sorry...no pics :(


some tools you need.
-13,16,17,18,19 mm wrenches/sockets/3/8 swivel and extensions...12
points too.
-spanner wrench for the coilovers...min 3.5" I believe. I have an
adjustable one up to 4.5"
-big screwdriver or pry bar in case you can't kick the rear shocks in
(towards the inside of the car for removal)
-heavy hammer..preferably one lead hammer and one steel
-diagonal cutters and/or a thin,long flathead screwdriver...used in
step 3 for the fronts
-big c-clamp for the front springs, or a spring compressor if you got
one.


In general..when you're pulling out the shock assemblies, don't hit
your fenders. I recommend using some masking tape on the inside and
outside lips of the fenders...you'll see.
Also, I recommend replacing all the nylon lock nuts and getting an
alignment...I'm being a hypocrite here, but it's good advice nonetheless.

For the fronts:
when removing stock shocks
1. remove the grille above the battery
2. disconnect the green harness connector on the pass. side...it's the
B1/S2 O2 sensor connector.
3. remove those annoying stainless ring clips that go around the guide
pins for the upper shock mounts...look for the little protrusion next
to the outermost upper shock bolt.
4. remove the lower shock bolts(pop them out by swinging that lower
aluminum control arm out of the way and the upper link bolts...pop the
links out by using a punch or 3/8" extension and a hammer.
5. remove the top 17mm bolts. you don't have to worry about positioning
these for any alignment problems. In fact, don't even worry about your
car's alignment for this entire job.
6. Swing the bottom of the shocks towards you and get that u-shaped
piece out first, then bring it down and out with the top.

7. now you have to remove the aluminum shock mount. don't worry,
nothing will explode.
8. put a clamp between the spring and the perch, tighten down on it
slightly, and remove the 19mm nut on top....don't worry, luckily the
spring won't explode too bad if the clamp doesn't hold...just be careful
anyway.
9. save the jounce bumpers(the foamy looking pieces that cover the
cylinders) and the big rubber rings that sit on the perches.
10. I bet people don't do this, but you'll appreciate it...take those
big rubber rings and open up the centers with a grinder so that they
slip over the coilover bodies to sit on those perches. You'll like this
idea, but it's a PITA to do.
11. On the coilovers make sure that the big metal washer goes inside
that perch and is facing downwards on top of those adjustable threaded
perches.
12. Put everything together on the coilover and adjust the perches all
the way down. The coils that are spaced closely together go on top. I
recommend putting a light grease on the coilover threads. Also, make
sure the little zinc plated washer goes over the hydraulic cylinder's
threads before everything else is put on.
13. install is reverse of removal, don't tighten the top three 17mm
shock mount bolts 100% until you get the car on the ground. Check these
after you've driven also. When putting the upper links in, you might have
to jack up the lower control arm a bit to get the joints started. Just
jack underneath the bottom of the brake rotor. Once you get them
started, let the jack out and take the heavy lead hammer sideways and pound
those things in. You can use grease, but they may pop out on you. If
you're having trouble, you might need to put a prybar or big screwdriver
into those slots and open the metal up a bit. You can use grease on the
steel bolt that slides through and holds those pins in there.
14. crank the front perches up with a spanner wrench. I recommend 45
turns up or so. It'll look good. Depending on your roads you might be
able to go lower without scraping around hard turns.
I think that's it for the fronts.

The rears...

15. disconnect the stabilizer bar link on each side(upper)-NOT NECESSARY
16. move the parking brake cable out of the way to get to the lower
shock bolt with box wrenches
17. remove the 4 17mm bolts for the shock housing.
18. remove the upper control link.
19. somehow you have to kick out the bottom of that shock away from the
control arm towards the car. It sucks, just be patient and don't hurt
yourself. Sometimes they come out easy, sometimes they don't.
20. When you get the lower part loose, just slide it down into the
opening of the lower control arm and pull the unit out from the top...just
don't hit your fender. Keep your hand between the upper arm and the
fender.
21. You can now remove the upper shock bolt that goes through the shock
housing...I'm not sure if I always do this...actually you might want to
try and get this out before you remove the unit. It sucks if you try
this when the unit is situated on control arm, etc. because the force of
the spring makesd the bolt removal a pain, but once you get most of the
bolt backed out with a hammer/screwdriver...you can take a wrench and
just turn it out of there....actually, now that I think of it, this may
be the only way to get those rear housings out.
22. OK, with the rear housing out, just swap the coilovers in with the
perches adjusted all the way down and the lower mount turned in relation
to the upper mount so that when you get it on the control arm, the
upper mount is parallel to the upper mounting hole through the housing.
Installation is reverse of removal and you'll have to jack up the lower
control arm from the bottom of the brake rotor to get the upper shock
mount to line up with the hole. This may take a few tries because you'll
have to lower the control arm and tweak the rotation on the cylinder.
23. I like to adjust the rears up to 35-40 turns so that I maintain a
1/2" to 5/8" ride height above the fronts.


I think one of the keys to this whole thing is pounding out and/or
unscrewing the big bolts without ruining them.
Oh, also put some wood planks under the tires when you drop it down to
the ground so that you can get your jack out.

Good luck, sorry about the mess....if you have any questions, give me a
hollar.

Mike

---------------------------------------
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'01.5 S4, Santorin, 6spd, Sedan
'01.5 S4, Silver, GT28 6spd, Sedan
'01.5 S4, Black, 6spd, Sedan
'92 G60 Corrado, 5spd with built 20V 1.8T, GT2871R/0.60/0.86, full drive by wire

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mike AT vastperformance DOT com