Front End Coil Conversion

Trippen Out

Trippen Out

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Tomorrow I convert the front of my car to springs. I was curious is there anything i need a heads up on. from what i understand i can just remove the system tuck it up nice and neat and be done with it. then disable some wires under the dash to get rid of the warning. ive read a few of the directions for the install on those kit but they are not aways very clear. more like here install the springs but they do not address much else.


So is it really as simple as disconnecting the lines or do i need to plug them. I thought i read somewhere that you want to plug the ends. If so what is the best way to do that?

Thanks for any feedback.
 
pepperman said:
http://youtu.be/Y2PyJrYVl2c

http://youtu.be/MMK2T9eAVDA




These two links will show the conversion process.
Click to expand...

seen them, and he does not address the air ride system other then tuck it away. my question was more detailed about a 2 wheel conversion. as the back will still be on air.

thank you tho. out of the 20+ views at least you replied with something sorta of helpful. if not to me to someone else who hasnt seen those videos
 
Pump up the air ride before you do the conversion, leave the door open and turn off the switch if you want it higher or suspect the rear bags slowly leak.

If not, let it vent and turn off the switch, whatever.

Just leave the line hooked into the solenoid, and unplug the electrical connector, It cant vent unless its told to and it cant be told to unless its plugged in.

However, if your removing the front solenoids completely then yes you will want to plug the lines, but at that point I'd have to ask why your keeping air on the rear only. If so, you can probably just use a bolt or something.

The air ride pumps the front then rear which we all know, so if you remove the front it will error everytime, unless tricked to think the front is ok (or bypassed) and then it will pump the rear, so if you wire in some manual switches you can do this, but at that rate id either man up and get some front air springs for it, or throw coils on the rear.
 
Lux said:
Pump up the air ride before you do the conversion, leave the door open and turn off the switch if you want it higher or suspect the rear bags slowly leak.

If not, let it vent and turn off the switch, whatever.

Just leave the line hooked into the solenoid, and unplug the electrical connector, It cant vent unless its told to and it cant be told to unless its plugged in.

However, if your removing the front solenoids completely then yes you will want to plug the lines, but at that point I'd have to ask why your keeping air on the rear only. If so, you can probably just use a bolt or something.

The air ride pumps the front then rear which we all know, so if you remove the front it will error everytime, unless tricked to think the front is ok (or bypassed) and then it will pump the rear, so if you wire in some manual switches you can do this, but at that rate id either man up and get some front air springs for it, or throw coils on the rear.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Im doing the rears as well. i just need to wait till i can get some perch's for the back. untill then ill be on a half and half for 2-3 weeks. the front is a must fix now thing. the backs can slide.

thanks for the advice.
 
Turn air suspension switch off.

Raise vehicle and remove the wheel.

Remove the Upper Control Arm by removing the pinch bolt and nut. Position the air suspension height sensor out of the way.

Tap the wishbone control arm upward.

Twist air spring counter-clockwise, pull the air spring out.

Unbolt the brake line braket that is mounted to the frame.

Go to the engine compartment and remove the three shock tower nuts 13mm.

Pull air strut out and install the kit in reverse procedure.

Be sure to securly plug both airlines after removing solenoids. ( 2-wheel kits only) <---- this what sparked me to ask

See attached instructions to disarm suspension warning light.

If this DOES NOT turn out the suspension warning light, you can cut the ground wire to the suspension compressor.

In the Trunk Turn main air ride switch on.

http://www.suncoreindustries.com/instructions/50F-30-F.pdf

as you can see they say turn it back on and in the pdf there is a place to clip a wire as well. im wondering if that wire not only by passes the error message but tells it to skip the front and pump directly to the back?
 
Trippen Out said:
Thanks. Im doing the rears as well. i just need to wait till i can get some perch's for the back. untill then ill be on a half and half for 2-3 weeks. the front is a must fix now thing. the backs can slide.

thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...

You should be fine for a few weeks. You can make rear perches pretty easily, you only really need uppers. Good luck, its a stupid easy conversion.
 
Trippen Out said:
Turn air suspension switch off.

Raise vehicle and remove the wheel.

Remove the Upper Control Arm by removing the pinch bolt and nut. Position the air suspension height sensor out of the way.

Tap the wishbone control arm upward.

Twist air spring counter-clockwise, pull the air spring out.

Unbolt the brake line braket that is mounted to the frame.

Go to the engine compartment and remove the three shock tower nuts 13mm.

Pull air strut out and install the kit in reverse procedure.

Be sure to securly plug both airlines after removing solenoids. ( 2-wheel kits only) <---- this what sparked me to ask

See attached instructions to disarm suspension warning light.

If this DOES NOT turn out the suspension warning light, you can cut the ground wire to the suspension compressor.

In the Trunk Turn main air ride switch on.

http://www.suncoreindustries.com/instructions/50F-30-F.pdf

as you can see they say turn it back on and in the pdf there is a place to clip a wire as well. im wondering if that wire not only by passes the error message but tells it to skip the front and pump directly to the back?
Click to expand...

There is no brake line to disconnect to pull the strut out.

(i have stainless lines so maybe you'll have to loosen yours *shrug* )

Pull the abs sensor out of the holder and let it dangle so you get more play when tilting the spindle towards you.

They probably put that in there about the bolt in the line for a few reasons.

But, the second you turn off the air suspension switch...the air ride computer does not do anything until turned back on except make the message center say "Air Ride Switch Off" you dont have to cut anything or worry that it will vent, it wont.
 
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i just did a coil conversion, no need to remove the brake line either...
 
Trippen Out said:
So is it really as simple as disconnecting the lines or do i need to plug them. I thought i read somewhere that you want to plug the ends. If so what is the best way to do that?

Thanks for any feedback.
Click to expand...
i did mine a few months ago, Srutmaters from American Air...Eddie Spinks was great with tech support...
you don't need to plug 'em, some say just cut 'em and move on..that's the quick and dirty way, but I left mine intact in case I ever want to go back to air; one prob with the rears was getting the shock mount bracket properly centered; initially it was not and made a terrible groaing noise whenever it moved...the key is cutting the right (green?) wire in the pass kick panel area, you'll know you did it right if you don't get an error message in the dash led...good luck
 
Yea i wouldnt expect to have to do some of those steps as i cant see it being any harder then replacing the air shock. im just curious how all these 2 wheel front end conversion kits get air to the rears.
 
So I started the conversion. Lots of fail for me. It took me nearly 3 hours to get one done. sign the rest should be much easier depending on a special little bolt i wanna burn with a torch and remold into an anchor and drop at the bottom of the ocean. anyway. heres a couple of pics. yes the car is dirty yes the clear coat is missing. no i dont care because the last phase is paint coming in the next 6 months.

it's just sad to see it limped and slammed in the front.
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working at night doesnt stop me. just the 11pm sound ordance does. :)

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This image is important to me. When ordering the kit no one had pictures of the actual product. i was not sure if it had the proper "U" at the bottom or if it was like a normal shock. maybe i just ignorant but i wasnt 100 percent. even with other pictures on this forum i could not find an actual picture of the bottom half of the coil over shock dampner gimmick. so heres one
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/197445_499323020092861_1119525878_n.jpg[/img]
This next picture well there was no install instructions at all in the kit. some other kits mention to the position of the lettering on the spring. i have no clue if it applies here. I looked at KevIIIn's pictures from his conversion. his appear to be in a different location facing a different way. If someone can confirm the issue of matters or not i would be greatfule
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this was it finally in. sadly it took 3 hours to compress both springs and put them together and then get the drivers side installed.
377556_499323270092836_1887789706_n.jpg


all in all im very excited to get things to work out. after i got the tire back on. i did a little trickery with the air ride and a jack to get the car to pump back up. the car was sitting for almost 2 weeks. the front was slammed 100 percent and the rears looked a hair lower then mormal.

i turned the air rid on and the drivers side solenoid was disconnect. instant fail on air ride so that was not an option to disconnect that. so instead what i did was jack the car up a little bit until it closed the locks on the driver side and starte pumping the passanger side. once that clicked it levled out the rears. i turned the air ride off and called it a night. it was 1130 already and im sure the neighbors were over the hammering trying to get a special little bolt out of its hole. anyway ill post some more pictures later for you all to critizie about how dirty my engine bay is right now and how bad the paint is. and of course how i scuffed the pretty blue on the bottom the shock. which kinda made me sad. but meh. life goes on.
 
Didn't come with one. hmm interesting. This is why i post random pics because ya never know what kind of **** gets over looked.

Sucks i just came from the junk yard too i could of easily grabbed a set of those washers. all well. i ended throwing 2 washers on each one. the front end is done i didnt take any other pictures yet. the car is so dirty and dusty from just sitting for the last two weeks its horrible i feel ashamed like i neglected a child or something.

I also took the time to seafoam it. put 3/4 of a can into the intake and its setting in right now. cant wait to smoke out the hood.
 
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The fronts are finished and the car is drivable. I ended up throwing some regular washers on the post. 2 on each side. now that the weather is cooler ill be at the yard more often and next time i go ill see if i can snag a proper set of t-bird washers for the upper mount.
heres 4 pictures. the fronts are finished. and the rears are still on air. well whats left of the air. i can already tell im gonna have to relearn some of my streets as i clip the botton of my bumper on certain things. i wonder hows it gonna be when the entire ride is converted and the springs settle.

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chris2523 said:
looks great. but i have to ask, are you aware your wheels are on backwards?
Click to expand...

Yep. but it looks good in reverse. i did get into an arguement about it with the shop that mounted the tired. i pointed it out to them before they mounted the tired. beause they were directional tires as well. when i realized they were on the way they were i was like meh i dont have time to deal with it. so they will probably sit that way until i get them rotated or shed them for new skins.

I know it drives some people of the forum batty when they see it too :)
 
headlights look good; did you take those apart and resurface the insides/bucket?
 
dnsherrill said:
headlights look good; did you take those apart and resurface the insides/bucket?
Click to expand...

no it was a 3m restore kit. i need to crack em open tho and get some dust and crap off the inside. its ruining all the hard work i did to get them clear. but the restore kit from 3m i used worked perfect. i used the drill attached one it came with a few different grit pads and some polishes.
 
are those factory '96 HIDs? mine are not and almost all the reflective coating inside the 'bucket' is gone; burned to a chalky white.....my lo's are useless, looking for a cheap pair to remodel/resurface insides
 
I might as well just make this my full conversion thread. Today I received my spring perches from DLF along with the prothane isolators to go with them. its a top and bottom view of the perches

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Thanks again for taking the time to make these.
 
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You might need two people to do the rear shocks..throw someone small in the trunk to handle the upper shock mount and someone on bottom locating it for you..the springs are fairly easy only took me like 20 min a side.
 
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