So I've been goofing around with gauges and what not, but today I finally got the car up and took a look at what I'm working with...and I need coilovers asap. The passenger side Bilstein is rusted out and leaving only about a literal millimeter of clearance between it and the tire. I'm really considering the FA 510's unless someone can tell me a reason not to....

 

Get them 510's! Been running them for 7 years plus. So freakn solid at the 10K/12K Swift rate (radial bearing kit as well)

They were orig custom built for serious track days but now just street duty. They are perfect for hard street driving (soaks up some mean dips & road irregularities)

 

I think I might actually go with regular 500s. "Rane" from 2006 would want the track-going ones...Mike in 2022 knows damn well he ain't going to the track lol

 

Oh, for sure the 500's are good as well if youre not running the track hard. I still like the idea of running the Swift spring & radial bearing option but even that is not required

 

Sweet mother...

FA500s arriving this week!!!

...and totally passed inspection. :-|

 

dang that rust!!

 

16 years worth!

I'm working on getting the FAs installed now. The bolts holding the Bilsteins in place are being a tad difficult. Currently soaking them in liquid wrench. With that, a breaker bar, five years worth of push ups, and Thor's hammer...I should be able to get these sonsab**ches.

 

Oh my on that corrosion. No more driving the EvO in wet weather. Congrats on the FA's. Looking fwd to seeing them installed & the spring spec & rate please

 

Driver's side installed, but the rusty one pictured above wouldn't go down without a fight. It wound up tearing a gnarly gash in the outer axle boot.

Sucks, but I've got a repair kit coming from STM and if nothing else, the car is in the perfect spot for that repair...just going to delay me a few days.

Nothing ever goes as planned, does it?

 

I agree but fedex came at 2pm yesterday and I had enough time to install my FA 510s yesterday, and got to race today (old alignment) FA said its not going to be here that soon, but it did! Big props for FA and their overhaul service

 

Been there and done that for tearing the boot. I tore the inner boot. Good news is that you don't have to pull the axle out of the tranny to change the boot. I found some videos online that showed how to replace the boots with the stub axle still plugged into the tranny.

Man, that rust is nasty. You might want to start looking at the lower radiator support and rear unibody frame for rust as well. Joys of owning a 17ish year old car.

 

Would you mind DMing a few to me? If that's the case you saved me having to get a slide hammer for now. 'preciate it!

 

Well I'm stumped. I see no way of putting on a new boot without removing the entire axle. Not an oem boot anyway.

Anyone have any experience with this by chance?

 

Yes: you have to pull the axle, remove old boot, pull end off the axle, install boot, grease, put back together, zip down new boot. It's not really all that hard, IMO. Just takes some time.

 

I've decided I need a new Evo...

...so that I can drive my Evo whilst working on my Evo.