Suspension install help

[themightyquinn]

So I'm planning on doing a full suspension install and freshen up. Control arms, bushings, sway bars, shocks, struts, etc, etc. My main question is:

If I do all the front suspension work in a weekend and completely finish, but don't feel like getting into the rear, only to end up halfway done by Sunday night at 11pm with work the next morning at 8am and my ti up on jackstands...can I stop there and drive around for a week with just the front upgraded and lowered and have no adverse effects? I'm talking in terms of the shocks and springs properly seating and settling?


Related question: I've been having a hell of a time finding a swaybar kit for the ti. Does anyone make them? Can I just buy a kit for a Z3 as I know they share suspension components.

thanks in advance!

[Philly]

H&R makes a sway bar kit for our cars, not sure how readily available they are though.

I think you'll be fine if you do that.. just take it easy for that week.

Although I don't know why you would wait, with the car up on stands - it will probably take less than 2hrs to do the entire rear... the most time consuming part is getting to the rear shock towers to loosen those bolts. Everything else is cake.

[ATF]

The hardest part on the rear is prying out the old spring (or maybe gently tearing your trunk apart). Once you finish the fronts, you've got only about and 1-2 hours worth of work left.

[thesk8nmidget]

rear is simple! i did just my rear (springs and shocks) before i did my front and i was fine for the 4 days til i did my front.

front is much harder than rear.

as long as you are putting lower springs in the rear it will be a cake walk. i would suggest having a friend help get the rears out and in. i did mine alone with a 3 ft steel bar to pry the springs out

[themightyquinn]

Oh wow...I didn't even know it would be that quick!

Thanks for the fast replies...now I just have to finish compiling all this stuff and actually do it!

[1996 328ti]

Don't forget to get it aligned.

[themightyquinn]

Definitely...I plan on picking up some 17x8 BBS RKs soon after, so I'll plan it so I can get everything done around the same time

[ATF]

If you run into problems, just post on the boards and skip scratching your head. For the rear, don't take the axle off like the Bentley manual says. just undo the sway bar. Should give you enough room to pop the spring out. Get a bar for some leverage on the sucker. Also with the fronts, the kingpin bolt always seemed to be a pain in the arse for me. With everything loose I'd jack the car up or down a little and it usually loosened up and everything fell into place.

[dave45056]

Are you doing rear bushings, too? If so the estimates posted here are way too short.

[marleymon]

...the rear springs should come out easy with the parking brake undone and the sway links removed....never had to use a pry.

I would take pics of the rear shock so you get everything back together correctly. Maybe you could post the sequence of the washers/mount/dust tube/bump stop.... I'm still not sure if I got mine back exactly correct.

[themightyquinn]

Yeah I'll take some pics while I'm doing it.

Dave, I was going to to the semi-arm bushings, but I think I might just go ahead and do the shocks, springs, and brakes, then have a shop do the bushings. Seems a little too much for me to handle right now.

[thesk8nmidget]

I am going to be doing my rear sub frame bushing one of these weeks and I'll do a write up if anyone wants one.

[dave45056]

Sk8... I just did mine, and the RTAB's too. I should have done a write up, but it was such a pain. Also, Dunsten did one a while back, I think.
BTW, how are you planning to remove the Subframe bushings?