BC Racing Coilover Install

[GrimmSpeed]

Let me just say, these BC Racing coilovers are GORGEOUS!! Very high quality build that will take the pounding of the GrimmSpeed team car. I have heard/read alot of good things about these coilovers so i decided to pull the trigger and get them and i'm glad i did.

I went with the 8K/6K setup and also got an extra set of 8K and 6K springs so i can swap them out to see what the best set up is. These come with very strong camber plates and pillow ball mounts(soo much better than the stock mount). In the next few days we will be getting their prototype rear camber plate as well. They are 32 way adjustable as well.

Install went fairly quickly and there were direct bolt on to the 97 Impreza L. Below i have detailed step by step instructions.

If you are looking for a great street/track setup..this is it.


Installation

Tools:
12mm wrench/socket
19mm wrench/socket
Breaker bar(not needed but helps alot)
Jack
Safety glasses


1. The harderst part of the entire install will be breaking free the 2 19mm bolts at the base of the strut. You will want to soak these in liquid wrench/PB blaster for 1/2 hour+ before you even try to loosen them. After soaking use a 19mm socket on a breaker bar to bust the nut loose. On the fronts, the top bolt is the camber bolt, make sure to put this bolt back in the top spot when reinstalling.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/oem_strut_bottom.jpg


2. Take off the brakeline bracket that attaches to the stock strut bottom. This is a 12mm bolt. See in pic above

3. Take off the abs sensor bracket. This is also a 12mm bolt. See in pic above

4. Now you will want to prop up the jack underneath the hub/control arm to hold the hub assembly in place. This helps not to stretch things out like your brake lines. Jack the jack up just enough to put a little pressure on the hub.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/jack_holding_up_hub.jpg


5. With the jack in place you can now take off the 3 12 mm nuts at the top of the strut/strut top. These arent torque'd down much so they will be easy to get off. Before taking the 3rd one all the way off you will want to be holding on to the spring because once you take this last 12mm nut off the strut/spring will come loose.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tophat_nuts.jpg


6. You have not taken the oem strut out.

7. To start reinstallation of the BC Racing coilovers slide the strut top into the 3 holes in the wheel well. You may need to spin the strut a bit to properly align the tophat studs. Once aligned, loosely place the 3 12mm nuts on top of the strut. At this point you can let go of the strut as it will hang freely.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tophat_nuts_bc.jpg


8. Since the BC Racing coilver is shorter you will want to jack up the jack a few more inches to move the hub assembly closer to the bottom bolt holes on the strut.

9. Insert the 19mm camber bolt into the top hole, then repeat with the bottom 19mm bolt through the bottom hole. Tighten down nuts onto both 19mm bolts.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/strut_bottom_bc.jpg


10. Reattach the abs sensor to the coilver with the 12mm bolt. See above pic

11. Brake line bracket. This is the only piece that didnt bolt directly up. You will need to get a bolt, washer, and nut to tighten the brakeline bracket onto the strut base because there is not a thread female side on the BC strut like their is on the stock strut.

12. You can now tighten down all 3 12mm tophate bolts.

13. Now rinse and repeat for the 3 other corners.


The install is very straight forward and should take you 2-4 hours depending on your experience level. You will want to play with the front top 19mm camber bolts to get the camber set to your liking.


I will be writing updates on these bad boys as time goes on so you can all see how they preform.

Justin Grimm
www.grimmspeed.com (http://www.grimmspeed.com)
AIM: GrimmSpd



Few more fun pics


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_in_box.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_vs_stock_height.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_fender_well.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_camber_plate.jpg

[AussieDan]

Great writeup Justin! They definitely look like interesting coilovers, especially for the price.

Do you have any pics of the car with them on?

I wonder how they compare to the Ksports...

[Reason]

I like the black housings. Very nice write up. I'm moving this to DIY.

[Plays_with_Toys]

before/after pics of the car? That looks like an impressive drop over stock.

[GrimmSpeed]

before/after pics of the car? That looks like an impressive drop over stock.


the car isnt off jackstands yet and wont be until i get my TiC bushings and new adjustable trailing arms installed next week. the height is adjustable to your liking

[Huffer]

before/after pics of the car? That looks like an impressive drop over stock.

the car isnt off jackstands yet and wont be until i get my TiC bushings and new adjustable trailing arms installed next week. the height is adjustable to your liking

PWT is talking about the actual strut length - it looks like you lose a great deal of suspension travel with these - so I would say they are strictly track/strip suspension only.

[GrimmSpeed]

before/after pics of the car? That looks like an impressive drop over stock.

the car isnt off jackstands yet and wont be until i get my TiC bushings and new adjustable trailing arms installed next week. the height is adjustable to your liking

PWT is talking about the actual strut length - it looks like you lose a great deal of suspension travel with these - so I would say they are strictly track/strip suspension only.


ahh my bad. yeah these are strictly track/strip coilovers..no dirt

[Brockley]

would you street those???

also, couldnt you replace the cam bolt with a normal bolt since you have the camber plates now? exp in the rear, that would keep them from changing without someone knowing.

[StatGSR]

8k/6k ? you sally :grin: ........ even my integra is 10k/8k :!:

[sharky nrk]

your integra also did not have almost a 1:1 motion ratio either :grin:

those look nice but I too would be concerned about the loss of travel for street use, let us know how they driver

[Brockley]

couldn't you replace the cam bolt with a normal bolt since you have the camber plates now? exp in the rear, which would keep them from changing without you knowing.

anyone?!?!?

[sharky nrk]

you can replace the eccentric bolt and still have adjustment with the plates, but camber adjustment with plates and bolts is additive. The plates on top of bolts just provide more adjustment and more possible negative camber

[McFly2003]

if the bolt holes on the coilovers are the same as the ones on the original strut, then no, i wouldn't think that it would be wise to use regular bolts. I say this because the upper holes, where the camber bolts are, are not perfectly round. they are ovular so to fit the eccentric bolts. If you were to install a regular, round bolt in that hole, even if you were to torque it down, i wouldnt think it would be a very safe, reliable way to secure the strut (and you would probably end up with some play in the strut).

Its not like its a huge deal, with the bolt, there are only 2 camber settings. one, im assuming, is zero. and the other is slightly negative. i run the negative setting on my BD because i am lowered on flatouts and it allows me to run 235/40-17 with an offset of 42. plus it makes oversteer that little tiny bit easier to achieve in our nose heavy cars. combine it with a nice, stiff rear suspension setup and have yourself a blast