Accordtheory
06-27-2011, 04:54 PM
http://i51.tinypic.com/2wg9bvo.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/344v315.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/v7dw7d.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2chmgxj.jpg
So..couple weeks ago, decided to finally do something with my 25 year old honda, since I let it sit for about a year without even touching it, it's just been gathering dust. So I called ground control and asked them about a set of coilovers to go with my revalved bilsteins. Well, they had no idea what springs would go with those, maybe I expected too much, but I figure if they don't know, who would? So then I called bilstein, shox.com, etc, got nowhere until I found an old post on here, then I just ordered the "stock" rates from ground control for the 3g, 350lbs front, 250 back. My shocks are valved 300/100 rear and 375/120 in the front.
Today the springs arrived, initial order placed on the 14th of this month, today is the 27th. I called them a week after the order was placed asking for a tracking number, they hadn't sent it out yet, and did send it out later that day, although I had to call back today to get the tracking #. Kind of felt dumb after I did that too, the tracking said it was delivered this morning, but the guy never knocked on my door or left a note, he just put it in my detached garage. Anyway, after I looked at them sitting in the box, I had a few questions, so I called them, and was like, "What am I supposed to do with these O rings, and why are there only 2 urethane things that go on the top of the spring, not 4 like in the pic on your site?" Of course that guy didn't know, and had to go get someone else, who told him the O rings go around the shock body to isolate/prevent the coilover sleeve from hitting the shock body. (Like rocking sideways back and forth against the shock body.)
So then I went out to the car and pulled the rear shocks off, but when I put the coilover sleeve on the shock body, there was about 1/4" gap all around between the sleeve and the shock! So then I had to call them back, Again. I told him about the gap, he kept insisting that was what the O rings were for. I had to just keep repeating myself for him to realize the O rings weren't going to work, he kept asking if I had ever installed GC coilovers before, did I buy them from them, etc, not going with what I was talking about, and I didn't appreciate that. Then he disappeared to talk to someone else, and the other guy confirmed that the gap was way too big for the O rings. He said that they messed up, they didn't send a part they should have, which is a split polyurethane sleeve that fits around the shock body, between the shock and coilover sleeve. I was like, "what? but it looks like everything will work fine the way it is now! The sleeves sits on a flat surface, that clip thing on the shock, how the hell is it going to rock off to the side like that, when the force is pushing it down? What am I not picturing correctly here?"
He then replied in a catty way, like he was threatening to hang up, "there's no need to curse sir" and I was like, "what? I didn't! I'm just trying to talk!"
So there are a few different things you can do with this install, I guess. I did Not use anything between the shock body and the coilover sleeves, and I guess I was supposed to. Also in the instructions, which were worthless, it said to cut the things that come down over the shock to keep crud off the shock rod. I did not want to do that because I know that dirt getting on that rod will slowly abrade the seal and ruin the shock, especially in south dakota, and those damn shocks were $711. I had to do it on the back, because that metal/rubber thing wouldn't fit inside the spring. So I didn't need any instructions to tell me that. On the front, however, I did not alter that thing whatsoever. Pay attention here if you're putting this combo on your car, that cover thing Will fit inside the coilover sleeve, as shown in my pic. It looked like the shock will bottom out before that oem metal cover sleeve hits the bottom of the coilover sleeve. However, if you have the polyurethane sleeve thing they said you're supposed to have, then that oem cover sleeve thing might not fit, depending on the height of that polyurethane thing.
So as of now, I need to raise the car up a little to a less insane height, get it aligned, and then see if the coilovers start moving around, making noise, see if anytihing hits or bottoms out, how it rides, just drive it a little. I took it out briefly earlier, and it wasn't maing any weird noises, but I only drove it a few miles.
http://i55.tinypic.com/344v315.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/v7dw7d.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/2chmgxj.jpg
So..couple weeks ago, decided to finally do something with my 25 year old honda, since I let it sit for about a year without even touching it, it's just been gathering dust. So I called ground control and asked them about a set of coilovers to go with my revalved bilsteins. Well, they had no idea what springs would go with those, maybe I expected too much, but I figure if they don't know, who would? So then I called bilstein, shox.com, etc, got nowhere until I found an old post on here, then I just ordered the "stock" rates from ground control for the 3g, 350lbs front, 250 back. My shocks are valved 300/100 rear and 375/120 in the front.
Today the springs arrived, initial order placed on the 14th of this month, today is the 27th. I called them a week after the order was placed asking for a tracking number, they hadn't sent it out yet, and did send it out later that day, although I had to call back today to get the tracking #. Kind of felt dumb after I did that too, the tracking said it was delivered this morning, but the guy never knocked on my door or left a note, he just put it in my detached garage. Anyway, after I looked at them sitting in the box, I had a few questions, so I called them, and was like, "What am I supposed to do with these O rings, and why are there only 2 urethane things that go on the top of the spring, not 4 like in the pic on your site?" Of course that guy didn't know, and had to go get someone else, who told him the O rings go around the shock body to isolate/prevent the coilover sleeve from hitting the shock body. (Like rocking sideways back and forth against the shock body.)
So then I went out to the car and pulled the rear shocks off, but when I put the coilover sleeve on the shock body, there was about 1/4" gap all around between the sleeve and the shock! So then I had to call them back, Again. I told him about the gap, he kept insisting that was what the O rings were for. I had to just keep repeating myself for him to realize the O rings weren't going to work, he kept asking if I had ever installed GC coilovers before, did I buy them from them, etc, not going with what I was talking about, and I didn't appreciate that. Then he disappeared to talk to someone else, and the other guy confirmed that the gap was way too big for the O rings. He said that they messed up, they didn't send a part they should have, which is a split polyurethane sleeve that fits around the shock body, between the shock and coilover sleeve. I was like, "what? but it looks like everything will work fine the way it is now! The sleeves sits on a flat surface, that clip thing on the shock, how the hell is it going to rock off to the side like that, when the force is pushing it down? What am I not picturing correctly here?"
He then replied in a catty way, like he was threatening to hang up, "there's no need to curse sir" and I was like, "what? I didn't! I'm just trying to talk!"
So there are a few different things you can do with this install, I guess. I did Not use anything between the shock body and the coilover sleeves, and I guess I was supposed to. Also in the instructions, which were worthless, it said to cut the things that come down over the shock to keep crud off the shock rod. I did not want to do that because I know that dirt getting on that rod will slowly abrade the seal and ruin the shock, especially in south dakota, and those damn shocks were $711. I had to do it on the back, because that metal/rubber thing wouldn't fit inside the spring. So I didn't need any instructions to tell me that. On the front, however, I did not alter that thing whatsoever. Pay attention here if you're putting this combo on your car, that cover thing Will fit inside the coilover sleeve, as shown in my pic. It looked like the shock will bottom out before that oem metal cover sleeve hits the bottom of the coilover sleeve. However, if you have the polyurethane sleeve thing they said you're supposed to have, then that oem cover sleeve thing might not fit, depending on the height of that polyurethane thing.
So as of now, I need to raise the car up a little to a less insane height, get it aligned, and then see if the coilovers start moving around, making noise, see if anytihing hits or bottoms out, how it rides, just drive it a little. I took it out briefly earlier, and it wasn't maing any weird noises, but I only drove it a few miles.