Swift Spring Install Issues

sandersd

Apparently the hats were rotated 60 degrees off from their proper orientation. So when myself and the four guys in the shop all compared the diagram to the hats either we all misread it or the hats migrated as they sat in my garage awaiting installation. This is what it is suppose to look like:

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Oh well. I didn't want to go back to the shop to realign the hats so I renewed my search for a quality compressor and found one at Summit Racing. I had it overnighted with a Saturday delivery for a total cost of $206. It's made by Specialty Tools and is everything I was looking for - a high quality, functional, and safe tool.

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Next I had to figure out a way to secure the damper to work on it since doing it while it was on the floor is a struggle, especially when trying to torque the nut. Found a couple of pipe clamps used for welding at Northern Tools. They weren't cheap at $75 each but I figured I could use them for my welding projects also. They worked perfectly to hold down the assembly while I realigned the hat and torqued the nut to 44 ft lbs.

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But. There always seems to be a qualifier. The coils don't line up with the rubber cup designed to hold the top of the spring. It's about 60 degrees off. I compared the Swift spring to the Nismo spring and sure enough the end of the coils are different by 60 degrees. The rubber cup could probably be rotated but it's designed with indentations that fit around the bolts and it would have to be rotated 120 degrees to fit - 60 degrees would be in between and it wouldn't sit properly. Bummer. In the following pics you can see the 2" gap between the end of the spring and the end of the spring groove in the rubber grommet.

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I installed all back on the car and it drives great, no pops, creaks, or squeaks. It rides smoother than the stiff Nismo springs and turns really well, probably due to the increased camber. But I'm not really happy with the fit, so I purchased a set of BC ER type coilovers with the Swift spring option. Should be here in two to three weeks so I'll just wait on the alignment till then.

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I do have a really well made and safe spring compressor now though. I'd like to offer its use to any local forum member that needs to replace their springs - just PM me and I'll hook you up.

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2014 370Z NISMO -- HKS Hi-Power Exhaust -- Swift Springs -- BC ER Coilovers -- SPL Suspension Components -- Nismo R-Tune Intake -- Seibon BD CF Hood