Swapping front springs, I have a few questions

[2mAn]

The car already has cut stock springs in the front, so theres a good chance they arent under tension. Struts have already been replaced so im not pulling the whole strut assembly out.

Is it necessary to remove the tie-rods and swaybar links?

I dont have an impact, can I use channel locks to hold the strut shaft so I can pull the strut mount off?

And finally, whats a good DIY for realigning the car? Tape measure?

Thanks

Simon

[acolella76]

Whatever you use to hold the strut shaft make sure it doesn't scratch or damage the shaft. That'll lead to a blown shock fairly quickly.

Undo the upper shaft nut and the upper strut mount and take the strut mount out. You can take the insert out through the shock tower and that should give you enough room to take the spring out without removing the entire strut assembly.

A string alignment is usually good enough for government labor but I would rather get it done by a shop with the proper tools IMO.

[2mAn]

Oddly enough, car doesnt need an alignment. Still tracks perfectly. Only dropped an inch more than it was before. One thing I did realize is that the struts must come out and they did. My tie-rods and ball joints are done though so Ill have to buy a new set soon

[iansane]

Recently I threw drop hats on top of my H&R springs. I got enough movement from disconnecting the swaybar, leaving balljoints/tierods attached, and just hand compressing the strut to finagle the spring out of the way. I didn't have to pull the strut out at all, just work fast. :D

Were your struts not allen keyed on the top? To break loose the top of strut I put a deep socket on the nut, vice grips on the socket and stuck an allen key down the shaft of the socket to hold the strut shaft. YMMV.

[AndrewBird]

Just because your car tracks straight, doesn't mean it doesn't need an alignment. Your toe likely changed evenly on both sides, but that won't affect tracking. It will however eat your tires.

[jlevie]

I would not want to bet on cut springs not being under pressure. It depends on how much was cut off. The safe thing to do is to pull the strut and use a spring compressor. That is pretty easy to do if you have a ball joint tool.