I recently did a lowering springs install and of course, I first looked at all of the installation guides found in different forums. All guides look pretty much the same but I found a few more things to remove that makes the job a lot easier.

1. Remove the nut holding the tie rod end and disconnect the tie rod.
2. Remove the nut and bolt from the end of the sway bar end link so the sway bar is disconnected.

Now you can easily move the knuckle around as needed to get to bolts and remove the strut/spring.

Another tip is regarding the 19mm nut holding the bottom of the strut in place. Be sure to use an open wrench on the other side strut on the sway bar end link. This will give you far more leverage to push with one hand and pull with the other. Look at the first picture and you'll see the sway bar end link.

The second picture shows the tie rod disconnected.

The third picture shows how much easier it is to get to the bolts with the tie rod out of the way.

 

Thanks for the tips and the photos. I'm glad this method worked out well for you. But I don't think that access to the lower bolts is a big problem for most performing this job. Getting enough torque to break the nut/bolt securing the lower strut is usually where the problem is. Proper lubrication and the right tools makes that easy.

 

ive never had to disconnect the tie rod for the install.. seems to be an extra effort for me to have to have something else to RnR..

 

Thanks for the pointers! Will be doing this very soon..!

 

I would say this is only necessary if the strut bracket bolts were seized and need a different angle. This wasn't necessary at all with just basic tools, for me at least.