355 Shock removal

Yes you need spring compressors if you want to remove the spring its self from the assembly.
By the way the spring seats have two different sizes. So two different size adjustment scanners are needed. Unless you can do it with some adjustable tool.

 

The entire shock assembly can be removed without touching the springs. As the car is jacked off the ground the springs will be at max droop and can easily be removed.

 

This is shocking!

Sorry.

 

If you’re asking about removing from the car there is no need to touch the spring. It is an assembly that removes together as the picture below shows.
If you want to remove the spring from the assembly then yes compress the spring or you wouldn’t like what happens to those last threads as you unscrews the perch. (Or your face or other body parts in the way)

I would suggest you keep up the research before touching anything. We’re here for you.

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Oh so it was just the simple strutt assembly you wanted to remove and not the spring.
Your welcome anyway.
Look out for dropping/loosing the spacers from each side of the shocks when removing. Good luck

 

Just get in there and do it. There is nothing like experience to teach you what has to be done. It's just like playing with Tinker Toys.

 

I was thinking the same thing, but didn't want to come across as rude

 

I don't thinks it rude. It's encouragement.

Can you imagine the first guy to attempt a DIY engine out? Just do it! It's all just nut and bolts. From reading these posts for years I think people thing the Ferrari is special, but it's no different than any other car, like a Mazda Miata (only the Miata is probably better designed). Double wish bone suspension with coil overs is pretty old technology.

 

I'm sure he can "just get in there and do it", but sometimes it's nice to check to make sure there's no special tools required that would hold anything up or any traps to fall into.
I wish I would have read that the airbag light would come on if you unplugged the cluster before I did that lol.

 

No my friend, I did not say yours was rude, far from it.
It's just that on the internet, some guys with good intentions, come across as rude.......that's me lol

 

Hi Bob,

Honestly I can’t recall but I do think the front was tighter than the rear for removal. It was very straight forward with OEM shocks.

 

See, here we go. Just jack it up and start unbolting sh**. If all else fails get out the cutting torch!

Come on Ken, surely you know that you don't mess with any electronics with the battery connected?

Just kidding. I made a similar mistake years ago on my BMW. Fortunately BMW dealers are pretty common and it was easy to get the air bag light reset.

 

I said research a little more before touching anything because he was talking about (unnecessary) removing springs which can, and have been, deadly when people get in the thinking they are playing with “tinker toys”. His experience could teach him what a cracked skull and half a face ripped off feels like.

 

I understand where you are coming form and appreciate your concern for safety, but how about a little logic. Either he wants to remove the entire coil over shock assembly, or he want to separate the spring and shock. In the latter case, he would need a spring compressor and can not avoid the associated danger. If the former, which seem to be the case, getting in there and just doing it, it would be come evident that the assembly can easily be removed without any dicking around with the spring. Common sense and a little mechanical aptitude would lead you down that path. The only question is do you have to entirely remove the hub and disconnect the sway bar? Again, getting in there to do it will answer those question as well. And think further, how would you even remove the spring from the shock while the shock was on the car? By he time you got to that point it would be more that obvious that if you could get the spring off there would be more than enough room to removed the entire assembly.

 

You can remove each assembly from the car without a spring compressor. Going by memory you need to have both sides of the either the front, or rear, hanging off the floor when you pull either side, as this adds down force to push the hub down on the side your working on and gives you enough room to pull the assembly out. For the backs I recall you have to remove the end link mount, for the fronts I recall swinging the hub down off it's top bolt - however I may have it confused with the 308. I don't recall any special tools, but do recall using a wood block and jack to adjust the hub height when reinstalling the assembly to line up the bolt holes.

For the fronts, make sure before you pull it all apart you count how many shims are in front of the shock, and behind the shock, at the bottom where it is bolted to the arm. You need to put them back in place exactly from where they came out. Don't just pull it all apart and watch them go flying all over the floor.

With the assembly on your bench, use 2 spring compressors to break it apart, it's easier and the redundancy is safer.

1st 2 photos are of the front, 3rd is the rear.

Front:
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Front Shims: Image Unavailable, Please Login

Rear End Link: Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

If you notice the photo of the front, there are 2 bolts holding in the shims. When I removed the lower front shock bolts, to not loose site of the shims I removed one bolt fully, following it when backing it out of the hole with a screwdriver, to keep everything in place. Then I removed the other bolt. Then I was able to push the shims down on one side and nylon tie them together before removing the screwdriver to catch the now tied together packet of shims. Then I tied that packet of shims to the arm on the side they belong. Then removed the screw drive fully and did the same for the shims on the other side of the shock. This way when the shock came back from rebuild there was no question where the shims went back.

 

If you go back and read his first post it’s pretty clear he want to remove the shock assembly but thinks he needs to unwind the spring perches. Your faith in common sense is a mistake. Common sense is not so common and you can’t assume it exists. I spent 25 years working for a major corporation in a dangerous field where they preached that there was no such thing as common sense. People died everyday doing things one might think are common sense. We reviewed fatalities in the industry weekly and I can’t tell you how many times someone was dead and sometimes killed others with them because they were sent to do a “common sense” task for the first time and left to figure it out for themselves. I remember thinking sooo many times “how could they do that? How did they not understand the danger? How could they not see they were about to kill there selves?” But they did, because they had no idea, they couldn’t see the danger right in front of them. I’ve seen the after effects, too many grieving families. Sorry it’s ingrained in me after all that to never trust that just anyone can get in there and figure it out as they go without serious risk.

 

Holy Sh** Badman. That's a surprise.

Congrats Bob. I'm so please you're not dead.

 

Dont speak to soon, he has to put them back on and test drive it yet

 

Not sure if you guys have heard the unfortunate news, but our fellow Fchat comrade @97 Spider has passed away. I did not know him or interact with him, but he seemed to be a very helpful member.

My condolences and may his helpful posts here carry on forever.

 

wow.. what happended? i found his past posts very helpful. my condolences.