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Thanks for all the help guys! I went out and grabbed some minor stuff, electric trunk release, rear inner vent bezels, valve shims (they all seemed the exact same size?) etc. As I was waiting in line (lonnnnnnng line for 1/2 off day!) I hemmed and hawed about getting the KYBs I saw on an 85 wagon. Would they fit? Did I want to spend more time in the yard? I agree with Art, it's a looong walk. But I had a wheelbarrow. I even went so far as to get OUT of line and then get back in. But eventually the $10/ea for the struts and $3.50 for the shocks won out.
I didn't have a socket to get the strut nut off, so I took the shocks, bare strut/spring, as well as the wagon's rear springs.
A bit dicey getting used struts when you can't see them. But I felt confident - the shocks were nearly new looking, and the shock towers were marked up in such a way it was evident they'd recently had the struts out.
Sure enough! Great feeling struts, happy joy! Piece of cake to get them apart at home, though I had to take my die grinder to the JY strut tube to get the retaining nut out.
I took advantage of the extra springs to cut-n-lower. Took a coil off the front* and one and a half off the wagon rear springs. Didn't make much difference? Maybe an inch in front, inch and a half in back. Good enough.
*I went back and took another 1/4 coil off the right front - it was about 3/4 higher to the fenderwell than the left (drivers) side. taking off 1/4 coil got the difference to 1/2". I was really concerned, then checked my wife's 744ti, same drill. What's the story there? I suppose I could level it out by taking another 1/4 coil off the RF and 1/2 off the RR, but that seems ill advised. I found some little plastic (?) spring wedges between the coils on the left side (F&R), made to eliminate this difference? Seemed really hokey, so I left them out.
The punch line to the story is - the original rear shocks (blue, volvo made in germany, slathered in undercoating) feel just fine, and the right front strut (orange, volvo, large diameter rod) was in great shape. The left front, however, had blown the bottom out of it, so there was zero dampening left in it. Feels soooo much better now. Damn I love my brick.
Anyway, thanks for any comments on the ride height issue.
Kyle
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1980 242GT 197K, 1990 744Ti 113K
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