Help!! Problems after attempted lowering spring install!

Today i attempted to install my suspension techniques lowering springs but after getting both front spring/shock off i saw that both the bolts were rusted, i attempted to get one off but no luck. So i reinstalled everything and as soon as i left my car steers SHARP to the right and makes a poping sound whenever i hit a bump? Anyone have an idea what it could be?

Neal

Yes, I have an idea, and I'll bet on it, well except that I dont bet.

You must compress the spring enough so that you can screw the shock retaining bolt all the way down, if you do NOT bottom down that nut then you will get a bumping sound every time you hit a bump.

This is tough on heavy duty springs, but thats how it goes.

BTW, my nuts were rusted also but the Konis came with them anyway, go buy some replacement nuts for your new shocks and cut the old ones off, I used a drill because its what I had handy. However, if you use a torch on the rusted nut long with penetrating oil I bet you could get them off. I used a torch thanks to someones suggestion, on some brake hard line and it cut down my swearing and time spent on the job in a HUGE way, works great. Just be carefull not to melt anything, you should only need 30 seconds or so, at most.

yes i did not try to tighten the bolt back after trying to remove it, but it just spun anyway. Would this also cause the SHARP right steering im getting? thank you very much for your help!

Neal

One side of the car may be higher than the other slightly, it would affect your alignment slightly and I would say cause the car to wonder when the spring is called to action (a bump or slight bumps in the road).

It just spins, do you mean that the nut is rounded off or that the threads are toast? I bought a cheapy $11 torch and it REALLY works wonders, I was rounding stuff off big time with vice grips and I had them pretty tight, my stuff was frozen SOLID. Torch makes it a 5 minute job tops, and broke the stuff pretty much free without vice grips, just regular wrenches (I was using brake wrenches).

Try the torch, try not to melt the rubber stuff, use some penetrating oil before hand if you like (I soaked stuff several times over), and give it a go...

Oh, you also need to obviously stabilize the shock rod from rotating when you try to take off the nut, which can be done by holding the shock mount studs somehow, wether a friend with a wrench wedged between studs or what. On some cars you can do this with the shock on place which is helpfull but I haven't seen under my own hood in so long I can't remember if you can do that on this car, but I dont recall being able to get access to it. If you can do it with the shock in place though then it makes it easier, you can do this by just pushing the shock assembly back up there once you torch it for a minute or so, and try again with a deep socket. Or, vice grips on the top of the shock rod...