Ground Control Kit Installation

A Do-It-Yourself Guide by Dennis Bretton

Ground Control recommends that you perform several modifications to your strut parts.  One of which is to cut the top bump stop in half.   Using your cutting tool, cut the bump stop, and place it over the strut.    

Another recommended modifications is to remove the strut dust boot, due to the fact that the springs are too small.  This is true;  however, I do not think it is wise to drive around without a dust boot, since dirt and particles can get into the strut and ruin it.  Thanks to a resourceful worker at AutoZone, a workaround has been found.  Purchase a rack and pinion steering emergency boot kit and cut the ends open large enough to fit over the strut. Now place it on the strut, inside of the spring.   Though the fit is a little snug, this will do the job nicely. :) 

The purpose of the rubber sheet I mentioned previously is to assist in removing the possibility of incurring any spring "clunking", which can be a common problem with aftermarket springs.  My primary concern with the Ground Control unit is the aluminum top hat striking against the top of the spring.  Place the aluminum top hat on the rubber sheet.  Using a cutting tool, cut a circle slightly larger than the top hat itself.  Make sure to cut/drill 2 on either side of the top hat as well. Pictured are the rubber discs for the rear spring top hats.  Sandwich the rubber discs between the spring and the aluminum top hat. 

The aluminum top hat must be secured to the spring.   To do this, use tie wraps.  Slide the tie wraps through the holes on either side of the aluminum top hat and around the top of the spring.  Pull the tie wrap until it is snug, then remove the excess.  Though not the most ideal set-up, tie wraps do the job nicely.  After all, your only concern is in keeping the top hat on the spring when the spring rarifies. 

Ground Control supplies 2 fender washers for each strut.  Use a little adhesive (RTV compound works great, but tape is ok too) and stick the fender washers together, then place them on top of the top hat. 

Finally, place the stock upper spring perch on, followed by the upper mounting plate (the black object with the upper mounting bolts on it).  Locate the 19mm self-locking nut from the OEM set-up and put it on the center top thread, which is located on the top of the strut.  Hold the OEM upper spring perch in place while tightening the nut.  If the OEM upper spring perch moves while tightening the nut, then the nut is not being tightened. 

Follow the removal procedure, listed above, in reverse order to place the struts back on.

Now, onto the rears.  Please note that my car is a SOHC Stealth, which has a different rear set-up than other 3/S cars.  Unlike the TT's, my Stealth has a coilover-shock configuration.  Though similar to struts, they aren't quite the same.  Here is a picture of the rear shock set-up before removal:

After getting the wheel off, the first thing to remove is the rear brakeline bolt.  This bolt is located in front of the shock, mounted on lower arm.  Using a 12mm socket, remove the brakeline bolt.  Move the brakeline as far out of the way as possible, as it will get in the way once you try to take the shock out. :-)

Now, remove the lower mounting bolt.  This bolt is located behind the shock, so you will have to get on your back and get underneath the car.   Using a 17mm socket wrench, unscrew the bolt.

Since only part of the hole is threaded, after many turns you should be able to pull the bolt out, or use a screwdriver and pry it out.  To the right is a picture of the bolt. 

Only the top mounting bolts need to be removed now.   Hopefully you have cleared your trunk out ahead of time in preparation for this. :-)   If not, then you should do so now.

After opening the trunk, remove the strut mount covers using a Philips head screwdriver.  Behind the cover the 2 top mounting bolts should be visible.  Using a 14mm socket wrench or open end wrench, remove these two top bolts.  Be prepared for the shock to drop, though, as there is no longer anything holding it in place.
Once the shock is loose, remove it.

Again, if you are a true do-it-yourselfer, you can use a spring tool and remove the spring from the shock.  However, if you are lazy, like me, take it to your local Pep Boys/etc. to have them take it apart for you. Other Team3S members have suggested that you can also jack up the entire arm, compressing the spring, then remove the top bolt while the shock is still in place.   Since I don't like to deal with compressed springs (too much energy), I did not do it this way.  However, feel free to try it out.

Once the shock has been removed and the assembly taken apart, it is time to install the Ground Control unit onto the shock.

Ground Control supplies a large (huge, actually) fender washer.   Take this washer and place it onto the shock absorber first. Remove adjustable spring perch from the collar, and place the threaded collar onto the shock absorber.  If the collar fits fine, with no problems, then skip the next part.   However, if you are in the same boat that I am in, the collar is much too wide to fit snugly around the shock absorber.  Therefore a fix is needed.

Cut off a piece of a 1/2" rubber hose, then cut the piece in half.  This will leave you with 2 semi-circles of rubber to play with.  Apply a liberal amount of grease or lubricant to the hose, and pack the hose in between the collar and the shock.  Pictured to the right, you can clearlly see rubber before it is packed down.  The 1/2" rubber hose created such as snug fit that, in order to fit the last piece of rubber in, the hose had to be tapered down using a cutting knife.  

Once the collar is on snugly, screw on the adjustable lower spring perch.  Next, place the Ground Control spring on over the shock and onto the lower spring perch. 

Ground Control recommends cutting the rubber damper (bump stop). Cut as much off of the bump stop as you see fit.  At left, you can see that I cut the bump stop in half.  Though I don't recommend it, you can remove the entire bump stop altogether. Use an Exacto knife or the like to cut the bump stop.  Place the bump stop on now, and push the piston down.

Fabricate some rubber discs, as discussed in the section on installing the front struts.  Place the rubber disc on top of the spring.  Now place the aluminum top hat on top of it. Secure the top hat onto the top of the spring using tie wraps. 

The unit should now look like picture to the right, with a boot.   (I did not have a boot at the time I did the rears).

Place the fender washers supplied by Ground Control on top of the top spring hat, and adhere them together with RTV sealant (or crazy glue, tape, etc) to reduce the chances of any rattle.

On top of the rubber damper should be another damper.  This damper has a metal cylinder in the middle.  Put this on the shock now. For some reason, (!$$#@ mechanic who did my shocks last), I was lacking one of these additional dampers.  My brother, however, was more than happy to fabricate a new one for me:

     

Place the addtional damper right on top of the washers, as seen in the pic to the right and above .

Ground Control suggests removing the OEM top spring bump rubber, since it no longer seems to serve any purpose.  I left it in, for it certainly couldn't hurt to have it there. Place the OEM upper spring plate on top.

Follow the installation steps in reverse order to put the new shocks back in.
I would suggest that, in order to make installation easier,  you move the lower spring perch to its lowest position possible.  This will make it much easier to mount the shock in place.

Here is a picture of the Ground Control rear shock set-up.
(installed without a boot)

After installing the shocks/struts, make certain that the lower perch has been tightened in place. I suggest that you move the adjustable spring perch to its highest location when first dropping the car down.  In case any problems arise, you'll be less likely to incur damage at this "stock" setting. Drive the car around a bit feel how it handles.  Listen for noises.  If it seems fine, then lower the car to the height you desire. 

Make sure to go have the car aligned once you drop the ride height!

All I can say is WoW!  This is some set-up!  The car now handles better than it ever has, and there seems to be less understeer than before, which is very nice, indeed.  I really have to hold on tight in the corners, because the car holds to the ground much better than I can hold on to my seat.  :-)

Here is a quick picture to give you an idea of the "lowered" look.  Not very "low", but the performance increase is definitely there, and that's what's important.

Hopefully this page helped you out.  Have fun!