The rear part of this job is quite a bit different. The rear air bags are mounted seperately from the shock. The air bags are held in place between the lower control arm and the rear carrier. The bottom of the air bag has a 4 point clip-in design, and the top of the bags are held in place by a twist-lock method. You must support the lower control arm with a third-man jack.
Release the air in the rear air bag by removing the solonoid. Then,loosen and remove the lower shock mounting bolt.
Then remove the rear sway bar link pin.
Then, press in each of the 4 point clips that hold the bottom of the air bag to the lower control arm. Once each of the clips has been released, slowly lower the control arm until the lower part of the air bag is free from the lower control arm. Next you have to rotate the air bag until the twist lock is free from the carrier frame. Remove the bag from the car.
The next step is to install the rear springs. Each spring should have a flat end where the last 2 coils come together to form a flat surface. This is the TOP of the spring. There is a spring pad included in the kit. The spring pad has a stud sticking out of the top-center of it. This stud is used to center the pad in the top of the old air bag mounting location. The bottom of the spring has a blunt-cut coil end. You MUST line this cut end up in the rectangular cut out in the lower control arm's air bag cup(where the air bag was mounted).
This rectangular cut out is there to ensure you properly match the installation of both rear springs, so the ride height will be equal on both sides.
Raise the third-man jack until the lower shock mount bolt is lined up with the hole location. Keep an eye on the spring to make sure it has not rotated in the spring cup. Install the lower shock bolt, and the rear sway bar link pin. Make sure you have safely removed all of the air suspension components, and wire-tied all the extra wires and lines securely out of the way. Thats it. Let the car back down, and be sure to hand-torque your lug nuts back on. I also recommend that you check your tire pressure. That way your test drive will produce true results!
I decided to replace the rear shocks at the same time. I also replaced the rear upper shock mounts. I recommend you do the same if you are installing a coil-spring kit. The ride characteristics are very comparable to the factory air ride with the exception of the SELF LEVELING feature. To obtain the best possible ride from this conversion, I recommend replacing the rear shocks since the front struts are new. I am extrememly pleased with the quality of parts in this kit.
I ordered my coil conversion kit from
WWW.AMERICANAIRSUSPENSION.COM
I spoke to EDDIE SPINKS and he was very professional, and his prices were comparable to his competitors. Be sure to let them know you read this article and that you were referred by BlackIcelSC.
Dont be surprised if your car sits a little higher than expected at first. The springs are new, and have yet to support any weight. They will settle within a few hundred miles or normal driving. I also recommend that you have a 4-wheel alignment performed after the suspension settles. My car sits exactly 1.5 inches lower than the stock ride height after 250 miles of normal driving.
I recommend this conversion to anyone who has been dis-satisfied with the factory air ride on their 93-98 Mark VIII. This kit has been sold to thousands of Mark VIII owners with very positive results. Many Mark VIII owners love their factory air ride, and will never change it. Just be advised that there are options out there. This is one of them, and you will NOT be disappointed!
Craig Hartquist
Black Ice LSC
Vice President
Northern California Chapter
Lincolns Of Distinction(LOD-NCA)
