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DYI shocks and struts

3K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  C70drvr 
#1 ·
hey everyone, i drive a 2002 c70 hpt with 76 miles and some change . for the last couple of months i have had some bad tire wear on the insides. i have taken the car to diff shops and gotten diff answers. the first shop told me to replace the upper front spring seats and lower control arm bushings. the other shop told me that the lower bushings are fine and that the struts are and shocks are bad. could bad struts and shocks be the cause of my tire wear. my father and i do a little wrenching on our cars, we change oil, brakes filters and ect. we also just changed a rear hub on my brothers 2002 s40. we aren't experts by any means. the price for both shops work is to high imo, how hard is changing your own struts and shocks, what are the risk factors if we mess up, could you please give your 2 cents about change all the struts and shocks, i think i will take the front coil overs to a shop to have them compressed . please answer the poll.
 
#2 ·
If you can do brakes you can do shocks & struts. Just read some how-tos so you handle the spring properly and don't kill yourself.

My C70 I felt were among the easiest I've ever done. I did springs and shocks on a Saab 900 that took me 7 hours. A 9 series with independent rear suspension took me 6 hours. My C70 only took me 4 hours.

That's all 4 corners on all these cars, start to finish.
 
#4 ·
Re: DYI shocks and struts (WildC70)

yeah i think it looks like any easy job. but if i do it wrong what can go bad. also what kinda of mistakes could i make? i don't want to total my car because i did something wrong. is it any easy job to mess up? or just unbolt retoqur and call it a day? i was going to have a shop compress the springs, and them get an alignment.
please i need some way to talk my dad in to leting me do it so i can save us some green.
 
#5 ·
Re: DYI shocks and struts (WildC70)

First order new Springs Seats and Strut Mounts from... fcpgroton.com
When parts arrive go to....matthewsvolvosite.com
Click Repair data base, click Strut replacement : a How to
They walk you through the complete removal
Print each step.....you can do it
Good luck
 
#8 ·
Well, I changed mine last weekend. Keep in mind, I have never changed any springs. shocks, or struts before, nor do I do brakes. This was the first major thing I've done on the car myself. It was relatively straitforward, nothing really to mess up. It took me longer than I expected, but I was working out of a friend's garage that was not organized from a tool perspective.

With the right tools, and for your first time, I would say it would take three to four hours or so for the front, and an hour and a half for the rear.

Make sure you know how to take out the back seats to get to the top shock mount.
I rented the spring compressors from Advance Auto. You do not need spring compressors for the rear, even if you are changing the springs.

Overall I am VERY glad I saved the $400 a shop would charge, and I learned a lot in the process. http://********************/smile/emthup.gif

If you decide to do it, and you want some pointers, or want to know the hard parts, let me know, I'd be happy to help out.
 
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