I think this one is more than enough.

 

Or skip all this and get an impact gun. Takes only a second to take that bolt off or put it back on.

 

I tried to tighten mine with an impact gun. Didn't work. To take it off it worked but putting it back on it just spun.

 

Always the first option and I tried that.

Exactly what happened. The fronts came off with the impact gun, the rears just spun.