Another Ground Controls question - 3000GT/Stealth International Message Center

linchpinjoe · 03-14-2008, 01:55 PM

Do they make ground controls without esc? aka will work for 98-99vr4?

tachyon_ftl · 03-14-2008, 06:48 PM

Not that I've ever heard of, but I've never really looked. Just swap out the rear end to a Bilstein strut and replace all the other hardware with 1995. I'm about to do that in a couple of weeks. Bilsteins came in last week, Tein S-Techs got here yesterday, and I have a 45lb box 'o stuff on the way from Cherry Hill Mitsu that is supposed to contain, among other things, two each of just about every part in a rear end strut. Just put the car up on jackstands and took the wheels off; tomorrow I'm gonna start pulling parts. Hopefully the rear strut swap will be an easy change (well, except for getting the old ones off of course.)

linchpinjoe · 03-15-2008, 09:27 AM

Let me know how it goes.

linchpinjoe · 03-22-2008, 02:57 PM

bump, anyone?

tachyon_ftl · 03-22-2008, 08:01 PM

Ha. Well, the parts from Cherry Hill came in Thursday. Looks like everything made it; there are about 20 parts (x2 = 40) for the rear struts, including things like nuts and bolts. I also ordered a bunch of other stuff at the same time, so it was Friday night before I got everything checked off and kitted. This weekend is shot... I'll be gone all day tomorrow. It's still too cold here to spend much time in the garage, anyway. I spent today putting up some lights in the basement in my work area.

I'm hoping to start taking things apart this week, if the weather is in fact in the 40's for a change. I'm shooting to try and put the struts together in a couple of weeks. I'll post up how it goes. I did check the Bilstein struts and the Tein springs, and that looked like a perfect fit. Hopefully all the other parts will work as well too.

Paul T

linchpinjoe · 04-27-2008, 11:34 PM

Bump, still interested.

tachyon_ftl · 04-28-2008, 04:52 AM

Well, I did the swap and it went fine... just not on my car! One of the guys went to a show last weekend and wanted to lower the car first, so we put my stuff on his 1996. No problem; hardest part is getting the old struts off, and sometimes you even luck out there and they come off the studs without too much trouble.

You definitely want an impact wrench for this, either air or electric. Getting the top nut off the strut would be a major pain without one as there is very little to grab onto to keep the rod in the strut from turning. With an impact, no problem. The rears in particular that nut is easy with an impact, it's only 18 ft-lbs. Fronts are 58 ft-lbs. It's a 19mm nut.

Only other thing I noticed is that when you put the spring and all the bushings together, you want to get the top insulator plate lined up so that the studs are aligned to hit the holes in the strut tower. There is a big rubber bushing that the top of the spring sets into, and if you twist things (after it's all assembled) to line up the studs that go into the tower, it'll twist the spring with it and that causes the bottom to be misaligned on the strut perch. Not a big deal, we just fixed it, but it would have been easier to have it all aligned at the beginning. For a VR4, it is about as easy a swap as it gets.

03-14-2008, 01:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
linchpinjoe Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Batavia IL Drives: 99VR4 Trader Rating: (17)	Another Ground Controls question Do they make ground controls without esc? aka will work for 98-99vr4? __________________ "The Journey To Perfect, And To Conquer It's Definition"

03-14-2008, 06:48 PM	#2 (permalink)
tachyon_ftl '96 VR4 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Hollis, NH Drives: It's spos'd to move? Trader Rating: (12)	Re: Another Ground Controls question Not that I've ever heard of, but I've never really looked. Just swap out the rear end to a Bilstein strut and replace all the other hardware with 1995. I'm about to do that in a couple of weeks. Bilsteins came in last week, Tein S-Techs got here yesterday, and I have a 45lb box 'o stuff on the way from Cherry Hill Mitsu that is supposed to contain, among other things, two each of just about every part in a rear end strut. Just put the car up on jackstands and took the wheels off; tomorrow I'm gonna start pulling parts. Hopefully the rear strut swap will be an easy change (well, except for getting the old ones off of course.)

03-15-2008, 09:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
linchpinjoe Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Batavia IL Drives: 99VR4 Trader Rating: (17)	Re: Another Ground Controls question Let me know how it goes.

03-22-2008, 02:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
linchpinjoe Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Batavia IL Drives: 99VR4 Trader Rating: (17)	Re: Another Ground Controls question bump, anyone?

03-22-2008, 08:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
tachyon_ftl '96 VR4 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Hollis, NH Drives: It's spos'd to move? Trader Rating: (12)	Re: Another Ground Controls question Ha. Well, the parts from Cherry Hill came in Thursday. Looks like everything made it; there are about 20 parts (x2 = 40) for the rear struts, including things like nuts and bolts. I also ordered a bunch of other stuff at the same time, so it was Friday night before I got everything checked off and kitted. This weekend is shot... I'll be gone all day tomorrow. It's still too cold here to spend much time in the garage, anyway. I spent today putting up some lights in the basement in my work area. I'm hoping to start taking things apart this week, if the weather is in fact in the 40's for a change. I'm shooting to try and put the struts together in a couple of weeks. I'll post up how it goes. I did check the Bilstein struts and the Tein springs, and that looked like a perfect fit. Hopefully all the other parts will work as well too. Paul T

Sponsored Links
3000GT/Stealth International Message Center Advertisement

04-27-2008, 11:34 PM	#6 (permalink)
linchpinjoe Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Batavia IL Drives: 99VR4 Trader Rating: (17)	Re: Another Ground Controls question Bump, still interested.

04-28-2008, 04:52 AM	#7 (permalink)
tachyon_ftl '96 VR4 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Hollis, NH Drives: It's spos'd to move? Trader Rating: (12)	Re: Another Ground Controls question Well, I did the swap and it went fine... just not on my car! One of the guys went to a show last weekend and wanted to lower the car first, so we put my stuff on his 1996. No problem; hardest part is getting the old struts off, and sometimes you even luck out there and they come off the studs without too much trouble. You definitely want an impact wrench for this, either air or electric. Getting the top nut off the strut would be a major pain without one as there is very little to grab onto to keep the rod in the strut from turning. With an impact, no problem. The rears in particular that nut is easy with an impact, it's only 18 ft-lbs. Fronts are 58 ft-lbs. It's a 19mm nut. Only other thing I noticed is that when you put the spring and all the bushings together, you want to get the top insulator plate lined up so that the studs are aligned to hit the holes in the strut tower. There is a big rubber bushing that the top of the spring sets into, and if you twist things (after it's all assembled) to line up the studs that go into the tower, it'll twist the spring with it and that causes the bottom to be misaligned on the strut perch. Not a big deal, we just fixed it, but it would have been easier to have it all aligned at the beginning. For a VR4, it is about as easy a swap as it gets.