Quote Originally Posted by Demi View Post
Before my head starts spinning at all the stuff I don't feel comfortable with yet... how do I drop the cradle three inches? Are you saying with the jack under the middle of the frame *while* loosening the rear cradle bolts? By loosening the rear cradle bolts, will it drop the 3 inches you quoted?

Sorry, I just need this information before I get hung up on a certain step and I am up ish creek without a paddle. My apartment complex doesn't want us working on our cars in the parking lot, so I need to have a handle on what's coming next, *ahead of time*.

your on the right track. put the car up on jack stands. remove the tires, pop the tie rod ends, then put a jack under the middle of the back of the sub frame, take the rear bolts out, lower the jack to lower the frame and the rack.

you need about a 1 foots worth of extentions to get the bolt off the intermediate shaft, (11 mm) then pop it up and off with a screw driver.

remove the 2 lines from the rack, driver side, 18 mm line wrench works best, then take the 2 bolts out that hold the rack to the sub frame.

some people remove the sway bar for more room, then push the rack out the driver side wheel well, its tight almost like giving birth.



some extra tips before you start make sure the wheels are dead straight, lock the steering wheel do not touch it till your putting the intermediate shaft back on.

when putting the intermediate shaft back on, pull it to the rack, then have a friend unlock the steering wheel and wigle it one way then the other in very small amounts of movement till it slides on. DO NOT SPIN THE WHEEL AROUND LIKE A LITTLE KID ON A COIN OP RIDE, YOU'LL BREAK THE CLOCK SPRING AND COST YOU MORE TIME AND MONEY.

once the old one is out, match it up to the new one, make the little knob on the rack match as close as the old one, the tie rod ends, measure how far your lock nut is on the rod end, put it at the same place on the new rod, this will get your alignment close, you will need an alignment when your done.


IF your changing the whole sub frame, you need to hang the engine in the bay, then un bolt the rack from the column, and the tranny and motor mounts, and un clip any wires and lines and the ball joints, then un bolt all 4 frame bolts, and lower the frame out with 2 floor jacks. swap the new rack on the new sub frame, put it back in.