Rear Cusco Zero2E Coil Over Install

I know there was a post on this by RalleySportDirect.com, but I couldn't find one for the Econ, or anywhere on the net, so I hope this will help future installers...It's a comprehensive Cusco Zero 2E with Econ "How-to" with reference docs from the service manual.

What you need...

1. Get a high power impact gun, it will make it so much easier. There are electric ones from Dewalt that work good too. You can rent one and an air compressor from Home Depot or OHS if need be.
2. You need long and short, 6 point sockets for 12, 14, 17 and 19 mm, with accompanied box/open end wrenches. Don't use 12 points; you will strip the nut heads...
   
3. 3/8" Ratchet
4. 3/4" Rachet
5. 3/4" to 3/8" extension
   
6. > 100mm extension for 3/8" ratchet
   
7. A pair of jack stands
8. Wheel chalks
9. A tape measure
   
10. Another pair of hands.
11. This Document will help tremendously:)! Chassis General Description
12. My Gift to the community: here are a shit load of service manual doc's I paid for download...enjoy: 08 STI service Manual Doc's
    

Vroom Vroom...

1. Make sure the tire pressure is even all around.
   
2. Park your car on a flat surface and measure the distance between the center edge of the wheel well to the ground for each wheel. That is your stock ride height. You will use these numbers to determine ride height later. You will notice the front should be about 6mm higher than the rear.
   
3. Note: You only want to drop 6-10 mm max...otherwise the car is not drivable. I dropped 15 to begin with and the rear suspension just doesn't want to work well over big bumps making it very jarring and upsetting the chassis. I found 6-10 is awesome. If you don't believe me, try it..and you will be pissed that you have to go through the process of readjusting your ride height later....
   
4. Jack up the rear of the car from the center Diff.
   
   
5. Block the wheels with wheel chocks or some wood.
6. Throw some jack stands underneath on the two points where the car manual tells you too.
7. Next you want to remove the lower shock nut, the sway bar nut and then lastly the inside control arm nut(closest to rear differential) for both sides. In efforts for smooth removal, it's just easier to drop the lower control arm both for dis assembly and reassembly.
8. Remove the control arm bolt and the end link bolts as shown above.
9. Now, move to the rear compartment and remove the floor board exposing the spare tire. There are little plastic covers on the side of the interior you have to pop off. They are probably the easiest panels to pop off on this car. After that, you will see the upper mounts for the shocks that you have to remove.
10. Simply remove those nuts. If you follow the procedure, the bolt in the lower shock mount should still be in place and the shock won't fall onto the ground.
11. Go back under the car, remove the shock mount bolt, while holding onto the shock! and whalluh!it drops right out.
    
12. I performed this procedure for both the left and right simultaneously.
13. Okay, now pull out the Zero 2Es out of the box and place them next to the stock shocks. You will notice they are between 30-35 mm shorter. So, the best thing to do is "Pre-Set" your ride height.
14. To do this, simply chalk up the coil overs in a vice using the lower mount (use a towel or wood so you don't damage it) and break the lower spanner nut loose. The spanner wrenches that come with your coil overs have a square hole in the handle. Use your 3/4" ratchet to gain added leverage, it makes it so much easier!
15. Then rotate the shock body counter clock wise until it is the same length as the stock shock. Every rotation is 2 millimeters, so just mark the body of the shock with a crayon and count your rotations. I did 25 millimeters, so that was 12.5 rotations.
16. Definitely mark with a permanent marker on the threaded body where this stock length is. You will use this for reference for the life of your car, and will be very handy.
17. Now that it's stock length, you want to drop the car no more than 6-10 mm. Count on spring break in of 4mm...that's what I saw. So only rotate the body into the lower mount 6mm while counting on the spring to compress 4 more mm during break in. That totals 10mm drop.
18. Next, break loose the spanner nuts for the spring, and tighten them two full rotations (4mm). This is just a light preload, that will ensure the spring is always in compression.
19. Okay, now it's time to install the shocks! So the best thing to do is to have your second pair of hands ready...Slide the shock under neath until a person up top can guide the two studs through the chassis holes and hand tighten the nuts. The shock should be loosely hanging then.
20. View from the top, be careful not to damage the valve adjusters...
21. Reconnect the lower control arm with just the bolts, starting with the control arm bolt, then the end link and lastly the shock
22. Tighten the nuts by hands.Now, the springs are not broken in and will ultimately shorten after your first hundred miles or so...I found they shortened about 4mm. And because ride height is going to be a bitch to adjust in the future, you try to get it as close as possible now. Count on adjusting it at least once, post install. If you did what I said earlier the shocks should be at the right length.
23. Tighten the two upper shock mounts to 23 ft-lbs.
    
24. Tighten the lower shock mount to 89 ft-lbs.
25. Tighten the end link to the control arm to 33 ft-lbs.
26. Tighten the inner Control arm nut to 89 ft-lbs.
27. What, you thought you were done? Nope. Now you have to carve out the rear floor board, because it won't fit in the car anymore. Simply mark it and cut half moons as shown.
28. Now your done!