FRONT COILOVER INSTALLATION

This page outlines the steps on how to install a set of Bilstein/Eibach coilovers on an 87s4. For all practical purposes it is just about a reverse process of the removal.

new and the old....A tip before installation is to make sure you have the same number of threads on the adjusment ring showing. I had 3 on either side at the front....and 4 showing on either side at the back. Its more important to get the Left and Right sides equal than the front and back. With 3 (front)and 4 threads( back) showing my cars initial ride hgt (after lowering to the ground for the first time) sat at 182mm in the back and 181mm at the front (with both LEFT AND RIGHT numbers being equal (FR 181 FL181.....RR182 RL182) . The suspension will need to settle before i attempt to adjust the ride hgt to specs but 180 is a good safe start.

with the upper A arm horizontal, the coilover will pass up and throught the opening. The trick then is to get the upper bolts on to hold it in place. An extra hand would be nice....i used a wooden block to hold the coilover up as i secured the 3 bolts.

this picture shows how i improvised a few things. The block is holding the coilover up in postion so i can get the 3 upper bolts (in the engine compartment) secured to hold it in place. Like the removal, the coilover will slide/thread through the upper control arm when it is placed at a horizontal postion. I used another block of wood to hold the wheel hub (thus the control arm) up so i had my hands free to get the coilover into postion.

with all my bolts out, i was sure to clean ALL threads with a wire brush and coated them with a light film of antisieze. Its nice when they are all clean and you can actually thread the bolts in by hand.

with the coilover attatched by the 3 bolts in the engine compartment, it will hang there. Now place the lower coilover bolt throught the bracket on the lower control arm, this allows the arm to hang free and makes it easier to handle.

. Push the control arm up and into place and swing the front tow bracket(below) into position. It may take a bit of work getting it all back into position, but it isnt that bad.

With the tow bracket in position, insert the 4 bolts that secure the control arm. Just get the threads started and then check for proper installation postion.

It may be hard to see in this picture, but its there to show that the rear control arm bolts up SNUGGLY to the attatchment point. You may accidently not get the bolt tightned all the way as there is a LIP on the "black bracket" you see in the picture. The bolts will tighten down on the lip and not be fully installed! Make sure the "silver" bracket is flush up against the "black" bracket in the pictures above. Once the bolts are in properly, just lightly snug them down and continue with the rest. Go back a torque them later..

With the coilover and control arm now held in place you can manipulate the lower ball joint bracket back onto the 2 caster/camber bolts....shown here (you may not have even removed this if you could get the control arm to swing out of the way during removal) Once the bolts are in postion, place the plates on them.

the caster/camber plates coated with a light film of anti-seize

Once in postion get a bolt on to hold it all together then thread the second one on. Once again, just snug them down. You still have to set them. Torque to specs later.

At this point the only thing left to do is the front sway bar linkages. The control arm is in place...the lower ball joint bracket is attatched.....the caster/camber bolts are snugged and the coilover is temporarlity attatched to the lower control arm via the bolt that is placed through the bracket..

remove the bolt from the lower coilover attatchment point to ready it for the final installation. Place the bolt in the direction as shown, passing through the upper droplink hole and through the coilover attatchement bracket.. The airdeflector, washer and bolt will go on the other side (see below). With the upper bolt installed connect the sway bar to the droplink below. With the upper bolt still loose it will allow for some manipluation to get the hole on the lower part of the droplink to line up with the hole in the sway bar.

With the bolt protruding through (may need a tap with a hammer) place the deflector, washer and bolt on. Snug the bolt down

once you are satisfied with the placement of everything, go back and torque the bolts down on the lower control arm , lower coilover attatchment bolt.(seen below) , the 3 bolts that hold the coilover in place in the engine compartment and finally the bolt on the sway bar.

this picture shows a close up of the caster/camber plates and how to adjust them. You may not have taken these bolts off, but if you did, hopefully you should have marked their original postion. I did and to get them set again it was just a matter of placing an ALLEN KEY in the hole and turning them so all my reference marks lined up. Once in postion torque them down. (you can see the lower swaybar droplink in this picture......at this point you would have it conected to the sway bar)

Thats it!!! Now just reinstall the brake rotors, calipers and lines if you removed them.

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