Cheated with the topmounts...
I changed them with the shocks in-situ.
This deffo works with GAS shocks, not so sure about oil shocks - the gas ones extend themselves which makes this possible.
You need a 13mm spanner, 17mm spanner and a pair of spring compressors also a 6mm open ended spanner or an adjustable spanner.
Also some guts, if a spring compressor lets go you'll lose a hand.
Lift both rear wheels off the ground using axel stands - if you only lift one wheel the other holds the lifted shock in compression through the anti-roll bar.
Slacken all four bolts up top, but dont remove yet. Get your spring compressors on the spring and compress it as much as is possible without taking risks in the small space.
You should now have a gap at the top of the spring between the spring and the top mount.
Remove all the bolts out of the top mount and use a long screwdriver or the like to push the shock shaft down and out of the top mount. You'll need to push it a long way down. Either get an assistant or a pair of molegrips with cloth in the jaws to grab the shock shaft, and drop the top mount out and to the side of the car.
Swap over the rubber top seat into the new top mount and replace the top mount, screwing in all three top mounting bolts tight. Make sure the rubber top seat is in the correct alignment or you'll pay for it later.
Release the shock and let it push itself back up and through the top mount, then release the spring compressors.
Saves arseing around with dropping the bottom bolt off.
I figured out why the old top mount punched through: the bump stop top was missing. It serves two purposes - to stop the bump stop and to spread the shock load over the whole top mount, not just the core of the top mount.
Without it, the rubber core just punches straight through after a while.
She handles so much better now!
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Originally Posted by whiskychaser
"The gas pedal wouldn't go to the floor if it weren't meant to be there"
