Fitting GQ Front Springs

[harvey]

Can someone please help me and tell me what part of my IQ im missing here? I'm trying to fit the new springs to the front of my GQ but i can't even get the old buggers out! I've tried everything i can think of.

For example:
I've tried putting the front passenger side up on an axle ramp, letting the drivers side front dangle but, the axle just wont articulate enough to let the front spring drop out, like the rear spring did when i did it this way. To top it off there doesn't seem to be a position where i can locate a bottle jack on the axle to chassis so i can push the axle down further.

I've tried spring compressors but the thread of the spring compressor is too long and it either gets caught on the top spring carrier or it gets caught at the bottom between the brake hose and the caliper.

The Haynes Book i have also says that i need to remove a nut from the bump stop. But i cant see that nut! I have a cover on the top of the spring carrier that's got 2 small nuts atttaching it to the spring carrier [so i'm assuming that the bump stop nut is under the cover??]. But.... the nuts themselves are also causing me consernation... I've tried 7/16ths and 3/8ths rachets and 10mm and 11mm rachet things and their either too big or too small so what size rachet piece do i need to use to get the cover off the top of the spring carrier?

Please help and if you can, can you please provide me with a step by step approach as i'm really frustrated.

Thanks a million.
Harv.

[mickyd555]

have you taken your shocks out??

[Sexy Fingers]

I believe the covers over the bumpstops are 10mm. As the the car is Japanese all nuts and bolts should be metric sizes. As for the springs, you first need to get the front of the car up on chassis stands as high as possible so you can drop the diff enough to pull the springs out. Support the diff with a jack. Remove the sway bar, the bump stop covers, the bump stops (be sure to use plenty of wd40 here as dirt usually accumalates under those covers and rusts the nuts holding the bump stops on). Remove the shock absorbers. From memory, thats about it. I can't remember if I removed the panhard rod as well, but it may help. Drop the jack thats supporting your diff slowly and the springs should just fall out. Putting the springs in, is a reversal of that procedure, although if you are putting in lifted springs, you'll have to drop the diff further. I found doing them in the driveway, anything up to 2" lift is easy without spring compressors. Anything higher than that and you'll want to use a 2 post hoist (or in my case a forklift ) to lift the car chassis high enough to slot the springs in.

[beretta]

have you taken your shocks out??

Or undone the swaybar?

[ozy1]

in the past i have done the same method as above, but i didnt remove the bump stops, and i used that method to remove and refit 6" lifted springs, we have also done a 4" lift in the drive way in the same way,

with the 3 link front on patrols you can do one side at a time on the front as it does not flex enough, use 2 chassis stands, jack up as high as possible, remove shocks and sway bar, remove wheels as you will be able to lower the diff alot lower, and you should be right,

[harvey]

thank you all very much for this. Yes i have undone the shocks that was the easy bit. Still it's nice to now have new shocks in their. In fairness the shocks i'd taken out had only done about 10,000 but by golly were they aweful. Bright yellow munroe cheapy jobbies. I think the former owner got the cheapest he could to get the vehicle to pass its annual MOT.

Thank you very much for clarifying the bolts on the cover plate as 10mm. My bumpstops are blowing in the wind literally as they're rusted off at the top and on one of them is only held on by about a 1/4 of the rubber still being attached. So getting them off is a definite must. On this... do Nissan sell new bump stops for the GQ? I'm assuming that if mine are rusting off most at the wreckers would be too??

I thought i might have to undo the top of the sway bar but i wasn't sure. I took the rear off when doing the back and it let the back drop by about another 6 inches - it made a world of difference.

Thanks again for your help fellas. it is appreciated
Harv.

[AJS]

Harv,

Dunno if this will work for you. When I fitted my 4" springs, because I didn't have a spring compressor, I used a heavy duty cargo strap with ratchet tensioner to compress the spring. It worked fine. Also had to undo the brake line from the axle housing.