[Aaron]

Installing JIC Height and Damping Adjustable Coilovers
The pics link to larger versions
More pics can be seen at http://photos.ausmicro.net/JIC_coilovers

Installing strut type suspension is pretty straight forward when you don't need to break the struts down into their basic components. It doesn't take much time for someone with some mechanical knowledge and it certainly doesn't take much in the way of tools.

Here's a write-up of how I swapped the Monroe Sensatrac/Whiteline Super Low combination for a set of JIC Coilovers.

The JIC Coilovers
I sourced these through our friendly Rupewrecht, we didn't know much about them as their Yahoo Auction was very simple and could only make assumptions on condition and setup however they looked good in the pics and the price was very convincing.

If you pick Auctions well Rupewrecht can land these from about the AUD700 for a set, which is very favourable compared with buying off-the-shelf replacement parts here. It is a lottery though on condition, but the JICs can be rebuilt by a number of places in Australia for up to $150 a corner for full damping adjustment. Even if you end up having to rebuild them you're still likely to spend less cash than buying a new set of D2 or G4 coilovers.

JICs come in two basic varieties and two different "ages". That is Height Only and Height + Damping adjustment. The ages are basically Black or Purple Springs with the purples being newer and most commonly having helper springs.

It turned out that my set were early model (Black springs, no helpers) with Height and Damping adjustment which was a bonus for their price.

Once they ended up in my garage I had to hunt up a "C Spanner" for adjustment. Motorcycle shops will sell universal types that work well, however Peddars will do one to suit the Peddars branded coilovers for about AUD10. It works on the JICs and with percussive adjustment (beating with hammer) it works even better with JICs.

Using my newly adjusted C-Spanner I wound the perches down as low as possible so that the springs were free and I could cycle/pump the shocks. The first few strokes were done slowly to encourage the oil through the internal valves and lubricate the innards correctly.

Once a few cycles had been done and I could feel the resistance to the motion I started to cycle them more quickly before trying out each of the 4 damping settings.

Firmer = AntiClockwise
Softer = Clockwise

Each shock felt good and I was relieved, if you can't get even pressure and feel the changes the damping adjustment to hand movement it's likely they will need a rebuild.


Sundry Items
If your car uses any aftermarket alignment products like Camber pins you'll want to work out if these should be used with coilovers. On the Lynx there were camber pins in the front, a castor kit and at the rear just camber pins.

I ordered through Mazda Genuine bolts and nuts to replace the Camber Pins. These were about AUD46 for a pair of bolts and nuts. Expensive, but they are overnight freighted and 100% perfect size and strength for the job. If you source bolts elsewhere they MUST have a diameter that is a good fit in the knuckle otherwise they could slip causing some severe problems.

At the rear I've elected to keep the camber bolts as these are more accesible than the strut tops making life "easier". Mazda lists a pair of rear bolts for about AUD55 per pair with nuts.


The Workspace and Car Prep
Most workshops quote about 30 minutes per corner to change struts. In the home garage without airtools and hoists you will take longer, Factoring about an hour to 90 minutes per corner if all goes well.

No other prep is needed except it's nicer to work on a clean car with well washed down suspension. I didn't do that and regret it.

You will need an assortment of Metric tools including spanners and sockets.
I used:
17mm Spanner
17mm Socket
14mm Spanner
14mm Socket
Flat Screwdriver
13mm Socket (Camber Bolts)
15mm Socket (Camber Bolt Nut)

Ratchet (obviously)
Long breaker bar
150mm extension
"Deep" versions of above sockets for convenience.

The car will need to be a decent height off the ground, so I lifted it and had it on Stands - as I only have one pair of stands I did front then rear.

NOTE: For years I have been using the cars stock jack to lift a side of the car, pop a stand under then go around to the other side and lift and insert stand. I have always felt this method works "OK" and is still safe. Until I was doing this on the rear of the car and the Jack collapsed. The car basically pivoted off the jack as the jack base couldn't handle the sideways load. The jack is ruined (about AUD30 to replace with a new one) but luckily no damage was done to the car or a person.

Do yourself a favour and buy a decent jack if you're going to be working on the car. They're not that expensive and are much quicker to use and ultimately safer.

As is always said NEVER work on a car that is only supported by the Jack.

Into Action: Wheels off and Out with the old
The first step is the "crack" the wheel nuts prior to jacking the car onto stands.



Once the wheels are off you'll get a view much like this. I then removed the clips holding the ABS wheel sensors and the Brake hydraulic line in place. This gives a little more access around the two through bolts. Before tackling the through bolts I did "crack" and slightly loosen off the top mounting bolts in the engine bay.



Next I tackled the through bolts, aiming to "crack" the nut and loosen it off a few turns. Once the nut was loose I tapped it with a hammer to move the through bolt slightly. They are a close fit and I found they needed the tap to break any light corrosion between the bolt and knuckle. Once I knew both bolts were able to move I supported the lower ball joint (preventing the suspension are from dropping once the strut is unbolted) and removed the nuts from the strut top.

With the strut now free from the top of the tower the through bolts can be slid out with on hand while the strut assembly is supported with the other.

Once all the bolts are out it's a bit of a wrestle to get the strut assembly out of the space.




Ohhh So Shiny:
Getting the JICs into position is fairly easy. First work out which is left and right (the brake line bracket goes to the front of the car). If your car has ABS like Stinky it's about now that you realise the JICs don't have a way of attaching the brackets supporting the sensor wire. Hot Tip: Cable ties fix everything!



I lifted the struts up into position and had an assistant guide the mounts into place and loosely put the nuts on so that I had the ability to "wiggle" the strut around but didn't have to support the weight.

The tricky part now comes as you have to lift the knuckle up into the foot of the coilover and get a through bolt into the mount. There's a bit of wieght and nowhere real good to hang on so it can take a few moments to get the right grip and line it all up. If you're fighting with weight use a jack under the ball joint to lift the knuckle up into position.

I did up the nuts finger tight before cable tie'ing the ABS sensor wire in place and tightening up the top mount.




You can see in the pics above the shiney new bolts compared to the original stock ones.

Repeat and Repeat and Repeat
The fronts are the same and the rears more of the same so I won't describe the process once more. Except for a few pics and explanations.



You need to remove a lot of interior trim to get to the rear tops. Unlike the 17mm nuts on the front strut tops the rears use 14mm. On a Lynx there's just enough room to spanner off the third nut with the big rubber + plastic domes over the strut tops. These can be unscrewed and pulle dout of position by hand.

I don't have pics, but the rear anti-roll bar links can be hard to get back in position. I popped them back in place with the car on stands but only did the nuts up with the car back on it's wheels.

It's a Wrap!



Here's some pics of the finished ride height. For comparison previous the top of the tyre was at the edge of the guards. Obviously I have these set very high, with the goal being to make the car more practical as a daily driver and also to pass a rego inspection. Previously the can didn't even fit under the sills.

(Continued Next Post)