u/FacebookBlowsChunks

2007 CVPI

Wellp, here I am again bangin my head on another issue. Just replaced both drivers and pass side coilovers. Finished bolting up drivers side end link. Now on the pass side, I can't seem to get the end link to fit into both the steering knuckle and the sway bar, it's either one or the other. These new end links have longer ball studs than factory links. I can put the factory link back in on the passenger side, but the new longer stud link won't fit. I've tried lowering the strut out of the strut tower. Upper ball joint is disconnected so I can rotate the steering knuckle. The only way the link fits is if the upper ball joint is disconnected, but once the link is in, I can't rotate the steering knuckle back to fit the upper ball joint.

Is the longer ball studs the issue? Or am I doing something wrong?

Weeeeeeeee .... this is so fun! /s

I've got a set of Monroe Quick Struts for my '07 CVPI. I have to swap the top plates (hats?) from the factory coilovers because Monroe put Civilian Vic plates which don't align with the top 3 holes (rotation direction doesn't matter). I've been on the drivers side spring since last weekend. I've had it compressed over 6 to 7 times already. I was told with these to grab 5 coils between the compressor ends because 6 might put too much load on the tool. At least with the Monroe springs. Monroe's have 8 and a half coils, factory springs have just a pinch over 7 coils. I've gotten the compressed coils pretty close to each other. And still not enough room to pop the top hat on. I'm afraid of having a damaged spring causing a lean on one side.

See, when I compress them, by the time I start getting it down good, one of the compressors have slid their way down closer to the other one, even though they were equally directly across from each other at the start, and the spring is starting to bow out to one side.

Has anyone ever warped or damaged a spring compressing them too much?

I got a set off front Monroe QuickStruts for my 2007 CVPI. When I tried to install them, they would NOT align regardless of which way they were rotated. The pattern of the 3 studs at the top plate did NOT match that of the stock plate stud pattern. One stud would always be out of place. It's the same for both struts. The part numbers match for this car. But I THINk they put the wrong top plates, the ones for a civilian Vic on there, which supposedly has a slightly different alignment than a P71.

So I went to swap the top plates. Starting with the drivers side. After getting the stock plate on and aligning it, I get the compressors off and the plate moved out of alignment. WTF? I KNOW I had the front stud in the 5:30 position. It was at nearly the 6 o'clock position after. So, recompress it again, fix it, turn it a little more this time, tried to hold the plate from moving, it was out of position AGAIN afterwards. Third or fourth time fucking with it (I lost count because I've had that thing apart so many times already), this time the spring was bowing out to the side. I was sure I had tightened each compressor equally. I took the plate off and slathered some dielectric grease on the rubber ring/sleeve/divider whatever that thing is at the top under the thick plastic piece that sits above the spring. I did this as I had read it in a few posts somewhere so to help stop the plate from rotating while the spring uncompresses. Apparently the spring uncompressing causes it to turn.

So, I get it back together and when I'm about to take the compressors off the spring, I notice the strut inside is sitting lopsided. It's leaning and off center. I looked at the coils and although they looked OFF, they were seated properly. So I DON'T know what was causing it. I thought I bent the spring or something. Took the spring completely off this time and released the compressors.... nope, spring not bent. WTF???? This spring is so full of chips and scratches now.

I swear I'm having the worst time with this shit. Ya know, I had written far too much in this post previously that I had to delete a bunch of it. I had to remember this is a Crown Victoria sub and not a ranting bitch n moan air ones grievances type of place. I'm generally pretty calm, but this shit... I swear it has got me so worked up! I need my car soon and this BS aint helping.

Thing is, HOW do you set the proper alignment on the FIRST try when you have to swap the plates? I looked at the holes in the strut tower and positioned the plate accordingly. Because you can't test fit the strut with a pair of spring compressors still attached. So you gotta tighten down the center nut a bit and remove the compressors, THEN you check it. No other way of doing it that I know of.

Anyway, this will be the last time I'm buying Monroe suspension parts. I aint dealing with this shit again after this!

Probably gonna get downvoted for this, but whatever. (Das Reddit 🤪)

In the middle of changing out the front coilovers. Get the lower strut bolt out of the lower control arm, and upon wiggling the thing out, it decides to slide it's ass down back into and PAST the mounting gap it sits in. That damn thing got STUCK in there for the longest time! See, I have the far right LCA bushing bolt that sits further back loosened so I could let the LCA to fall down far enough to pull the strut out. But of course that bitch falls and gets stuck in there. I had a HELL of a time trying to get it back out. Because you gotta lift the arm back up far enough to be able to pull the strut back up, otherwise it just gets jammed in the front portion of that slot. Between fighting with the jack, trying to pull the LCA and steering knuckle up AND trying to maneuver the strut OUT of that hole..... 🤬🤬🤬🤯🤯🤯

Well. Maybe some of you already knew this but, I'm thinking putting the bolt back in the hole should keep it from falling through again. I know, I probably shoulda thought of that in the first place... right. 👍😏

Oh. While I'm in here talking about the fun time i'm having. The coilovers I bought are a set of Monroe heavy duty stock CVPI replacements. I was lucky to get these. Almost no place has CVPI replacement coilovers, they're nearly all civilian Crown Vic struts. Anyway. These buggers would NOT fit! The top studs wouldn't line up with the 3 holes in the strut tower. Thought the top mounting plate was just rotated out of alignment... nope. No amount of rotating would line the holes up. So, the plates had numbers on them. According to what I read, the top plates for the CVPI and the civilian Vics are slightly different. Well, this is what I came to figure. Because the studs weren't bent, they were just in different positions by a slight bit. And the part numbers on both struts match for the CVPI.

Can any of you confirm that CVPI and civilian top mounting plates on the coilovers are slightly different from each other? That is, will a civilian front coilover directly mount into the CVPI strut towers without any modification? Or do they actually use different top plates for each?

I decided I'd just swap the stock mounting plates onto the new struts with the new rubber bushing (yeah, I know to make sure it's properly aligned).

Sucks I had to rent a dumb spring compressor to get this crap done. But I've had these sitting around for a couple months already and I'm not about to send them back.