Lowering your car can significantly enhance its appearance and handling, giving it a more aggressive stance and improved cornering capabilities. If you’re a car enthusiast looking to take on this modification yourself, knowing the right tools is crucial for a safe and successful project. This guide will walk you through the essential tools you’ll need to lower your car, specifically focusing on replacing the front struts, a common method for achieving a lowered ride height.
Essential Hand Tools
For lowering your car by replacing the struts, a good set of hand tools is indispensable. These are the foundational tools that will handle most of the nuts and bolts you’ll encounter.
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Socket Set (Metric): A comprehensive metric socket set is a must-have. You’ll need various sizes, likely ranging from 10mm to 19mm, to handle different bolts and nuts around the strut assembly. Deep sockets are particularly useful for accessing recessed nuts, such as those on the strut top.
Alt text: Close-up of a metric socket set, essential for loosening and tightening bolts during car strut replacement and lowering.
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Wrench Set (Metric): Complementary to your socket set, metric wrenches are needed to hold bolts in place while you turn the nuts, or vice versa. Having both combination wrenches (open-end and box-end) and potentially ratcheting wrenches will speed up the process. Sizes should align with your socket set needs.
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Screwdrivers (Flat-head and Phillips): While less prominent than sockets and wrenches in strut replacement, screwdrivers are still necessary. A flat-head screwdriver is particularly useful for prying and releasing plastic clips, such as those holding ABS signal lines.
Alt text: Using a flat-head screwdriver to gently release a plastic clip securing the ABS sensor wire to the car’s strut assembly during disassembly.
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Extension Bars: Extension bars of varying lengths are crucial for reaching bolts in tight spaces. A 9-inch extension, as mentioned in the original guide, can be particularly helpful for accessing bolts like the brake hydraulic line bracket bolt.
Alt text: Mechanic using a socket wrench with a long extension bar to access and unbolt the brake hydraulic line from the strut assembly.
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Torque Wrench: A torque wrench is not just recommended, it’s essential for safety and proper installation. Over-tightening or under-tightening suspension components can be dangerous. A torque wrench ensures you tighten bolts to the manufacturer-specified torque settings, which are provided in the original article for various components like strut top nuts and strut-to-hub assembly nuts.
Specialty Tools for Strut and Spring Work
Lowering your car via strut replacement involves working with the car’s springs, which are under significant compression. Specialty tools are therefore required to handle these components safely.
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Spring Compressors: Spring compressors are absolutely necessary for safely removing and installing coil springs from struts. These tools compress the spring, relieving pressure from the strut top mount, allowing you to safely disassemble and reassemble the strut. There are various types of spring compressors, including external and internal ones. It’s crucial to use quality spring compressors and follow their instructions carefully to avoid serious injury from a spring releasing under pressure.
Alt text: Shade-tree method using a wheel and plywood for spring compression during strut disassembly, highlighting the potential dangers of improper spring handling.
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Impact Wrench (Optional but Recommended): While not strictly essential, an impact wrench can significantly speed up the process, especially when dealing with stubborn nuts and bolts. It’s particularly helpful for quickly removing the strut top nut, but as cautioned in the original article, it should be used with care, especially when reinstalling, to avoid over-tightening. If using an impact wrench for strut top nuts, hand-thread the nut first to prevent cross-threading.
Additional Tools and Supplies
Beyond the core hand and specialty tools, a few other items will make the job easier and safer.
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Jack and Jack Stands: To access the struts, you’ll need to lift your car and secure it safely. A quality car jack is essential for lifting, and equally important are sturdy jack stands to support the car once lifted. Never work under a car supported only by a jack.
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Wheel Chocks: Place wheel chocks behind the wheels that remain on the ground to prevent the car from rolling.
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Penetrating Oil: Rust and corrosion can make bolts difficult to remove. Penetrating oil, sprayed on bolts beforehand, can significantly ease removal.
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Gloves and Safety Glasses: Protect your hands and eyes. Gloves prevent cuts and scrapes, while safety glasses protect against debris and fluids.
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Shop Rags or Paper Towels: For cleaning up any spills and keeping your workspace tidy.
Step-by-Step Tool Application (Front Strut Removal and Replacement)
To illustrate how these tools are used, let’s walk through the process of removing and replacing a front strut, highlighting the tool usage at each step based on the original article.
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ABS Signal Lines Removal: Use a flat-tipped screwdriver to release the plastic clips holding the ABS signal lines to the strut.
Alt text: Close-up showing a flat-tipped screwdriver being used to push down on the upper catch of a plastic clip to release the ABS signal wire from the strut.
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Brake Hydraulic Line Detachment: Employ a 12mm socket and extension to unbolt the brake hydraulic line from the strut assembly.
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Sway Bar Link Disconnection: Use wrenches (size will vary depending on your car, likely 14mm or 15mm) to unbolt the sway bar link from the strut assembly. It might be easier to disconnect both sides of the sway bar to relieve tension.
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Lower Strut Bolt Removal: Use a 19mm socket and wrench to remove the two lower nuts and bolts securing the strut to the hub assembly.
Alt text: Mechanic using a socket wrench and a wrench to remove the lower 19mm nuts and bolts connecting the strut assembly to the wheel hub.
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Strut Top Nut Removal: Open the hood and use a deep 12mm socket to remove the three strut top nuts. Be prepared to support the strut as you remove the last nut to prevent it from falling.
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Strut Disassembly and Spring Replacement: This is where spring compressors are crucial. Use them to safely compress the spring, then use a socket (likely 14mm) and potentially an impact wrench to remove the strut top nut and disassemble the strut. Replace the spring and bump stop as needed. Reassemble the strut, ensuring the spring is correctly seated and the strut top nut is tightened to the specified torque (41 ft-lb).
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Strut Reinstallation: Guide the new strut back into the wheel well and loosely install the strut top nuts (17 ft-lb torque). Align the hub assembly and reinstall the lower strut bolts (114 ft-lb torque). Reattach the brake line bracket (24 ft-lb torque) and ABS signal lines.
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Sway Bar Link Reattachment: Reconnect the sway bar end links (34 ft-lb torque).
Conclusion
Lowering your car by replacing struts is a rewarding DIY project, and having the right tools is paramount for safety and efficiency. From basic hand tools like socket and wrench sets to specialty tools like spring compressors and torque wrenches, each tool plays a vital role in the process. By gathering these essential tools and following a reliable guide, you can confidently tackle lowering your car and enjoy the enhanced aesthetics and performance. Remember to always prioritize safety, use jack stands when working under the car, and torque all bolts to the specified values.
