Front drop link too short?
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- Shane001
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Are they tein ha's?
The stock drop link should work, therefore these shocks are not correct for the fto.
Post the part numbers and I'll compare with mine tonight.
The stock drop link should work, therefore these shocks are not correct for the fto.
Post the part numbers and I'll compare with mine tonight.
- Shane001
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Re: Front drop link too short?
This, obviously if the hole is at a different height you won't be able to connect them up until both sides are the same...silverGPX wrote:Put the other coilover in and then see how you go.

PS: That


- Taz
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Re: Front drop link too short?
wouldnt have this problem with a GPR setup 


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- destinationtoby
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Re: Front drop link too short?
They might not be stock drop links though....
I bought fto drop links for lowering it and they were definitely shorter..
I bought fto drop links for lowering it and they were definitely shorter..
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- Apprentice
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Alright. We put a jack under the sway bar and forced that whore up to the hole. Though we couldnt get the right angle so we undid the camber bolts up top so the strut fell back through, got the drop link in, then did the camber bolts back up again. When we did the Passenger side, the drop link fit straight into the tein holes no problems. Though we discovered a far more sinister problem while we were there. There was brown sh*t caked f**king everywhere near the back of the gearbox. One of the boots for a joint(not sure of the correct name for this particular joint) has split, and the grease sh*t inside has sprayed absolutely everywhere down there while i have been driving. Its not the boot immediately connected to the rotor. But the next one closer to the gearbox.. the whole shaft kept falling straight out while we had the rotor unattached to the strut. Not sure if something is actually fucked with the shaft or if its just the boot that needs replacing.
But we have the teins on the front. the car back on the ground. Its not low enough but I'll adjust that tomorrow. They already feel harder just by pressing down on the front of the car. Less bouncy crap. The strut are shorter than the original ones. See pic. I have them lined up so the top mounting plate is in line. But the hole for the drop link is higher up. I assume this is why it was harder. After wiping down the original springs i found a logo on there that is half peeled off. I think it already had lowering springs on it so I might not be able to lower the fto on these teins as much as I wanted considering they arn't fully theaded.

But we have the teins on the front. the car back on the ground. Its not low enough but I'll adjust that tomorrow. They already feel harder just by pressing down on the front of the car. Less bouncy crap. The strut are shorter than the original ones. See pic. I have them lined up so the top mounting plate is in line. But the hole for the drop link is higher up. I assume this is why it was harder. After wiping down the original springs i found a logo on there that is half peeled off. I think it already had lowering springs on it so I might not be able to lower the fto on these teins as much as I wanted considering they arn't fully theaded.

- destinationtoby
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Did it look like this?
I found this today aswell.. Looks as though it has been like this for a while, grease flicked everywhere.
I have new cv joints for when the car needs it, but wasn't going to replace the whole joint just for the boot, so I cut the old sh*t one off and cut through the new one so that I could just slip it on then a few wire cable ties and abit more grease and is as good as new.
So yeah should be able to get a universal boot pretty cheap
I found this today aswell.. Looks as though it has been like this for a while, grease flicked everywhere.
I have new cv joints for when the car needs it, but wasn't going to replace the whole joint just for the boot, so I cut the old sh*t one off and cut through the new one so that I could just slip it on then a few wire cable ties and abit more grease and is as good as new.
So yeah should be able to get a universal boot pretty cheap
Because nothing is faster than a p plater in a commodore.....
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except maybe a p plater on a unicorn
FTOcrazy273 wrote: Destinationtoby probably has one of THE best FTO's on the forum I never get tired of looking at his pics! Good work mate!
- Sahin
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Lol you're not meant to cu the. Boots to fit them or there's no use fitting new ones lol
- Shane001
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Sahin wrote:Lol you're not meant to cu the. Boots to fit them or there's no use fitting new ones lol


The grease ain't gonna stay in there by wrapping cable ties around a cut boot

And OP, refer my previous post, the reason you couldn't get the drop link in was the other side was still connected higher.
And if you look at those shocks from the bottom, ie stand them up side by side, the holes look like they probably would go close to lining up anyway, they're not that far out to worry about.
And OP, re the cv boot and the shaft, do yourself a favor and don't drive it until you replace this, could be very costly otherwise. If the shaft has come out all the little bearings inside could be all over the place, the shaft could completely fail.
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Re: Front drop link too short?
I think that's the same part. Hard to say.
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- Apprentice
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Yeah the bottom parts are identical when comparing the strut brace in relation to the drop link hole. But my point was that the holes are all higher up. Making it harder to get the drop link up into them. I probably should have tried taking the passenger side off first. But the jack seemed to work anyway. And yeah, I wont be driving it until I get that sh*t sorted out.
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- Grease Monkey
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Re: Front drop link too short?
do you have both sides of the car on stands? If not I think you need to.
If the other drop link is still attached to the strut then you will need to disconnect it first.
once you have put 1 side on and tightened it up, try to put the other side in.
If there is too much tension on it you will get what I was told was pre tension of the sway bar and apparently that is not good.
The new struts that I put on I could adjust the connector on the strut down. But you cant do that so I would measure the distance that it is short on one side and divide it by 2.
Measure the length of the old links and add the extra length needed.
I have also seen on sites where they state that the sway bar links only fit standard height suspension not for lowered. I would say that that is the reason.
I think it is whiteline that sell the droplinks that are threaded and you have to cut them down to the length you need.
That's the way I understand that it works. If anyone knows better please comment.
If the other drop link is still attached to the strut then you will need to disconnect it first.
once you have put 1 side on and tightened it up, try to put the other side in.
If there is too much tension on it you will get what I was told was pre tension of the sway bar and apparently that is not good.
The new struts that I put on I could adjust the connector on the strut down. But you cant do that so I would measure the distance that it is short on one side and divide it by 2.
Measure the length of the old links and add the extra length needed.
I have also seen on sites where they state that the sway bar links only fit standard height suspension not for lowered. I would say that that is the reason.
I think it is whiteline that sell the droplinks that are threaded and you have to cut them down to the length you need.
That's the way I understand that it works. If anyone knows better please comment.
Last edited by Retsub on Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- destinationtoby
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Sahin wrote:Lol you're not meant to cu the. Boots to fit them or there's no use fitting new ones lol
It's on fine for now. Might not last but definitely better for now.
Staying in fine, was a good fitShane001 wrote: The grease ain't gonna stay in there by wrapping cable ties around a cut boot.
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Theres a couple of ways to do it but the way I do it is get a cone shaped piece of plastic and grease that so you can slip the boot over it and the actual joint and straight onto the shaft...
You legit made me lol haha
P.s your spacers should reach you by tomorrow
You legit made me lol haha
P.s your spacers should reach you by tomorrow
- destinationtoby
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Sahin wrote:Theres a couple of ways to do it but the way I do it is get a cone shaped piece of plastic and grease that so you can slip the boot over it and the actual joint and straight onto the shaft...
You legit made me lol haha
P.s your spacers should reach you by tomorrow
Tbh I probably should of just put in the new cv joint, cos now I have one without a boot haha
I was about to ask, did u get em off today. Cheers man !
- Sahin
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Re: Front drop link too short?
I wouldn't recommend this but I was running around in my civic for a whole year without cv boots on the drivers side shaft loldestinationtoby wrote:Sahin wrote:Theres a couple of ways to do it but the way I do it is get a cone shaped piece of plastic and grease that so you can slip the boot over it and the actual joint and straight onto the shaft...
You legit made me lol haha
P.s your spacers should reach you by tomorrow
Tbh I probably should of just put in the new cv joint, cos now I have one without a boot haha
I was about to ask, did u get em off today. Cheers man !
And yeah left my hands this morning bro
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- Apprentice
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Re: Front drop link too short?
So is the outer shaft supposed to be able to freely move in and out of the joint?(When the rotor is unattached from the strut brace). The shaft I am talking about is the one outlined in red. Its too dark now to take a picture of my own car, but it's the same thing. Need to know if I only need to replace the boot or if there is some sort of pin that is supposed to hold it in that I need to get replaced. Also to clarify, is this the CV joint? Or is that the joint closer to the rotor, or are they both CV joints? The drivers side shaft didnt fall out when the rotor was swivelling around itself. Though the boot was intact so this could have been what was keeping it attached.
Retsub, I have the coilovers on now. The droplink fit straight into the 2nd coilover. The problem was the 2nd wheel /strut was still on so it was putting the other side of the sway bar at a diagonal angle I think.

Retsub, I have the coilovers on now. The droplink fit straight into the 2nd coilover. The problem was the 2nd wheel /strut was still on so it was putting the other side of the sway bar at a diagonal angle I think.

- Sahin
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Re: Front drop link too short?
Shouldn't come out of the joint that easily...
But yeah there are 2 cv joints on each side!
Inner and outer as you could see... Both connect to a cv shaft.
But yeah there are 2 cv joints on each side!
Inner and outer as you could see... Both connect to a cv shaft.
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- Apprentice
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Re: Front drop link too short?
I'll jack that bitch up again tomorrow and get a better look. and take pictures that hopefully somebody can diagnose, if not here, another mechanic. Because it is obviously unsafe to drive down to a mechanic 

- payaya
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Re: Front drop link too short?
The joint without the boot on will slip right out. The boot holds the joint in place.
The strut will fit the fto going by your pictures.
Your sway bar is hanging way too low. Which suggests you have taken the link off the other side as well? just force it up it will turn anticlock and will sit higher then jack up the suspension assembly.
The strut will fit the fto going by your pictures.
Your sway bar is hanging way too low. Which suggests you have taken the link off the other side as well? just force it up it will turn anticlock and will sit higher then jack up the suspension assembly.
- Bennoz
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Re: Front drop link too short?
All this ^