kilroy

I have both the rears the left front done. No issues with those thanks to all the information on this forum. The right front however is going to kill me! I can't get the through bolt out. The nut came off easily, but the bolt will only turn a quater turn in each direction and wont push through. Believe me I am getting plenty of torque on it - I used 1/2 inch breaker and the sockets are digging into the bolt head. I tried various lubricants, the last being PB Blaster. I doused it good, and I am goint to let it sit overnight. I am afraid to use a torch because there are bushings all over that I would melt in a second.

BTW, the left through bolt came out with major rust on it.

I am going to assume that PB Blaster won't work any miracles overnight, so I am really not sure where to go from here. I spent all damn day on this, and was hoping for the payoff this evening. I can put it back together and take it somewhere, but that sucks, and I can't imagine what they can do.

kennyc

sorry to hear that... I did not need pb blaster at all.

do you have an access to a impact wrench? you can get a cheap one from harbor freight.

whatjones911

Are you trying to get the bolt in or out?

If you are trying to get it out, you have to use a punch. I didnt hvae a punch so i just used a screw driver and hammer it out

kilroy

I am trying to get the bolt out and I did use a punch on the other side. I think the fact that it won't turn more that a quater turn means the rust has sealed up pretty tight. I am looking at impact wrenches as an option.

kilroy

I tried it again this morning after letting the PB Blaster soak all night, but it didn't help. I wound up putting it back together so I can take it somewhere this week. It's ironic that I got hung up in the front, the rears were more difficult.

I suppose I can do a 3/4 review of the A-Spec suspension - I just aim the right front tire at all the potholes and only go around right hand curves.

kennyc

lol!!

kilroy

I took my car to Firestone yesterday and had them install my right front strut. I had a new through bolt for them to install, since I did some damage to the original in my attempt to get it off. I didn't get a chance to talk to the mechanic, so I don't know if it gave them any problems - I guess after all the grief I went through, I would like to hear that it was somewhat difficult for them too! I'll just pretend that it was.

I also had them do an alignment (I brought in the spec's from this forum). They did awesome job, the car goes perfectly straight, and the wheel is dead center. It was just a hair to the left after I got it back from the body shop after my accident.

So many people have written reviews that I would probably just be saying the same thing everyone else says - it's awesome!!!

I did mine in stages over three weeks starting with the Comptech sway bar, adding the A-Spec suspension, and then putting on the A-Spec rims with Michelin Pilot Sport AS tires. I will say that the Comptech sway bar has the highest return on you handling investment.

The A-Spec suspension with the OEM 17 inch rims was still very comfortable. I think the 18 inch wheels contribute far more to any harshness in the ride. I live in Michigan, so I definitely feel more bumps in our crappy roads, but the tradeoff is slight and the benefits are huge.

My last car was a 2000 TL with Comptech springs and Koni adjustable shocks. I moved from Houston to West Michigan while I owned it, and found the ride a little too harsh for my liking on Michigan roads even with Koni’s on the softest setting. As a result, I never planned to get the A-Spec, but after reading all the reviews, I figured it was time for my own mid-cycle refresh.

BustedJack

Hey Kilroy,

How does the ride feel now with A-spec on?

vash68

Glad it's all over for you!

I used Liquid wrench to soak all nuts and bolts overnight before installing my A-spec susp - worked like a charm and I used punch on a fork bolt.
The only prob I had was a rear link - I didnt have a closed combo wrench handy ..

What is pb blaster?

kennyc

Glad everything is over for ya!

vash68: pb blaster is the same thing as liquid wrench.

kilroy

That fork bold is about 5 inches long, so penetrating oil can only go so far. I was amazed at how much rust was on the left fron bolt, so I am not too surprised I had problems. Although, I didn't fine any any other threads from any DIY A-Spec installs.

I love the new suspension, its exactly as I had hoped it would be. While the suspension/tire combo is harsher, its not annoying. My wife drove my car a couple days ago, and said she didn't notice anything unusual. Of course, she wasn't looking for it either, but she complained about my 00 TL with Comptech springs and Koni's.

I might just wait until the next TL model to buy another car.