haha sorry...i was typing that right after working all night last night and i was SUPER tired...lol

Alright let get the project back to game. Watched too much football playoff games and including went to Colts stadium last weekend.

First, I decide give the both rear fender liner a good clean from tar and dirty muddy. My react that I saw something under my car frame. I decide clean and wax them so hopefully, it won't rust worse like some gp do have rusty gas tank. Mine is not that bad since it is 2003 model.

Left rear quarter



Right rear quarter (worse than left)

unclean


clean & wax


Some of you are right. Rear struts are soooooooooooooooo freaking hard. Honestly, I feel like I want to throw that rear sturt behind garage window

Then I pager to my dad to come to my help. We both work together on my both rear struts installed. It was smooth as I can't do that myself like put nut on top which it is from inside trunk area.

Then I installed both front struts myself. I actually installed GMPP rear sway bar too.

I try to remove trailing arm but I don't have big tool. Higher tool is 21mm. This one is way bigger than 21mm. Might be 23mm or 24mm. That bolt where it hold the rear rotor.

4 struts down
1 GMPP rear sway bar down but didn't installed sway bar end link yet

2 more to go...
2 Trailing arms (need buy big socket tool)
1 GMPP front sway bar (been there and done that for my winter car from broken sway bar. I knew it will take me longer so I will hold that other time lol)

That's how she look for now.


Oh I accident broken the black top thing for "turn" like 1, 2, 3 and 4 for KYG AGX. I use 15MM wrench to turn for tight the nut. My wrench accident knock the black top thing out from metal strut. Is that broken? Hope not I can't find black thing. It is somewhere in my trunk that I need to clean it out to find black thing. For clear. It is not "button" that turn. It is small black thing INSIDE of struts for turn. I should take pictures to compare them. Maybe tomorrow.

Sorry man, but I have no idea what you're talking about with the struts. Maybe take a picture?

arent the AGX struts adjustable for stiffness corey? If so, i believe thats the thing he is talking about.

I decide not to work on my car project today. I stay home and watch my favorite Colts to win today.

There is best picture of this rear strut. See yellow arrow that I accident knock black thing out during tight the nut from my wrench.



Have everyone brought Autozone rear sway bar end link? I have trouble to find any tiny wrench to hold them.



See red arrow. That's sooo thin to hold them from spinning when I want to tight the nut on my rear strut. This is Autozone rear sway bar end link.

See purple arrow. That's big enough to allow my 15MM wrench to hold them for avoid spinning around for tight it. This is GM rear sway bar end link.

I can't find thin 16mm wrench to hold auto zone end link. Mostly, store have "fat" 16mm wrench. Any idea how to hold those thing? If no idea then I will refund both of them back and order GM end link. GM & Auto Zone are both same cost.

Try just going to a local garage and asking them to borrow it. Autozone also rents tools out, I don't know if they'd have it if they don't carry it though.

you could use a 16mm cone wrench for a bike
http://www.danscomp.com/811240.php?cat=TOOLS

theres the link ^

that link to dan's competition brings back memories lol.. I remember ordering parts from there as a kid

Autozone don't have flat tool. lol... I should gone to bike store for that. Too late. I already return them back yesterday morning. When I bring autozone sway bar end link. I explain to him that GM nut is bigger than autozone that I have trouble to find flat tool for that. He own nice 98+ Camaro with sweet rim. He says get GM sway bar end link better than autozone end sway bar link. This is crap. Nice... You work for Auto Zone and tell me this product is crap? Guess he might be GM person

I will ordered GM later. They are both same price which I'm okay with that.

I finally find small black piece where I accident hit my wrench from tight the nut. It is really broken but car seem drive fine during test driving today. I have no idea what # is that.

I got few sugguestion to get Moogs sway bar end link instead GM sway bar. Boy, they are sooo thick! Cost 26 buck each. Not bad!


Install clean rear liner and put "AGX" decal on strut.


We meet again. Not best picture but this car look little lower than my winter car.


Again not best pictures. It has been sunny all day. Hard to find best picture. If I took picture in shade area but hard to see for gap from car body to wheel.



I decide not install trailing arm & GMPP front sway bar. I put it on hold for other time. I mean.. look outside with mostly sunny day. Gotta take that baby to drive!!! Next weekend is actually snow storm so why not drive it after 2 months of sitting.

I have a great day of driving. Well little bad day too. When I'm driving my car on road. I'm smiling and enjoying the driving. Then all sudden the raccoon decide want to commit suicide to my car. I have no way to avoid. Then I feel awful bumpy sound. I just like son of b... Maybe it is good thing? I mean I got new struts. Gotta test for new struts right? lol... bad joke I guess... Car is fine but this poor thing is dead.

The driving is pretty good and very smoothing. It is still shaking after 60 mph but that's not 1st time that it has happen. It has been doing that when I got 18" wheel last year. This tire shop try balance my wheel twice and told me it is balance fine as they test over and over. I guess I will find other tire shop to try get better balance and alignment too. My left front wheel is little bit way off.

Looks good. Give it a few days for the springs to settle. When you install the sway bar and the trailing arm you should paint the calipers. Car is looking good.

that looks real good palsut!

Also palsut, the vibration you are getting from your tires is the same vibration i get from my nexen n3000's. We both have the same tires and its just the way the tread pattern is. it has nothing to do wih the alignment or balance. its just the type of tire it is, because now with my stock rims on i dont have a vibration anymore.

The Guz: I'm planning to get F-body brake set up so I will have a new brake calipers instead my old rusty calipers.

Thank 01 GT. I guess I should buy g-force instead nexen n3000's lol... Maybe, I will put my stock wheel to test it out to make sure no vibration if I need engine spacer or short dog bone. It is weird that I don't get any vibration after 60 mph which it is usually from tire in past. I guess it might be different engine than 3800 usually cause vibration?

Your car is dying for some new rotors! Get some D/S ones all around, with the F-body conversion.

Of course, I will have a new rotors.

No project for this weekend. Got slam by snow storm today. Tomorrow is Super Bowl so I can't miss that game which I'm rooting for Indianapolis Colts

On Monday, I will order new MPD F1 steel hood. Pretty soon that my PYFC F1 hood will be gone. Don't ask for sell because I already have few buyers line up since November