converting air to struts

[Guest mn92leagcy]

I have removed my air suspension and I need to know what to disconnect so that the air system does not try to inflate 4 nonexisting air shocks.

[Guest Legacy777]

Not positive, but you probably can just disconnect the air compressor and/or pull the fuse.

[Guest Grounded1]

I removed my air system a couple of months ago. I removed the fuse from the computer control in the fuse block inside the car, removed the fuse for the compressor in the fuse box under the hood, removed the compressor relay at the left forward strut under the hood of my 91, I removed the soleniod valves at each strut position, accessed the forward left wheel well area and removed the compressor (which failed on mine), the compressor tank (which I am converting to a nice mini compressor setup), the dump solenoid and all the related plumbing from the compressor area to the back of the engine compartment. I left the air strut plastic caps on the struts (nice dust cover), I left the computer in and plugged in under the driver seat and the height switch (which I have plans for to operate an inverter I installed for some ac power)

Some perks- the 45 amp fuse you removed under the hood can be a good power source for some future lighting or options.The plumbing already came in handy for a repair on the rear window washer. As I said the switch in the dash can be accessed from behind and used for whatever.The fuse for the computer, 10 amps, can be accessed for some more free power sources without tapping into wires. One day if I have time I'll remove the computer under the seat but I have to see if it interfaces with something important before I remove it. It might even be worth a couple of dollars to someone crazy enough to keep this unpredictable air system in operation. well thats it, I put KYB gr2's in mine and the ride is great. And I have a wagon. I plan a few suspension upgrades to tighten it up a little more.

 

Later,

Pat

[Guest mdwatm]

This is good information! Are the KYB gr2's direct bolt on for a car with standard suspension? I have a 90 legacy wagon with the air suspension. I have had as much fun as I can stand with it. Who makes these KYB gr2's and how much are they?

[Guest dacKampf]

KYB makes the GR2's and they're available from SPDtuning, TeaguesAuto or even Shox.com.

 

Teague and SPD will charge more but i'm prone to supporting the small guys who give good advice.

 

I've installed 4 GR2's on my 90L and 4 on my 93 Turbo Wagon. It's a huge difference when the vehicle has 80k+ miles. It's firm but not stiff and much smoother.

 

Look for prices between $300-350US for a set of 4. If you do the replacement yourself, all you'll need is an extra person, 3-5 hours, tools and a rented spring compressor.

 

Otherwise $100-150 for labor at a shop to do the swap.

 

I've reviewed the whole process over at Legacy Central, have a look!

[Guest mdwatm]

Thanks for the info. Where is Legacy Central??

[Guest dacKampf]

http://www.xmission.com/~dac

[Guest Grounded1]

I ended up paying $87.00 for each strut. They were kinda high but given the price of the air struts, I bought 4 struts for the price of one air strut. And I never have to worry about a hole flattening my strut. I also went with original Subaru springs. That was pricey but I couldn't live with buying new struts and putting in used springs. Also i could not find any after market springs, they were Subaru only items. They were a exact bolt in for my 91. No mods at all. I wasn't sure about doing it but someone who runs a shop that does these conversions often gave me the info that it was a clean swap. If you go into the archives and search for it it should be there. It was last May.

 

Pat

[Guest dacKampf]

Glad to hear it!

 

I'm sure you'll be pleased with the setup as it should be as good or better than the air without worrying about it blowing out or another component failing.

[Guest mdwatm]

Good Info,

Thanks. How much were the new springs? Where did you get them? At a dealer? I too would have a hard time buying new struts and putting in old springs.

[Guest Grounded1]

Ok, here's the deal. I went to every Subaru dealer in my area (New York City), and they all couldn't give me the time of day. Doing this conversion is not sanctioned by the Suby boys. The problem I had was that I was dealing with Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealerships that also became Subaru dealerships. I was dealing with arrogant Dodge boys that new little of the Suby product and cared less to help (typical NY). I found a full fledged Subaru only dealership in Long Island. Next to a Land Rover Dealership and across from a Ferrari dealer. I explained my situatiuon and they bent over backwards to help. They gave me the net price at $58.83(instead of 78.37)per spring and got them to me in 3 days. I had one or the Dodge/Suby dealers tell me that it might take 3 months to get the springs from Japan. They just didn't want to help.

You'll also need the strut mount caps and spring seats. Better make that a junk yard item if you can, Those were more expensive than the springs. Also during the conversion I could have sworn that the old strut mount caps were almost identical to the new ones I bought. I never checked to be sure but they could be the same and it could save a couple of hundred in strut mount caps. And don't forget the dust boot/bumper that gets installed on the gas strut before you assemble them. It sounds like alot but it goes together quick and if you can afford the initial layout its still cheaper than 4 air struts,air compressor, solenoid valves, computer and other hells you'll remove. The best is the peace of mind on a long trip.

 

Pat

[Guest dacKampf]

Good to hear that you found a deal and got everything converted.

[Guest mdwatm]

How do I get to the Archives??

[Guest Grounded1]

Just choose the search function. Then search for the words "pnuematic" or "air suspension". Also choose the 'entire message' format. And search every forum listed one at a time. You'll get many hits of info.

 

Pat

[Guest mdwatm]

Hey Pat,

I don't seem to be able to get history beyond the last month. How do I get back to May? I would like to get this info from back in May.

Mike

[Guest Grounded1]

your right, what do you exactly need to find out?

Pat

[Guest Ryan Power]

Is there a place where you can order the used strut parts needed for spring struts over the phone or online? They're rather expensive new.

[Guest Grounded1]

try e-mailing smartservice@aol.com, they might know.They also answered all my questions about the actual install. They do them all the time, sounds like a great place to have Subaru work done. But other than going to a junkyard, I don't know of any used Suby parts online or over the phone. I'll do a little surfing and if I come up with anything I'll post it on this message page. In the mean time e-mail Smartservice they can help.

 

Pat

[Guest Ryan Power]

I think I have the install down at this point. It looks fairly strait forward. I may be going to some junk yards/salvage yards/auto wreckers later in the week if that have the parts. If I can get all the pieces I'll post pictures of how it went and what I did. Also, where exactly is smartservice? Do they have a web site?

[Guest Legacy777]

Ryan Power...one thing you wanna try to do is make sure you mark how the one bolt goes in...don't remember if it's the top or bottom. it's sorta an oval shape to help adjust the alignment and stuff.

[Guest Ryan Power]

The camber bolt?

[Guest Legacy777]

sorry...I didn't explain that very well....no it's one of the bolts that connects the strut to the bottom A-arm.

[Guest dacKampf]

The top bolt on the bottom by the brakes is the camber adjustment bolt. if you can put it in as close to possible it's best, but of course an alignment thereafter is always adviseable.

[Guest Grounded1]

Smartservice is in the state of Washington I believe. They're the ones that told me it was a clean swap with no mods. Listen to 777. There are 2 bolts that attach the lower part of the strut. The upper of these 2 is the camber adjustment. The head of the bolt has an index mark on it. Note the position and put it in the same way. The worst that could happen is you'll need a wheel alignment if it goes out.The smart service guy told me that when in doubt the 12 o'clock position is the factory position of the bolt. But thats when the car is new, as time goes by everything changes. Just note the position and you should be fine. The other pain in the rump roast is dis-connecting the brake lines from the calipers to get them out of the tab that hold them on the strut. Someone posted a message here that they cut the tab that the brake hose goes thru making it a "U" so they would not have to break the line going to the caliper. Sounds good to me. You could also just cut an slot on one side of the square tab and bend it open for access. Then cut the same slot in the new struts tab to put the hose back in. This sounds like alot of hell but it goes quick and you'll never have to worry about the suspension again. The other day I left work in a pissed off mood. I took a turn with some speed and my 3275lb wagon just cornered it and kept going. It definitely was worth it!

 

Pat

[Guest Legacy777]

One more thing about the brake line.....I didn't really mention anything about that...I should've. If you decide not to cut the tab out to slide the brake line through, but rather to diconnect the line from the caliper.(horrible sent. grammar..oh well ) Anyway...the easiest thing to do is to remove the caliper....and rotor then remove the strut. It's more work yes...but gives you more room to work, and you don't have to worry about nicking up your rotors. If you do it that way...MAKE SURE you put the disconnected brake line ABOVE where the line comes out of the fender well or it'll just drip. It may not be a problem if you do everything in a relatively short time....but I painted my calipers 2 summers ago..and didn't really have the brake line tied up too well...well I must have bled the **** out of those brakes before they weren't spongy....man that was the biggest pain in the butt. Also when putting the caliper and rotors back on...make sure the pad is seated all the way....I made the mistake. The one side of the pad got stuck on the guide and the metal backing and pad material came apart....not one of my stellar moments. Hmm...what else...if you take the rotors off...save yourself...SOOO much time and headache...get a puller...there is two bolt holes on the rotor...put screws in there and tighten the puller the rotor pops right off...without it....you're askin for trouble....(side note: I changed the rotors on my friends 90 something eclipse. I tried EVERYTHING to get those rotors off....I banged on them sooo hard with a sledge...didn't budge...the puller bolts stripped out.....We had to torch them off....INSANE....)

 

Well I've gone on here for a while...if you can sort the relavent info from the babble...and have questions feel free to post or email.